Jim Boeheim will coach against Duke on Saturday after fatal crash
Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim will resume head coaching duties on Friday and coach in Saturday’s game against Duke after he was involved in a fatal car crash on Wednesday, Syracuse Athletic Director John Wildhack announced.
“The Jimenez family has suffered a tremendous loss,” Wildhack said in a statement Friday afternoon, referring to 51-year-old Jorge Jiminez, the man who died. “Our community is shaken. The Boeheim family is heartbroken over what happened, as we all are. This is a very difficult time. I know that Coach Boeheim’s players gain strength from him, just as he gains strength from his players. Our entire community gains strength from each other.
“With this in mind, and after thoughtful consideration, I have respectfully decided that Coach Boeheim will resume his coaching duties later today and will coach in tomorrow night’s game against Duke. We continue to extend our deepest sympathies to the Jimenez family as they continue to mourn this tragic loss.”
The accident occurred late Wednesday night, when Boeheim was driving home after Syracuse beat Louisville at the Carrier Dome. He struck and killed Jimenez, who was standing outside his disabled vehicle which had collided with a guardrail.
BREAKING: per @AdamWeitsman, good friend of Coach Jim Boeheim: “As of this moment he plans to coach,” saying he “feels he owes it to the kids, the community and the school.” @CNYcentral #SyracuseVSDuke
— mary kielar (@marykielarCNY) February 22, 2019
Boeheim met with his team on Thursday but did not attend or participate in practice.
“I am heartbroken that a member of our community died as the result of last night’s accident,” Boeheim said in a statement on Thursday. “Juli and I extend our deepest sympathies to the Jimenez family.”
Also on Thursday, ESPN’s College GameDay announced it would move its show to Bristol, Connecticut, after it originally planned to be on location at Syracuse.
No criminal charges are expected to be filed against Boeheim, the Onondaga County (New York) district attorney, William J. Fitzpatrick, told Yahoo! Sports.
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