Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer appeared on HBO's Real Sports Tuesday night and fans of the program saw the same Urban they've quickly become familiar with—confident, to the point and T-800-like in his approach to collecting wins on the football field.
Viewers also caught a window into an Urban we're not used to seeing: vulnerable, maybe more candid than he's prone to be and at times emotional – or at least as emotional as Meyer will allow himself to be.
The premise of the segment was: Why would Meyer, who bowed out of football once for health reasons, give it another go in the pressure cooker that is Ohio State football?
Meyer, interviewed by Andrea Kremer, recanted his health issues, the now-famous pink contract he signed with his daughters and more. Here's what you may have missed.
On whether he was addicted to football...
“I was addicted to winning.”
On winning it all by thumping his father's favorite team...
“It was 41-14. I remember when Percey Harvin got the last first down and I see him fall forward and then the guy puts the marker forward and says 'First down' and my leg started shaking. It was real emotional.”
“I'm taking two Ambiens and I'd drink a beer on top of it, just to get some sleep.”
On the stress of the 2009 season and Meyer's self-medication...
“I'm taking two Ambiens and I'd drink a beer on top of it, just to get some sleep. Not many people know that. And I go from 217 pounds to 180 pounds. I lose 37 pounds – and we're undefeated.”
Asked about his daughter Nicki confronting him after he was rushed to the hospital in Gainesville...
“I couldn't answer her. You know, we'd already won two, why? That hit really hard when she said that.”
When asked about whether he was depressed at the time...
“Absolutely. Mentally, I was broke.”
On whether he picked work over his family when he returned to the Gators 24 hours after stepping down...
“Probably. I'm not very proud of that.”
On hitting rock-bottom at his daughter Gigi's volleyball scholarship ceremony...
“I get to the gym and this beautiful little girl stands up and says, 'Mom, I want to thank you, you were always there. And dad, you were never there, but I love you, too.' And I remember just going, 'Oh my gosh, it happened.' I was the guy that wasn't there. And I remember just getting in the car and driving and tearing up in the car on the way home and going, 'Wow, it happened. I gotta get this right.'”
Meyer's wife, Shelley, on his return to coaching...
“If ever he would go back, it would be Ohio State because he always talks about Ohio State. And that news broke and I was devastated.”
If you're an HBO subscriber, you can catch the episode on HBOGO. Here's a web extra that didn't make the segment in which Urban and Shelley discuss arrests, in particular Aaron Hernandez.
