Urban Meyer made an appearance on “CBS This Morning” Monday with to promote his new book, Above the Line, and the Ohio Sate head coach touched on a variety of topics, including his year off, accountability and leadership, and head injuries on the football field.
On Above the Line...
“I've had great players. And that's really what that book is. It's a tribute to an incredible group of young guys that came together. And it was really illogical to win it all – so, I've had tremendous players and great coaches along the ride.”
On what “Above the Line” means...
“Everyday in life, there's a line. You can either live above it or below it. Above the line is with purpose, it's intentional, it's taught. Below the line is impulsive, autopilot. Whether it's how you handle your relationships, you go to work everyday, as a college athlete, you better be very disciplined about living your life and doing the right things – you're under the microscope. Above the line behavior is ‘I'm going to go work and train.’ It's not easy.”
On what he learned during his year off...
“Well, I dealt with a little work-life balance issue as well, but professionally, it was about the alignment of the program.
“I worked for ESPN for a year and I went out and studied Bob Stoops, Mack Brown, Chip Kelly, Brian Kelly at Notre Dame. And then, Steve Jobs – I'm a big fan of him. Obviously, I didn't get to know him, but I studied his leadership style. And Jamie Dimon. I'm one of those people that just can't get enough.”
On football injuries...
“I'm in a unique situation where my son plays high school football and Shelley, my wife, and I had this conversation, and when she first said, ‘Do we really want him to play?‘ I almost fell out of my chair. My whole life has been football. I get it. I understand it. It's serious. But it's as safe as the game has ever been as far as the rules, the equipment and the way we handle our business at Ohio State.”
Above the Line goes on sale tomorrow.
