NEW ORLEANS — Wanting to protect his children and football team, Florida coach Urban Meyer was “very careful” about releasing information regarding his hospital stay following the Southeastern Conference championship game.
He hoped to keep private his chest pain, ambulance ride and diagnostic tests — at least until he had a chance to tell those closest to him.
“I have three children that mean more to me than anything,” Meyer said at a Sugar Bowl news conference Thursday. “I have a football team that means more to me than anything. I didn’t want it to get out at all.”
According to a 911 recording, Meyer complained of chest pain and said his side was tingling before he was hospitalized Dec. 6.
Footnotes.
Tennessee safety Eric Berry, the Jim Thorpe Award winner as the nation’s top defensive back, is skipping his senior season and entering the NFL draft. Berry is expected to be a high first-round pick.
• Montana promoted wide receivers coach Robin Pflugrad to head coach, eight days after Bobby Hauck left for UNLV.
• Washington Redskins assistant Stump Mitchell has been offered the head coaching job at Southern University.
• Arkansas suspended three players — including linebacker Wendel Davis and safety Matt Harris, two defensive starters — for unspecified violations of team rules. The Razorbacks face East Carolina in the Liberty Bowl on Saturday.
• TCU’s Gary Patterson won the Bobby Dodd coach of the year award.
The Associated Press
