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Florida offensive coordinator Charlie Weis plans to continue coaching despite hip pain that has him using a cane.
Weis said Tuesday evening that he will ''coach for a long time.''
''My wife says I can't quit,'' said Weis, who took the job in Gainesville partly because his wife loves horse country, partly because his daughter attends a special-needs school and partly because his son enrolled at Florida and got a job working for the football program.
''Remember, I have a kid who is a freshman in college here,'' Weis said. ''Remember the reasons why I came here. So I'll be here for a while - unless you're trying to get rid of me.''
There had been reports that Weis might call it quits after this season because of his health. He tore ligaments in his left knee and broke his right knee when he got wiped out on the sideline at Notre Dame in 2008. He hasn't been the same since. He had his right knee replaced after the 2008 season.
He said his knees feel fine now, but the injury led to problems with his left hip. He considered taking pain medication, but felt like that would cloud his mind and judgment. He intends to have his hip checked out thoroughly after the season.
Weis walks with a limp and has used a cane at times this season His problems became apparent when he used the cane on the sideline the last two games. He also worked one game from the upstairs coaching box.
''Really, not to demean that or downplay it, but it's really not that important how I feel,'' Weis said. ''We're coaches. We're not players. I can do my job fine. Really, I've got as much gas in the tank as I had at the start of the year. There's no less gas. It's still running on full.''
Weis said the pain hasn't caused him to miss any practices.
''No, never,'' he said. ''Not even a thought. ... Those pains are tolerable. Remember, I got wiped out really bad there a couple of years ago. It couldn't have been hurt any worse than that. I didn't miss any time then. Still on the sideline with no ligaments in my left knee and a broken right knee. Maybe I'm a masochist. It never entered my mind.''
Weis plans to stay on the sideline, too.
''I did have to go into the box one game,'' Weis said. ''One ball game, my right knee, the one that was broken, the pain was just too unbearable. I couldn't stand. I was the only one that went to a bowl game in Hawaii, won by 100 and was miserable. I was probably the only one in the whole program. You have to go to a crummy bowl, but you end up going to Hawaii. I can think of a lot worse things to do. We played great and everything and I'm miserable because I know about four days later my right knee is going to be replacement. I couldn't have been any more miserable. Everyone was so happy, it was Christmas eve. I'm miserable.''
