Do Kill's in-game seizures hurt the Gopher program?

[BleedGopher]

It will likely impact recruiting, being used against us - you can't help but wonder what Teague's take on it may be.

Reusse tweet: "Non-story of day: Teague strong in support of Kill. No bleep ... Country Jer has 7-year contract."

Go Gophers!!

 

[ncgo4]

This is terrible for the program. This is, what, the third game he's not finished? Plus missing some practice. I feel bad for Coach Kill, but it's worse for the program. We finally get a real coaching team and this...Crap!

 

[Grant]

Norwood sure has bad an interesting start to his tenure. Welcome to the gophers Norwood. Always something fun and exciting going on.

 

[Sportsfan24]

This is terrible for the program. This is, what, the third game he's not finished? Plus missing some practice. I feel bad for Coach Kill, but it's worse for the program. We finally get a real coaching team and this...Crap!

Damn if they hate me for my take on Kill, you are about to be destroyed...lol.

In all seriousness you can't possible believe his health is worse for the program than him?

 

[Deleted_User]

Ah, the blood ritual around GH is fratricide for one and all until the next season begins. Or is it until recruiting ends? If you haven't left blood on the floor of GH, you haven't been truly introduced or inducted. Just wipe off yourself and your opponent when you are done.

 

[GopherFanatic19]

If we won today this would be a non issue here at GH. The masses would be praising the high gods and wishing Kill a speedy recovery. In the end, it was a loss so GH is cursing the high gods and screaming that the sky is falling and Kills health is a factor.

 

[Gold Vision]

If we won today this would be a non issue here at GH. The masses would be praising the high gods and wishing Kill a speedy recovery. In the end, it was a loss so GH is cursing the high gods and screaming that the sky is falling and Kills health is a factor.

But they didn't, so it's a legitimate topic. Losing your coach multiple times during the year is not common and is not good for the team.

 

[MNVCGUY]

If we won today this would be a non issue here at GH. The masses would be praising the high gods and wishing Kill a speedy recovery. In the end, it was a loss so GH is cursing the high gods and screaming that the sky is falling and Kills health is a factor.

I disagree, this is an concern regardless of whether we win or lose today. Coaches being absent during the game is not a common occurrence in the Big Ten.

 

[Formo]

Reusse tweet: "Non-story of day: Teague strong in support of Kill. No bleep ... Country Jer has 7-year contract."

Go Gophers!!

I'm sorry, Bleed. I love the 'news hound' attribution you bring to GH, but I have to put you on my ignore list. It's nothing personal, but I don't follow Reusse on Twitter/read his columns for a reason. I don't come here to read them, either. Nothing personal, I just don't care to read his *&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!#.

 

[Formo]

Oh, hey, see that big red panic button.. Keep mashing it, guise. It'll make things better.

Ignorance at it's worse, I see.

 

[gold82]

The world of recruiting is brutal. Everyone uses negative tactics against anyone for anything. One school can use all of Iowa's DUI problems against them and say Iowa in not taking care of their boys and tell the parents.. "do you want your son to go to place like that?" In the 80's when the Gopher football team was falling on hard times other schools would spread rumors that Pete Najarian and others were transferring, which was garbage. And yes they will use Kill's health as a negative ploy. But ultimately its the player that has to feel good about the school and the football program for himself. The rest of the negative stuff is so prevalent its almost like tabloid journalism, you don't know what to believe.

 

[EG#9]

This poll seems to be the equivalent of asking "is water wet?" I can't believe that almost 3 in 10 GopherHole posters do not think that these seizures are an issue.
If the head coach doesn't need to be present for the game, why doesn't Urban Meyer or Kirk Ferentz just decide to hit the links on a warm Saturday or head in for some hot chocolate on a cold one? The Gophers coordinators both coach from the box, so the guy in charge on the sideline is a position coach who then has to give up some of his responsibilities to someone else (either another position coach or some g.a.).

As for recruiting, you don't think it is already an issue that the Gophers head coach can not making a recruiting trip on his own? You don't think that concerns parents on some level? Coach Kill himself has mentioned on his radio show (see DL65's recaps) that his seizure disorder has already been used against him in recruiting. This is now 3 major events in 2 years that the public is aware of.

