Travis Etienne on missing Urban Meyer experience: 'If there was any year to miss, I missed a great one'

It's been nearly four months since Urban Meyer was fired by the Jacksonville Jaguars and players are still taking pot shots at him. First-round running back Travis Etienne, who missed all of last season due to a foot injury, joked Tuesday that he picked a "great" year to miss.

Etienne was asked whether there was any part of him that was grateful he didn't have to go through "all of that" last season. We can't be certain, but the "all of that" part of the question seems to refer to the tumultuous year the Jaguars experienced under Meyer.

Etienne laughed before saying, "If there was any year to miss, I missed a great one."

Etienne isn't kidding. Meyer's season — or 13 games, to be exact — was filled with drama. That started almost immediately, as controversial Iowa coach Chris Doyle was announced as part of Meyer's coaching staff. Doyle — who was accused of creating a culture of bullying and making racist remarks at Iowa — resigned a day after his hiring was announced.

Things didn't get any better from there. Meyer was fined for violating offseason practice policies, filmed allowing a young woman who was not his wife to grind on Meyer at a bar, apologized for that video, benched his starting running back for seemingly no reason, reportedly called his assistants "losers" and reportedly kicked his kicker.

Meyer was fired in December. He led the Jaguars to a 2-11 record.

Travis Etienne looking to return after foot injury

Etienne is on the road back after missing the entire 2021 NFL season. Etienne — who was selected with the No. 25 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft — sustained a Lisfranc injury in the preseason. The issue kept him sidelined for the entire season.

Etienne was known in college as a speed back who constantly made defenders miss. He'll have to prove he still has that ability following his foot injury. If healthy, Etienne should see plenty of touches with the Jaguars in 2022. He might not get a full load with James Robinson still around, but the two could combine to provide the newest iteration of thunder and lightning in 2022.