Scott Paterno has confirming that his father, recently fired Penn State coach Joe Paterno, is undergoing treatment for lung cancer.
The family released this statement: “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.”
Doctors diagnosed the elder Paterno after he sought treatment for a bronchial illness last weekend. His son Scott reports that the family learned about the cancer during a followup medical visit. He went on to say that doctors remain optimistic his father will make a full recovery.
Joe Paterno was seen Wednesday visiting the Mount Nittany Medical Center in State College, Pennsylvania.
The news comes just ten days after the 84-year-old coach was fired by university trustees as part of a sex scandal that has rocked Penn State.