I don't agree with the people that think this is a non-issue. I think it is something that could very well affect Kill's ability to remain coach. That said, we certainly aren't going to fire him because he has epilepsy (at least not in the short term. It would have to become clear over and over that it is impacting the direction of the program. The whole 'his condition does not allow him to do his job' angle). So I've considered the following:
1) We now have a data point that indicates the team and the fans are normalizing this. The team clearly played BETTER in the second half and after WIU's score early in the second half, they dominated the game. The fans didn't freak out, the stadium staff didn't freak out, the band didn't freak out. The students chanted 'Jerry'. Contrast that with the awful atmosphere that permeated the stadium after the incident at the NMSU game. Never want to be part of that again, and based on yesterday, I don't think that's a concern anymore.
2) I think some accommodations can be made. Not sure if it's the booth, or what, but when we hired Kill we bought into his philosophy, which includes the longest tenured coaching staff. It's a package deal here, really. The staff knows him, his condition, and what to do. It's very possible Kill's whole organization is constructed in part because of their cohesiveness in situations like this that they KNOW will occur. Since we bought them all part and parcel, it would be stupid to quit on it before it clearly doesn't work.
3) While I have my doubts, I'm starting to get pissed at the media. Souhan's article was beyond the pale. Someday when he is old he will regret having written that. He should be canned for writing it. He goes way beyond asking responsible media questions and reaches conclusions that are offensive. Even in an opinion column that is inappropriate.
So basically, we're here, with a situation we would not like but there's no alternative that clearly improves it in the short term, so it's time to make lemonade out of lemons. If the team continues to improve, this is potentially a great story. If not, well, we'll deal with it given the benefit of time and more results to evaluate. We simply gotta go with that and support Kill like there is no tomorrow. Chant his name, and all the rest. If there ever was such a thing as a Gopher Nation (...errr, county?), now is the time to circle the wagons.
