Jerry Kill tells columnist Jim Souhan to ‘Kiss my ass’
By Frank Bi
Gopher football head coach Jerry Kill has been receiving loads of national media coverage in the past week heading into Minnesota’s border battle against the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday.
The third-year Minnesota head coach is still technically on his hiatus while he treats his epilepsy, but that hasn’t stopped him from being available to the media.
One particular tidbit from all the national press coverage was a quote from Kill in a CBS Sports’ interview in reaction to a hard-bitten column written by the Star Tribune’s Jim Souhan earlier this year.
"The awareness of his condition has given Kill a cause. He admits to being driven by a local columnist who suggested in September the coach “is not healthy enough to lead.” “Kiss my ass,” Kill said, growing agitated behind his desk. “I’m going to show you. I’m a Division I coach, OK? I’ve got epilepsy. I’ve been doing this [expletive] and winning for a long time. I’ll show you.”"
One thing’s for sure: Kill is a keeper. He’s a man who’s not afraid to voice out against his critics with a quote that’s worthy of a Coors Light commercial.
This also isn’t the first time Kill has exploded on a critic. On his weekly radio show last year, Kill called out an individual who wrote him an email calling him a “freak” because of his epilepsy disorder.
"“Maybe I’ll get in trouble for this, but I always told it like it is, and I am a tough person – I’ve got a tough wife – and the best way I can put it is anybody that has the guts to do that, come see me, I’ll show you how damn tough I am.”"
I said it last year and I’ll say it again now. If the Big Ten championship was determined by a wrestling match between head coaches, Kill would take the cake.