Coach Jerry Kill back on job after seizure
Gophers football coach Jerry Kill is "doing well" after suffering a seizure during the game on Saturday against Western Illinois, University of Minnesota Athletics Director Norwood Teague said Monday, in his first comments after the weekend incident.
• Photos: Gophers beat Leathernecks
It was Kill's third seizure at a game since he took over of the Gopher football program in 2010. Teague said Kill was taken to the hospital as a precaution, and that the coach was home by Saturday evening.
"Jerry is our coach and we are 100 percent behind him. I am 100 percent behind him," Teague said, adding that he plans on keeping Kill at the helm of the state's sole NCAA Division I football program.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
Teague said Kill will return to running practice today. But Teague said he'll leave it up to Kill to decide how to continue, and whether the stress of games is factor in Kill's health.
"Experts will tell you epilepsy is a tricky thing...but there's no irrefutable evidence that stress goes into it," Teague said.
Teague said that Kill's health appeared to be better than ever going into this season. "He looks better than he's ever looked, and that's mainly due to lifestyle changes. He's eating better and working out more."
He said that he doesn't foresee what role Kill's epilepsy will have in the future of the program. "We'll just have to keep battling through it," Teague said.
