Urban Meyer 'depressed,' relied on alcohol, pills at Florida
Ohio State coach Urban Meyer won two national championships during his five years as head coach at Florida, but new reports indicate that all was not as well as it may have seemed.
Sports Illustrated reports that in an upcoming report from HBO's "Real Sports" Meyer admitted to being "depressed" and "mentally broken," relying on a mixture of Ambien and alcohol to sleep.
From Sports Illustrated:
Meyer said he became depressed and lost 37 pounds during the season in which the Gators went 13-1 and won the Sugar Bowl. After his team's loss to Alabama in the SEC championship game, Meyer said he was admitted to a hospital with chest pains and thought he was dying.
After winning the national championship in 2008 against Oklahoma, Meyer apparently went into a "panic situation," beginning to recruit for the next season literally minutes after winning.
"We just won it. We got to do it again. I close the door. And I started just recruiting," said Meyer. "One of my friends came and said, 'What are you doing?' He said, 'Enjoy, what's wrong with you, man? Enjoy this.' I tried."
The same problems persisted, and in December 2009 Meyer said he would take an "indefinite leave of absence" for personal and health-related reasons. However, he was back with the team leading his regular duties by March 2010.
Meyer was criticized during his tenure in Gainesville because 31 of his players were arrested during his time there.