Report: Joe Paterno "Gravely Ill,' Nearing Death

[Snakeseye0]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/...-nearing-death

"Legendary former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno is gravely ill and his family is rushing to State College to be by his side, his family has confirmed," Harrisburg's The Patriot-News is reporting.

The newspaper's headline says Paterno is "nearing death."

NPR has not independently confirmed just how serious Paterno's condition is.

Paterno, 85, has lung cancer. He won more games than any other Division I football coach in history before being dismissed in November in the wake of the scandal involving a former assistant who is accused of sexually abusing young boys for more than a decade. Paterno was fired because of a grand jury report that said he had informed school officials about an alleged incident involving the former assistant, Jerry Sandusky, but had not followed through or otherwise alerted authorities.

We'll update this post as the story develops.

Update at 9:50 p.m. ET. Another Son's Statement:

On his Twitter page, Scott Paterno says "Dad is alive but in serious condition. We continue to ask for your prayers and privacy during this time."

Update at 9:30 p.m. ET. A Son Says Paterno Is "Continuing To Fight":

Jay Paterno has posted this on his Twitter page — "I appreciate the support & prayers. Joe is continuing to fight."

Update at 9:15 p.m. ET. "Absolutely Not True" He Has Died:

Paterno spokesman Dan McGinn has told The New York Times that reports claiming Paterno has died are "absolutely not true," The Patriot-News now says.

Update at 9 p.m. ET: Students and others are gathering in State College, according to Onward State, the school's "online news organization."

[Fuzzzie]

All the best to him and his family during this time.

[Deleted]

Hummms... no comment :P

[chadwix]

Tied for greatest college coach of all time, bobby bowden is other. A shame someone else led to his downfall.

[Twiddly]

Bobby Bowden? Surely you jest :P

But in all seriousness, sad day for college football, I do not condone him taking no action in the whole molestation thing, but he was but one of many mistakes.

[Vantheus]

Cannot happen soon enough

[Heilige]

No sympathy here for that child molester.

... You do realize he didn't molest children, right? Furthermore this thread isn't designed to talk about the entire Sandusky scandal - the winningest football coach in NCAA history, and an icon in not only Happy Valley but all of Pennsylvania and many surrounding states for more than half a century is seriously ill. Please keep it out of the thread, as a Penn State fan, and having many friends/family who've gone there I've met JoePa a few times and it was a pleasure and honor. I wish he and his family the best through this time, and pray for him to pull through as he has before.

[Deleted]

The "winningest" you say? We'll gosh darn it, if that's the case then I'm the "damagingest" warlock there is!

Is there really such a word? :P

[Razdornwaz]

Good riddance. That is karma.

[GG you got me]

He knew about it for over a decade, and knew he was still in contact with children regularly. Cya Joe, no one has ever done a better job of squandering their legacy than you.

[bclumas]

Good riddance. That is karma.

He knew about it for over a decade, and knew he was still in contact with children regularly. Cya Joe, no one has ever done a better job of squandering their legacy than you.

It's karma to get lung cancer and go through chemotherapy? It's karma that he developed complications at the age of 85 while dealing with a hip fracture and receiving medications which inhibit your body's ability to proliferate? I see. I think what you all need to do is step away for a second and realize what you're saying here. You might not agree with what happened, but this is neither the time nor the place to discuss that. The man is dying. Show respect for his family, his wife, his friends. You can retort that he should have showed respect for the children, and again I say that this is not the place for such discussion. Be a better person than the person you ridicule, if you will. Despite the things he could have done, look at the things he has done positively in his lifetime and cherish those. There are people close to him that love him and are spending tonight grieving over a dying man. I am so glad that you can hide in the anonymity of the internet because I guarantee you do not have the balls to spit in the face of his family.

Joe Paterno, I will never forget you. You have made so many of us proud to be Nittany Lions. May you find peace and solitude in these trying days. We Are...

[Pendulous]

I'd like to remind you all to respectful toward the dead or almost-dead.

[GG you got me]

Joe Paterno, I will never forget you. You have made so many of us proud to be Nittany Lions.

I see how it is. lol

[Killer52431]

He died about an hour ago. Or that's what ESPN is saying.

[Vampiroth]

Some of you people deserve to get shit on for saying the stuff you do. You obviously know nothing about that case to blame it all on Joe Pa.

RIP Joe Paterno. One of the biggest figure heads in all of College Football.

[bclumas]

I see how it is. lol

And that means? Did you attend Penn State? I did. Do you understand what kind of man he was? I do. He has done more to help those around him in his lifetime than most could ever dream of. Has he made mistakes? Absolutely. He was the first one to admit it, and no alum of Penn State will try to hide behind his accolades. However, if you wish to sit here and defame, defile, and destroy the life of a man because of circumstances upon which you hardly know anything about, I pity you. Out of respect for the thousands of friends that shared his life, for the thousands of college students he helped grow into wonderful men and women, and for his grieving family who just lost a loving father, grandfather, and husband, I ask you to take your cynicism elsewhere. Go log into your game and whisper your friends, call your parents and spread your glee, and even write about it in your diary. I do not care. Do not publicly laud the death of someone. Maybe go look at the people speaking and shouting his praise and realize that people like you are in the minority.

Joseph Vincent Paterno: December 21, 1926 to January 22, 2012.
May you rest in peace, JoePa. You made me better.. you made all of us better. We Are.. Penn State.. Forever.

---------- Post added 2012-01-22 at 09:56 AM ----------

Taken from ABC News:

"Paterno's family, which includes his wife, Sue, five children, and 17 grandchildren, were summoned on Saturday afternoon to the hospital, where Paterno had been under care since being readmitted on Jan. 13."

If nothing else, show respect for the 23 people who loved him most.

[jeleopard]

Former Penn State football coach, Joe Paterno (JoePa!) died last night of lung cancer

http://abcnews.go.com/US/joe-paterno...9#.TxwzHaVST0A

He shall be missed D:

[Vampiroth]

Jo Pa didn't witness a crime. He heard about it 2nd hand. He had no way of knowing if what he was told was true or not. The information given to him was vague and from a very young man and it was about someone he had known for years and by all accounts was a very good man. He reported it to the AD and University President. It eventually made it to the head of Campus police and even a local DA. Those people did nothing. What the hell was Jo Pa supposed to do? Arrest the guy himself? Or go public with a HUGE accusation that he didn't even know for sure was true? It's easy to sit in judgment of another when you're so far removed from the facts. It's easy to say that he should have done more knowing what we know now. But he didn't know all this then.

[Badpaladin]

Just so we're clear, there won't be any arguing about the scandal tolerated here.

[Shadee]

serves him right after having sex with all those children

And so swings the banhammer. Keep on topic.