Fox News Flash top headlines for December 16
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Billionaire NFL team owner Shad Khan has had a rough first 15 days of December between his business with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the family’s venture into professional wrestling with All Elite Wrestling.
Khan is the principal owner of the Jaguars and the co-owner of AEW. Khan’s son Tony is the founder of the wrestling venture as well as its CEO and president. Tony Khan also serves as the senior vice president of football technology and analytics.
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Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer on the field before a game against the Los Angeles Rams Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021, in Inglewood, Calif. Urban Meyer's tumultuous NFL tenure ended after just 13 games — and two victories — when the Jacksonville Jaguars fired him early Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021, after a series of missteps. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong , File)
The Jaguars put an end to the headache provided by Urban Meyer. The team fired him after only 11 months and 13 regular-season games. But what happened this month appeared to push Shad Khan over the edge in terms of Meyer’s status within the organization.
Meyer got flak from the team when he benched James Robinson at the start of the month. Trevor Lawrence was forced to go to bat for Robinson, saying he believed the second-year running back deserved to be on the field. An NFL Network report later said that Meyer called his assistants losers and had a heated argument with veteran wide receiver Marvin Jones.
After a 20-0 loss to the Tennessee Titans in which Meyer looked less than thrilled to be walking off the field after another loss, he appeared in front of the media and threatened to fire the source of the NFL Network story.
Shad Khan said earlier this week he wouldn’t jump to fire Meyer immediately. But that patience subsided after former Jaguars kicker Josh Lambo accused Meyer of kicking him during a team practice over the summer. Khan fired Meyer hours after the Lambo accusations emerged.
Shad Khan, Owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, looks on before the start of a game against the New Orleans Saints at TIAA Bank Field Oct. 13, 2019 in Jacksonville. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)
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"After deliberation over many weeks and a thorough analysis of the entirety of Urban's tenure with our team, I am bitterly disappointed to arrive at the conclusion that an immediate change is imperative for everyone," Khan said in a statement. "I informed Urban of the change this evening. As I stated in October, regaining our trust and respect was essential. Regrettably, it did not happen."
AEW had a very successful summer with the acquisitions of CM Punk, Bryan Danielson and Adam Cole from WWE. AEW’s shows "Dynamite" and "Rampage" each popped with more than 1 million total viewers at their peaks.
"Dynamite" peaked at 1.319 million viewers Sept. 8 when Punk addressed fans for the first time since appearing at All Out. "Rampage" peaked at 1.129 million on Aug. 20 when Punk made his debut in Chicago.
Since then, things cooled off with "Rampage," attracting around 500,000 viewers. "Dynamite" attracted over 900,000 viewers Wednesday for the first time since mid-November thanks to its "Winter is Coming" special
As things move into the new year, the Jaguars will be back at square one with a high draft pick and in need of a new coach for the 2022 season.
Awesome Kong, Brandi Rhodes, Cody Rhodes, Nyla Rose and Jungle Boy of All Elite Wrestling speak during the TNT and TBS segment of the Summer 2019 Television Critics Association Press Tour 2019 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on July 24, 2019, in Beverly Hills. (Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
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AEW will look to build upon some of the momentum it gained toward the end of 2021. AEW will have a lot of time to build up its top stars as its first PPV of 2022 isn’t set until March.
Fox News' Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.
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