 

[beavergopher]

This poll seems to be the equivalent of asking "is water wet?" I can't believe that almost 3 in 10 GopherHole posters do not think that these seizures are an issue.
If the head coach doesn't need to be present for the game, why doesn't Urban Meyer or Kirk Ferentz just decide to hit the links on a warm Saturday or head in for some hot chocolate on a cold one? The Gophers coordinators both coach from the box, so the guy in charge on the sideline is a position coach who then has to give up some of his responsibilities to someone else (either another position coach or some g.a.).

As for recruiting, you don't think it is already an issue that the Gophers head coach can not making a recruiting trip on his own? You don't think that concerns parents on some level? Coach Kill himself has mentioned on his radio show (see DL65's recaps) that his seizure disorder has already been used against him in recruiting. This is now 3 major events in 2 years that the public is aware of.

Spot on. Dumbest poll question ever. This is becoming a major problem. Feel bad for Jerry.

 

[MNVCGUY]

Spot on. Dumbest poll question ever. This is becoming a major problem. Feel bad for Jerry.

When it happens after a game or during the week it is a minor distraction. When it happens on the sideline or in the locker room during the game that is a major issue. I feel for Jerry and his condition, but there may be a reason that you don't see a lot of people with his condition working in extremely high stress, high profile, positions.

It amazes me though that there are fans that can still sit here and say it is no big deal that the head coach is not on the sideline for the entire second half of the game. The head coach is the leader of the team and the face of the program. When they are not able to be out there it is an issue.

 

[minibeaver]

Oh, hey, see that big red panic button.. Keep mashing it, guise. It'll make things better.

Ignorance at it's worse, I see.

Exactly. Like another poster stated "it is what it is". Yeah it's not ideal, but with enough fan talk and media attention it can turn it into a bigger deal than it should be. A self-fulfilling prophecy if you will. Not gonna take part in that. Gonna stay positive.

 

[Prado89]

If it is the problem we're going to have for Kill's tenure, the whole coaching crew must have very clear order of succession for chaotic moment. Kill and his team should preset that plan to public with the approval from AD Norwood. It is not a nonexistence issue. Do I feel sorry for Kill. Yes I do. But I don't want to see Kill' health become a liability for the program. College football is business. It is not an amateurish world anymore. Professionalism is a must for the success of the program.
Hope they're going to make very deep analysis on the issue, and will have solutions or remedies before next fall.

 

[ruppertflywheel]

I hate to say this, but this issue will affect us regarding bowl selection. Purdue will jump us and head to Houston.

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

I think it is tough to argue that it is not a negative factor. When a coach can't finish a game, that is a problem. I still love Coach Kill, and think he is the man. I have to hope that he takes some steps to make sure that the players and other coaches are aware this can happen, no that it is not life threatening, and mentally prepared to continue the game without him.

At the game, I was unaware Kill was gone in the second half until I got home. I was furious that we punted on 4th and 20 and midfield late in the game. At the game, I accused Kill of being cowardly (when I still thought he was making the decision) because I thought that decision was calculated to give up any hope on the game to make sure the score didn't get any uglier. Now that I know Kill didn't make the call, I wonder if it wasn't a tentative assistant who was afraid of getting in trouble for going for it on 4th and 20. Regardless of if that's the case, Kill needs to make sure that everyone knows who is in charge in his absence (which I am sure has happened), but also that person needs to have confidence that he can make tough (and sometimes risky or unconventional) calls without getting in trouble.

 

[MNGoldenGophers1]

If he was a solo pilot or an air traffic controller, I might be a bit more concerned. If he and his staff can recruit and consistly win, his health will be a distraction but won't be much of an issue. There are successful people in this world who have disabilities but make up for it in other ways including surrounding themselves with good people who can take over if necessary. However if they don't win, his health will be identified as issue whether it is really the main problem or not. As others have pointed out, perception can become reality.

 

[BeLikeWisconsin]

I hate to say this, but this issue will affect us regarding bowl selection. Purdue will jump us and head to Houston.

No, the fact that only about 100 Gopher fans will travel to the bowl, and everyone is aware of that, is why we will go to the worst one. The people running the bowls could care less about what happened to our coach. They just try to make as much money as they can, period.

 

[BHgrappler]

Did Kill's seizures hurt the program at Saginaw Valley State -- NO
Did Kill's seizures hurt the program at Emporia State -- NO
Did Kill's seizures hurt the program at Southern Illinois -- NO
Did Kill's seizures hurt the program at Northern Illinois -- NO
Will Kill's seizures hurt the program and prevent him from winning at Minnesota -- NO

Time to move on...next!

