With the Minnesota Vikings kicking off their their organized team activities this week, they’ll be missing one very important figure: head coach Mike Zimmer.
Vikings GM Rick Spielman released a statement Monday morning that read as follows: “As the Vikings begin OTA practices, Coach Zimmer will be taking time away from the team to dedicate to recovering from eye surgery and restoring his health. We all agree Mike’s health is the priority and we believe rest and recovery are in his best interest for the long term. We anticipate Mike back on the field in a few weeks.”
Zimmer underwent his eighth eye surgery in the last seven months a week ago as he attempts to restore vision in his right eye. The head coach missed Minnesota’s Week 13 game last year after undergoing emergency surgery on a detached retina and is still undergoing procedures to fix the issue.
His latest operation appears to be unexpected since Zimmer had stated earlier in the year that he would have one surgery in April and another surgery in June to complete the process.
Zimmer spoke to the Vikings’ radio flagship on Monday in conjunction with Spielman’s statement and sounded optimistic about his vision.
ZIMMER on his eye : “This is the very best it has looked. Doctor says retina looked perfect. Pressure has come down tremendously.”
— KFAN1003 (@KFAN1003) May 22, 2017
Coordinators Pat Shurmur, George Edwards and Mike Priefer will likely pick up the slack during OTAs as the Vikings await Zimmer’s return. The assistant coaches will address the media Wednesday morning.
