Guy Benjamin is still committed to helping the Hawaiian Islanders try to turn this season into a winning one. Benjamin remains committed
to Hawaiian Islanders’ causeBy Nick Abramo
nabramo@starbulletin.comHe's just not the head coach anymore.
Benjamin, who stepped down Tuesday night, is in a more informal and less stressful position; it will be more conducive to maintaining his health.
Due to a recurring heart condition, he was not behind the bench during last week's arenafootball2 loss to Tulsa.
"It comes on periodically," Benjamin said. "I get an irregular heartbeat and low blood pressure and a high pulse rate. It comes on with lack of sleep, stress and long hours --which are all conditions of being a head football coach."
Chad Carlson became the new head coach Tuesday night, and his first task is to end the Islanders' four-game losing streak at 7 p.m. Saturday against the San Diego Riptide at the Blaisdell Arena.
Benjamin said trips to Moline, Ill., and Wichita, Kan., may have contributed detrimentally to his health.
"We were gone for four days, back for three and gone for four again. Maybe, I'm destined to stay on this island and never leave. That would suit me fine."
Benjamin, who played in the NFL and was an assistant coach at Hawaii in the late 1990s, sort of fell into the Islanders job.
"I originally approached the management team to see if they needed help in developing the players and putting a staff together," he said. "First, I was supposed to be an assistant coach. I said, 'Fine, I'll enjoy that.' And then, it turned into being the head coach. Now I can go back to doing what I set out to do.
"Chad will be a fine, outstanding head coach in arena football. His feet are at the fire and he's being thrown in head first. But it's a good team, with some players getting better each week, and the coaches are getting better each week with game plans and schemes. We've got to win this game Saturday, so I'll be focusing on that one and on the next one and the next one."
Benjamin said the Islanders organization showed "tremendous concern" for his health, and that the decision to step down as head coach came after sitting down with his family and meeting with the team's ownership group in an effort to determine the course of action that would be beneficial to all.
The Islanders (1-4) can move into a tie for second place in the af2 National Conference West Division with a win over the Riptide (2-3).
Hawaiian Islanders