To say Wednesday morning’s announcement of the health-induced retirement of Jerry Kill was a gut-punch to the Minnesota Gophers would be an understatement. For the most part, his program was the shinning light in an era of darkness within the University of Minnesota athletic department.
A sexual harassment scandal forced former athletic director Norwood Teague to resign in disgrace in August. Further investigation found plenty of areas to be corrected within the hierarchy of the Gophers athletic department, and have had some calling for the head of university president Eric Kaler.
In the midst of all of that, there is a 41-year-old first-time major college athletic director named Beth Goetz.