Great read from STrib: Gophers Jerry Kill tackles epilepsy at pivotal point in career

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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Awesome story by Joe Christensen:

“Believe me, there’s nobody who’s trying to do the right thing more than I am because I love coaching the game of football,” Kill said. “And I want to make sure I never have a situation, ever, during a game again.”

Then one day in October, a fan ridiculed him over e-mail for staying in the public eye, despite his seizures. The e-mail said, in part, “We’ve got a freak coaching the Minnesota Gophers.”

Kill was furious.

As much as those words stung him, he kept thinking about the children with epilepsy he’d met the previous summer.

“If you’re calling me a freak, what about these kids that go to school and have a seizure? What do kids say about them?” Kill said. “I decided maybe I need to quit hiding. Maybe I need to step up to the plate.”

For the rest of the great, long read, click below:

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/219135991.html?page=all&prepage=1&c=y#continue

Go Gophers!!
 

Great quote from the article:

“There are no guarantees in life,” Kill said. “But right now, kind of like our football program, I think I’m heading in the right direction.”

Go Gophers!!
 

STrib blog: Jerry Kill opens up about epilepsy at a time when many are still silent

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I went to Jerry Kill’s office on June 27 to interview him for a story about his epilepsy. I knew Kill had opened up about it at times, but I also knew it wasn’t his favorite subject. There I was, a new Gophers beat writer, coming off my first spring practice. We’d had some good conversations about football, but I wouldn’t have blamed him for holding back more on questions about his health.

Instead, he poured out his heart. The interview lasted one hour, and he did most of the talking, taking me through his journey with epilepsy. He talked about the low points, especially last fall’s Michigan State game, when he couldn’t make it back for the second half after suffering a seizure in the locker room. He mentioned how encouraged he’s been working with a new doctor, and how the bowl game against Texas Tech was the most important game he’d ever coached.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/219143801.html

Go Gophers!!
 

" “We’ve got a freak coaching the Minnesota Gophers.”

Whoever said that will rot in hell.
 






Unfortunately....this world is full of a bunch of PantherHawks. Kill has no problem standing up to them.
 



Kill looked good yesterday. He seemed more relaxed and in better shape.
Then I listened to him after the scrimmage on KFAN and he is no less enthusiastic or passionate, but perhaps more in control of what he can be? He mentioned his wife liking MN and that he better do well here in the next few years.
 

Great piece. Joe C. is doing a great job with his coverage - much better than his predecessor.

Does anyone know what happened to Coach Kill's brother-in-law? I remember the story last Fall, but this article says he suffered an allergic reaction at the stadium. To what did he react...food or something else? Terrible deal.
 

What a great article. Jerry and Rebecca Kill are great people. Their character, sincerity and selflessness is a refreshing change compared to many that live in the public spotlight.
 

Dr.Don said:
" “We’ve got a freak coaching the Minnesota Gophers.”

Whoever said that will rot in hell.
Click to expand...

We've got a freak starting nose tackle too.... love them both!
 



As a big brother to a sibling with epilepsy, that 'freak' comment damn near sent me into rage induced fits. I'm 31 years old, and I still get that adrenaline rush like I did in elementary when kids made fun of my brother. Not my favorite feeling in the world.

To be clear, I don't get mad about Kill being called a 'freak', I get mad about ignoramuses being bullies.
 


GopherInPittsburgh said:
Never change STrib comment section. Never change.
Click to expand...

I think you meant to say, "Fall into a vat of napalm, STrib comment section. Fall into a vat", right? I forgot the reason why I never ready any PPress/STrib comments. Thanks for reminding me.
 


Awesome article. Between this and the Cedric Thompson article, Joe Christiansen is certainly making friends among the faithful.
 

See what motivation does for this man! Great things result! Love it!
 

BleedGopher said:
Great quote from the article:

“There are no guarantees in life,” Kill said. “But right now, kind of like our football program, I think I’m heading in the right direction.”

Go Gophers!!
Click to expand...

Love this quote! Such a great article!
 


I thought the story was very good. It was optimistic and informative while also talking about the reality of how this impacts his job. The Cedric story was very good as well. Phil Miller did a very good job last year on his big Andre McDonald story.

Joe will end up being like every other Star Tribune beat writer on this board: People will like him when the team plays well, but if the team loses four or five or six in a row in the heart of the Big Ten season, then people will rip him for being too negative.

It hasn't really mattered who has been the beat writer, people on here have eventually turned on him. Hasn't mattered if the beat writer is an alum or an outsider, criticizing the beat writer turns into a sport.

And even though the Star Tribune devotes time, space and resources to stories like the Kill story and the Cedric story, there will soon be cries of how the paper hates the Gophers and media is too negative, etc.
 

anonymous said:
I thought the story was very good. It was optimistic and informative while also talking about the reality of how this impacts his job. The Cedric story was very good as well. Phil Miller did a very good job last year on his big Andre McDonald story.

Joe will end up being like every other Star Tribune beat writer on this board: People will like him when the team plays well, but if the team loses four or five or six in a row in the heart of the Big Ten season, then people will rip him for being too negative.

