Embattled ex Penn State coach Joe Paterno has been diagnosed with lung cancer, his son revealed, days after he was fired from his job.
Scott Paterno said in a statement on Friday that the 84-year-old Joe Paterno is undergoing treatment and that ‘his doctors are optimistic he will make a full recovery.’
‘As everyone can appreciate, this is a deeply personal matter for my parents, and we simply ask that his privacy be respected as he proceeds with treatment,’ Scott Paterno said in a brief statement.
Scott Paterno said the diagnosis was made during a follow-up visit last weekend for a bronchial illness.
Earlier Friday, the Standard-Speaker newspaper of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, reported that Paterno had been seen Wednesday visiting the Mount Nittany Medical Center and was treated for an undisclosed ailment and released.
Paterno was fired last week in the aftermath of shocking allegations against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, charged with sexually abusing eight boys over 15 years.
He initially announced his retirement effective the end of the season the morning of November 9 before university trustees fired him about 12 hours later.
The lurid scandal has forever tarnished the reputation of a football program that once prided itself on the slogan ‘Success with Honor.’
Paterno and his wife Sue were seen at a hospital earlier this week. Before the diagnosis the coach had transferred the deed on their home to his wife for $1
The Hall of Famer’s 409 career victories are a Division I record.
Meanwhile Paterno is eligible for half a million dollars in pension after spending 46 years in charge at the university.
The formula used by the State Employees’ Retirement System (SERS) makes Paterno eligible for a pension equal to 100 per cent of the average of his three highest-salary years.
His pay rose from $541,000 to $568,000 over the past three years.
There also is a long-service supplement that could boost Paterno to 110 per cent of his final average salary.
A spokesman for SERS said benefit limits may apply, so the agency was unable to give an estimate of Paterno’s full package before it was awarded.
In addition, Paterno transferred full ownership of his house to his wife Sue for $1 in July, according to the New York Times. The couple had previously both been on the deeds for the house.
Paterno’s attorney Wick Sollers told the Times in an email that the transfer, which was revealed before the cancer diagnosis, had nothing to do with the scandal but was part of an ongoing ‘planning program’.
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