 

[short ornery norwegian]

Like it or not, the head coach is the face of the program. He is the person most associated with the program by the fans, the media, the boosters, the donors, the season-ticket buyers -----and yes, by the players and the recruits.

What are the headlines from Saturday's game?

Michigan State Beats Gophers
Gophers manage less than 100 yards on offense
Kill misses 2nd half after suffering another seizure

That is what the donors, the season-ticket buyers, and the recruits will take away from this game.

If I am running a multi-million dollar business (which is what a D1 college FB program is), and my most prominent employee has health problems which repeatedly prevent him from carrying out his duties, then I would be consulting with the lawyers to figure out how to replace that employee without getting sued.

For the long-term good of the program, I think Kaler and Teague need to convince Kill to step down as head coach. I'm sorry, but this problem isn't going away, and it seems to be getting worse.

 

[minibeaver]

Couldn't let the above be the last post of the thread.

 

[mnsportsgeek]

I have always brushed off his seizures as being non-issues. However, after seeing how common they have been. The U cannot keep plodding along like there is not a problem. This affects the program in more ways than 1. I'm not saying that they should go in a different direction with the coaching staff, but they need a better address to the public and media. This will affect recruiting if they can't convince the public that this is a non-issue.

 

[mnsportsgeek]

Did Kill's seizures hurt the program at Saginaw Valley State -- NO
Did Kill's seizures hurt the program at Emporia State -- NO
Did Kill's seizures hurt the program at Southern Illinois -- NO
Did Kill's seizures hurt the program at Northern Illinois -- NO
Will Kill's seizures hurt the program and prevent him from winning at Minnesota -- NO

Time to move on...next!

Nobody cared about those programs. They were not in be public eye. They did not get the media coverage. You never heard of the coach with epilepsy until he came to a Big Ten school. Most of the die hards had no clue he suffered from seizures until he collapsed on the field against NMSU. That's how little coverage it got. Now everyone in the country knows about it.

 

[minibeaver]

With the way the media treats this football team it doesn't matter whether the U addresses it or not. The coaching staff obviously has a contingency plan in place when this happens. This isn't their first rodeo. To Norwegian, to say that it's best to get rid of him for the long term good of the program, have u been paying attention the last ten years? The absolute last thing we need is another coaching change.

 

[GophersInIowa]

I hate to say this, but this issue will affect us regarding bowl selection. Purdue will jump us and head to Houston.

Please enlighten us how this would affect the bowl selection in any way. Bowl selection is all about money and I don't think there will be any Gopher fans saying "Well I was going to go to the Gophers bowl game, but since Kill might have a seizure, I'm not going to go."

 

[beavergopher]

Please enlighten us how this would affect the bowl selection in any way. Bowl selection is all about money and I don't think there will be any Gopher fans saying "Well I was going to go to the Gophers bowl game, but since Kill might have a seizure, I'm not going to go."

After BCS rankings and finish within's one conference, bowl selection is determined by the number of medical emergencies of the respective head coaches. In the event of a tie, hospitalizations are the tie breaker.

 

[MNVCGUY]

Nobody cared about those programs. They were not in be public eye. They did not get the media coverage. You never heard of the coach with epilepsy until he came to a Big Ten school. Most of the die hards had no clue he suffered from seizures until he collapsed on the field against NMSU. That's how little coverage it got. Now everyone in the country knows about it.

+1. The main question is if the added stress of being under the spotlight at a BCS school is making his seizures more of an issue or if things are the same as they have always been. Of course the coaching staff and administration is going to say it is no big deal because they don't want the public to freak out but it would be very interesting to know if his condition has gotten worse since he took over at MN. Did he miss full games or parts of games at NIU or SIU?

 

[kellyleeks]

If it is the problem we're going to have for Kill's tenure, the whole coaching crew must have very clear order of succession for chaotic moment. Kill and his team should preset that plan to public with the approval from AD Norwood. It is not a nonexistence issue. Do I feel sorry for Kill. Yes I do. But I don't want to see Kill' health become a liability for the program. College football is business. It is not an amateurish world anymore. Professionalism is a must for the success of the program.
Hope they're going to make very deep analysis on the issue, and will have solutions or remedies before next fall.

Where I work, my boss has something called an out of office assistant, which informs callers and people sending emails that he is out and they should call my. He can just choose it amongst a drop down menu. They should definitely do something like that, so there's no missed communication.