Kentucky football’s Liam Coen hospitalized after ‘medical episode’ Sunday

UPDATED SEPTEMBER 11, 2023 6:21 PM
Kentucky football offensive coordinator Liam Coen was hospitalized Sunday after experiencing what the university has called a “medical episode” while working at UK’s football offices.
“(Coen) is currently in good condition at UK Chandler Hospital while doctors and medical personnel continue to monitor him and he is expected to be released Monday,” UK said in a statement released to media Sunday evening. “Out of respect for his privacy and that of his family, we will have no additional comment at this time.”
According to UK’s statement, the medical episode happened at approximately 12:40 p.m.
Coen, 37, recently began his second stint on Mark Stoops’ UK staff. He previously served as Kentucky offensive coordinator for the 2021 season and returned to UK in January after one season as the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams. Coen coached in his second game since the return Saturday, a closer-than-expected 28-17 win over FCS Eastern Kentucky.
During his normal Monday news conference, Stoops did not mention Coen by name when addressing the incident, saying he could not go into specifics about the situation but did make sure to thank first responders for their work on the 22nd anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
“It happens to hit very close to home with me today and the appreciation and need for those folks,” Stoops said. “… It’s been a challenging day or so for us. We will continue to push forward as always. I think the prognosis of things look good with the people in our office and that will be back in the office. So, I’ll leave it at that on that subject.”
Stoops declined to answer a reporter’s question about who will call offensive plays for the Wildcats against Akron on Saturday but did say the staff had already begun preparation for the next game.
“We’ll be fine,” Stoops said. “We’ve got it under control. We worked extremely hard after a challenging day. We had a good night and got some things in place.”
Sunday is the mandatory off day for UK players each week, so Monday typically begins with a review of the previous game’s film before shifting focus to the next opponent. The team’s most intense practices each week are on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“It’s always a challenge because we have a very tight staff, big group,” Stoops said when asked how difficult it is for coaches to refocus on football. “… We love each other, and we work and put a lot of pressure on ourselves. When anything happens to any of our staff members, it’s hard. I can’t dive into too much, but we have a lot of special people there. As I mentioned in the opening statement, your appreciation for any police, fire, EMS, doctors, what appreciation you have when you need them.”
▪ The Southeastern Conference announced that Kentucky’s game at Vanderbilt on Sept. 23 will kick off at noon ET and be televised on the SEC Network.
NEXT GAME
Akron at Kentucky
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
TV: ESPNU
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1
Records: Akron 1-1, Kentucky 2-0
Series: Kentucky leads 1-0
Last meeting: Kentucky won 47-10 on Sept. 18, 2010, in Lexington