Saying that he has cancer and wants to focus on his family and his treatment, the head coach of the University of Missouri football team, Gary Pinkel, announced his resignation Friday. The move shocked the campus after racial protests had put it in the national spotlight and Pinkel had backed his players’ threatened boycott of a coming game.
“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,” Pinkel said, revealing that he received a diagnosis several months ago of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and that he decided late last month that this would be his final season coaching.