It’s been a long, crazy week for Missouri football coach Gary Pinkel. At the start of it, he stood in solidarity with his players as many of them vowed not to play again until Missouri President Tim Wolfe resigned (go here to read all about it). And now, Pinkel has reportedly decided to step down at the end of the season, citing health reasons.
According to the Missouri website, Pinkel was diagnosed with lymphoma in May. He was treated for it in May and June before rejoining the Tigers for training camp after doctors gave him the OK to do so. However, he has now decided to leave the team at the end of the year to continue fighting the disease and to spend time with his family.
"I made the decision in May, after visiting with my family, that I wanted to keep coaching, as long as I felt good and had the energy I needed," Pinkel said in a statement released on the Missouri website. "I felt great going into the season but also knew that I would need to re-assess things at some point, and I set our bye week as the time when I would take stock of the future. After we played Vanderbilt, I had a scheduled PET scan on October 26 for reassessment, and then visited with my family and came to the decision on October 27 that this would be my last year coaching. I still feel good physically, but I decided that I want to focus on enjoying my remaining years with my family and friends, and also have proper time to battle the disease and give full attention to that," he said.
Pinkel has said that he will address the media following Missouri’s game against BYU tomorrow. Stay tuned for additional details.
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[via ESPN]
