Doctors want Billy Gillispie ‘stress-free’ for 30 days. Uh, good luck with that
Billy Gillispie's doctors have ordered he do something that may not be possible for an embattled college basketball coach whose erratic behavior and spiraling career has become national news.
They want him to live in a stress-free environment for 30 days to try to get his high blood pressure under control.
The Texas Tech coach confirmed that news via a text message to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal on Sunday night. Gillispie received the directive from doctors after spending four days at a Mayo Clinic in Minnesota last week being treated for abnormal headaches and kidney problems.
What this latest news suggests is Texas Tech may have to wait another month before it can resolve Gillispie's job status, which is now in limbo as a result of allegations he mistreated his players.
School officials have put assistant coach Chris Walker in charge of day-to-day operations of the team and ordered Gillispie not to have contact with any players or staff until he and athletic director Kirby Hocutt have a face-to-face meeting. The problem is any meeting between Hocutt and Gillispie would seem to violate orders from the coach's doctors that he avoid stressful situations the next 30 days.
Texas Tech will no doubt respect the wishes of the doctors since Gillispie's health is the most important aspect of this situation. Nonetheless, the longer the Red Raiders have to wait to presumably cut ties with Gillispie, the worse it is for them.
It keeps a negative story in the news cycle for another four weeks. It leaves the program in limbo entering the start of practice next month. And it creates uncertainty in the minds of current players and recruits, all of whom surely want to know who their coach will be in the future.
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