The mother of the 24-year-old woman who was videotaped and photographed dancing near Jacksonville Jaguars coach Urban Meyer at Urban’s Chophouse in Columbus, Ohio last week said she is worried about her daughter's wellbeing.
“(She) can’t even go anywhere," the mother told USA TODAY Sports. “It's ruining her life is what it’s doing. I’m worried for her emotional status right now."
USA TODAY Sports is not identifying the woman or her mother because they have been the subject of backlash despite not having made any public statements yet.
New Horizon Media Group, a marketing company where the woman works, said Thursday it is conducting an internal investigation into the incident that took place Friday.
The company is not in position “to make any determination as to her (employment) status,” said Brian Duncan, an attorney representing the company.
He said the woman is working for the company during the investigation.
Alex Cruz, the owner of New Horizons Media Group, referred a request for comment to Duncan.
“I just pray that Alex doesn’t fire my daughter because she needs this job," the mother said. “She just bought a house."
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When asked why New Horizons Media Group needed to conduct an investigation, Duncan said: “We’ve had no prior issues with her whatsoever. She’s been a very solid asset to the company. We’re going to undertake our internal investigation to determine what, if any, impact this has on the company and we’ll proceed accordingly."
Duncan said the company has done work for Urban Chophouse, a joint venture with Meyer and an Ohio restaurateur, and said there is no knowledge the woman had a previous relationship with Meyer, the former coach at Ohio State.
One video showed the woman dancing suggestively near Meyer and another video showed Meyer apparently grabbing the women’s buttocks.
The videos of the woman and Meyer were distributed on social media after the Jaguars lost to the Bengals 24-21 Thursday night in Cincinnati.
"There was a big group next to the restaurant," Meyer said during his Monday press conference. "They wanted me to come over and take pictures, and I did. (They) tried to pull me out on the dance floor, screwing around, but I should've left."
Meyer, who has roots in Ohio and coached the Ohio State Buckeyes from the 2012-18 seasons, said he did not travel back to Florida with the team and stayed so that he could spend time with his grandchildren and attend an event.
"I just apologized to the team for being a distraction," Meyer said. "It's stupid. I explained everything that happened and I should not have put myself in that position."
Meyer added that he apologized to his family, saying they were "upset" about the video.
Contributing: Lorenzo Reyes
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