Former University of Florida head football coach Urban Meyer announced his return to coaching earlier this week, citing a profound desire to spend a lot less time with his family.
“Watching my kids grow up, having dinner every night with my beautiful wife … at the end of the day, just really underwhelming,” said the new Ohio State coach, who left Florida abruptly after the 2009 season.
Meyer’s much-anticipated return to the sidelines represents one of the latest–and most high-profile–examples of the successful professional’s stereotypical tendency to prioritize career accomplishments over personal fulfillment. However, when he was confronted with a question of whether his decision to resume the grueling 130-hour weeks of a Division I is symptomatic of “putting career first,” Meyer bristled.
“No, you guys don’t understand,” said Meyer. “I’m really not a Type-A guy at all. I’d just as soon not have to do these recruiting trips to Podunk, Alabama or study hours of game film. I don’t even really like football, between you and me. At this point, I sort of hate it.”
“I just hate being with my family more.”
