Kill not coaching today
@CBSSports #BREAKING: #Minnesota's Jerry Kill suffered a seizure this morning, will not coach at #Michigan - http://cbsprt.co/killseizure
October 5th, 2013 at 2:16 PM ^
October 5th, 2013 at 2:28 PM ^
Some of you are on a bit of a pedestal. If he wants to coach D-1 football and Minnesota wants him to be their coach, then it is so. Like many things (even around these parts) it's none of our business. Respect the guy for what he's doing and the powers that be will see the out situation accordingly.
October 5th, 2013 at 2:33 PM ^
I don't think people are saying he shouldn't be able to coach, but don't tell me that it isn't distracting for a team when their head coach is experiencing really debilitating symptoms from his condition. And I'm guessing that it is affecting his ability to prepare each week.
October 5th, 2013 at 2:31 PM ^
I give Kill all the credit for working with his condition, but yeah, at some point it must be unnerving for your players to see you have a seizure on the sidelines.
October 5th, 2013 at 2:32 PM ^
Epilepsy is a lifelong condition. While many of the sentiments in this thread are well-meant, many others are missing the point. His teams are stronger because he has epilepsy, not weaker. There are negatives, sure -- he misses a few practices, and he misses one or two games a year. In today's case, a big game. But there are positives too.
I have a nephew with epilepsy. It's serious business, but at 15 now he's been though shit most kids have no clue about. "They cut a hole in my head. I'm serious!" He is a tough, tough, tough kid.
Should Jerry Kill drive a car? No.
Should he coach a football team, with "protocols" in place to adjust if he has seizure? Fuck yes. In the equation Minnesota uses in hiring and retaining him as a coach and role model, that experience is a plus, not a minus.
October 5th, 2013 at 3:18 PM ^
Some excellent points. The decision needs tp be Kill's. One thing, we don't really know how many seizures Kill has had in the past year. We only know about the game day ones. It's possible he may have had more. I don't know of any disease or illness that stress doesn't affect negatively. Epilepsy is certainly no exception. Life is stressful; almost any job can be stressful, but I have to think HC at at program like Minny is one of the more stressful and time consuming jpbs there is. One of our daughters has epilepsy, and one thing she absolutely must do (aside from taking her medication, avoiding alcohol and caffeine) is get enough rest. I'm not sure that is even possible to be a HC at that level. How many hours per week does the typical HC work? 60-70 or more?
It's up to Kill, but I do think his work load is very likely contributing to his seizures, and for his sake and his family, he needs to do something to lessen his workload and stress.
October 6th, 2013 at 10:54 AM ^
His teams are stronger because he has epilepsy, not weaker.
Are they really? So far he's 13-18 at Minnesota and 4-14 in league play. According to a Minnesota site I just visited, Tim Brewster was 5-13 in Big Ten play at this same juncture. (Granted, Kill had to inherit Brewster's mess while Brewster replaced Glen Mason, but still...)
I know what you're saying - that it should be inspirational to play for a guy who's gone through all this - but when it keeps happening, a couple times a season, at some point it's got to wear on the players.
October 5th, 2013 at 6:51 PM ^
I had one and it took me months to get everything to feel normal. Like a brain earthquake makes the way I precieved things just different. I don't believe I could have worked an all consuming job for months after. I feel for that lil bald dude.
October 5th, 2013 at 8:48 PM ^
It would be prudent to note that Jerry Kill's seizures are not a primary condition, but they began several years ago secondary to his developing kidney cancer. He has been treated for the cancer in the past and was in remission (i.e. no evidence of cancer on imaging tests). However, he has been various anti-seizure medications to control his seizures with variable success. Last year after he had a seizure, I am pretty sure that Coach Kill's doctors will probably be ordering some tests to evaluate for any clinical changes that might explain his seizures. One hopes that his health stabilizes, so that he can get back to his job coaching the Gophers.