WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for American Sports Story.

The new FX series American Sports Story depicts former University of Florida head coach Urban Meyer being rushed to the hospital following the 2009 SEC Championship Game. While American Sports Story episodes 1 & 2 and American Sports Story episode 3 have been mostly accurate to the true story of Aaron Hernandez, several notable differences alter the history and facts for the sake of entertainment. Josh Rivera leads the American Sports Story cast as Aaron Hernandez, the former collegiate and NFL superstar tight end who was convicted of murdering semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd in 2015.

The first three episodes of American Sports Story dive into Hernandez’s college years and relationships with two University of Florida legends, Meyer and star quarterback Tim Tebow. Hernandez emerged as a legend himself during his three seasons with the Florida Gators, winning a national championship in 2008 and the prestigious John Mackey Award in 2009, a rare and distinguished achievement. Although the series depicts Hernandez’s early run-ins with the law, including sucker punching a bar manager for not paying a $12 tab, it also portrays the effect that Meyer had on Hernandez due to his relentless commitment to the game.

Urban Meyer Did Have A Panic Attack After Florida’s Loss To Alabama In 2009

He was rushed to the hospital from his home early the following morning

University of Florida head coach Urban Meyer was rushed to the hospital after the 2009 SEC Championship Game. In the series, it’s established that the official word for his hospitalization is dehydration. While Meyer was truly hospitalized after that game, it was not like how it was depicted in American Sports Story. In reality, Meyer went home and went to bed before his wife Shelley Meyer called 911 “at about 4:30 a.m. ET on Dec. 6, after Florida lost in the SEC championship game”. Meyer was taken in an “ambulance after complaining of chest pains and a tingling sensation on his side” (via ESPN).

In American Sports Story, Meyer was portrayed furiously storming through his locker room, not saying a word to any of his players before collapsing in a back hallway of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The series depicts him grabbing his chest and falling to the ground moments after the Gators lost to Alabama. In reality, “Meyer’s wife, Shelley, who placed the 911 call, said her husband awoke briefly that morning and tried to get out of bed, but fell to the floor.” Meyer was reportedly breathing but would not wake up after taking the sleeping pill Ambien, which is a completely different scenario than the scene depicted in American Sports Story.

Urban Meyer & Florida Did Not Disclose His Panic Attack At First

The news didn’t break to the public until nearly a month after the fact

A dramatized version of Meyer, portrayed by Tony Yazbeck, is shown sitting up in a hospital bed. It was implied earlier in the series that the stresses of his profession and his obsession with being the greatest contributed to his bouts of anxiety, causing symptoms such as shortness of breath and throat tightness. News of his hospitalization first broke in late December 2009, nearly a month after the Florida Gators’ blowout 32-13 loss to Alabama in the 2009 SEC Championship Game. The game shocked audiences and sports analysts across the country, snapping Florida’s 22-game winning streak and ruining their chance at back-to-back national titles.

The real-life Meyer announced that he was resigning from the head coaching position in late December 2009 after being released from the hospital. However, he quickly changed his mind and coached the Gators in their dominant 2010 Sugar Bowl victory in January 2010. Meyer told reporters that he “might need a procedure to alleviate chest pains” but did not reveal many specific details at the time and did not classify the health incident as a heart attack or the result of a heart condition (via ESPN). He did point out that “part of the problem is his tireless work ethic and his need to put the weight of the program solely on his shoulders.”

What Urban Meyer Has Said About His Panic Attacks While Coaching Florida

Meyer spoke on the pressures and internal battles he was facing in Netflix’s Untold: Swamp Kings

Meyer kept most of the details surrounding his health private as he continued to coach at an elite level at Florida and Ohio State University. It wasn’t until after Meyer retired from coaching following one unsuccessful season as the head coach of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars that he opened up on the subject. In Netflix’s Untold: Swamp Kings docuseries released in 2023, Meyer revealed that he was “addicted to Ambien” and “lost weight and couldn’t sleep.” Meyer added, “I couldn’t get out of bed, no energy, no desire. I thought I was going to die.” Ultimately, Meyer carried the unbearable pressure to win back-to-back championships, leading to his hospitalization in American Sports Story.

Source: ESPN, Netflix