It hasn't really mattered who has been the beat writer, people on here have eventually turned on him. Hasn't mattered if the beat writer is an alum or an outsider, criticizing the beat writer turns into a sport.

And even though the Star Tribune devotes time, space and resources to stories like the Kill story and the Cedric story, there will soon be cries of how the paper hates the Gophers and media is too negative, etc.
Click to expand...

Wrong.

Shelman was phenomenal, regardless of how the team was playing. It was a huge loss when he left, but a good move for him. Plain and simple there have been some horrible beat writers for Gopher sports, with Myron right at the top of the list.
 

Chip was the best football beat reporter the Gophers have had in a long time. Most fans were very happy with the work he did, even when the team lost many games in a row. The beat went to hell in a hand basket when Youngblood took over followed by a going through the motions Phil Miller who wrote a good piece a year and that was about it. He mailed it in the rest of the year. Joe is the best we've had (so far) since Chip.
 

anonymous said:
I thought the story was very good. It was optimistic and informative while also talking about the reality of how this impacts his job. The Cedric story was very good as well. Phil Miller did a very good job last year on his big Andre McDonald story.

Joe will end up being like every other Star Tribune beat writer on this board: People will like him when the team plays well, but if the team loses four or five or six in a row in the heart of the Big Ten season, then people will rip him for being too negative.

It hasn't really mattered who has been the beat writer, people on here have eventually turned on him. Hasn't mattered if the beat writer is an alum or an outsider, criticizing the beat writer turns into a sport.

And even though the Star Tribune devotes time, space and resources to stories like the Kill story and the Cedric story, there will soon be cries of how the paper hates the Gophers and media is too negative, etc.
Click to expand...

If you look back at the articles and threads here when Phil Miller started, there were glowing reviews. I joined in, I truly thought that Phil was doing a great job. I don't know what happened, but I think he got "Tribuned". Snark started finding its way into almost every article he wrote. Even after victories, he found a way to take a jab.

I'm a bit of a hypocrite, I decry the "coverage" of the Gophers by the Strib. The truth of the matter is that I click on just about every Gopher article there, unless it was written by Re-Use or Souhan. I want them to value my clicks, but I refuse to click on those two hacks. So I read a lot of Phil Miller last year, and you could just see him devolve into the morass of laziness and crotchety cynicism. I don't know if he knew that he was going to be reassigned and just mailed it in, but it sure felt that way.

So far I like Joe, but let's see how he is writing a few months from now.
 

3 - point stance -- ESPN's Ivan Maisel

1. For years, Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill never said he had epilepsy. Until last fall, he referred to his illness as a "seizure disorder," which sounded more ominous and mysterious than epilepsy. Kill went public with his illness during midseason last year, found better medication, and now has become a leading spokesman in the state for the foundation fighting the disease. Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune tracked Kill’s coming to grips with epilepsy in a sensitive, well-written piece.

2. In the last two years, Penn State has dropped from 10th to 19th in royalty earnings on logoed merchandise among FBS schools who work with the Collegiate Licensing Company. Most Nittany Lion fans believe the NCAA punishment of the school in the Sandusky case was too harsh. And it seemed like all Penn State fans fell in love with the fight in last year’s 8-4 football team. But the drop in royalties gives voice to the silent. A portion of Penn State fans are keeping their wallets closed.

3. On most Sundays, Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Ted Roof would be doing what coaches do -- coaching practice or watching video of practice. Two days ago, Roof sat at his desk with his heart in his stomach, watching his buddy Jason Dufner gut out the PGA Championship. “Great performance under maximum pressure,” Roof said in a text. He befriended Dufner in Auburn, where Roof ran the defense from 2009-11. Two years ago, on the day after Dufner lost a five-stroke lead with four holes to play in the PGA, Roof and the Auburn staff invited Dufner to stop by. When he did, the Auburn football players gave him a standing ovation.

http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/80605/3-point-stance-jerry-kills-pivotal-juncture
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
Wrong.

Shelman was phenomenal, regardless of how the team was playing. It was a huge loss when he left, but a good move for him. Plain and simple there have been some horrible beat writers for Gopher sports, with Myron right at the top of the list.
Click to expand...

Shelman got ripped for reporting that Maturi had decided to replace Monson even though in hindsight that is what happened (except Joel changed his mind at the last minute)
 

STrib Letter to the Editor:

As an epileptic for more than 40 years, I’m deeply sorry that Kill feels he has to make his epilepsy a condition to be vanquished; that it somehow makes him weak, so he has to be tough. Most people are surprised to learn that I’m epileptic. That’s good. It puts epilepsy where it belongs, as just another aspect of a person and certainly not a defining one.

Shame on the Star Tribune for blowing an opportunity to demonstrate how the coach’s epilepsy is simply part of a regular life. All of the paper’s protestations and sideline articles that Kill is being “bold” or “brave” to be so open about his condition are completely undercut by the “I’m not a freak” headline used to introduce the issue.

PRISCILLA WYETH, St. Paul

http://www.startribune.com/opinion/letters/219990071.html

Go Gophers!!
 

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