Former Penn State Coach Joe Paterno Hospitalized
Former Pennsylvania State University football coach Joe Paterno was admitted to a hospital on Sunday after fracturing his pelvis.
Paterno slipped at his Pennsylvania home on Saturday evening causing a rupture to his pelvis that will fortunately not require the 84-year-old former Nittany Lions coach undergo surgical procedure.
This is the second time this year that the former coach injured his pelvis. Paterno was accidentally struck by wide receiver Devon Smith at a preseason practice back in August that resulted in a fractured pelvis.
Paterno made headlines last month when a child sex abuse scandal broke involving his former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky rocked Penn State; one of the most acclaimed universities in the United States.
The Penn State scandal shocked the entire nation and resulted in the ultimate firing of the widely praised football coach. Paterno was fired amid widespread criticism that he did not do more to halt child abuse at the hands of his former assistant coach.
Sandusky, who is currently under house arrest, faces 50 counts of child sexual abuse, one of which directly involved an incident in the Penn State locker rooms.
According to court documents, Paterno was allegedly informed of a rape incident in 2002 witnessed in the Penn State locker room showers by then graduate assistant Mike McQueary.
Court documents show that McQueary informed Paterno of the incident, who proceeded to inform the school’s athletic director Tim Curely. However, no action was taken against Sandusky other than to notify him not to bring boys into Penn State facilities.
Amidst the child abuse scandal, Paterno has also been battling a non-fatal form of lung cancer. The former coach is undergoing chemotherapy treatments for his cancer.
Paterno will turn 85 later this month.