Reports surfaced shortly before 9 p.m. ET that Joe Paterno had passed away, with tributes pouring in from all corners of the Internet for the coaching legend. Within minutes, the family took to Twitter to knock down what appears to be premature speculation on Paterno’s demise.
“I appreciate the support & prayers. Joe is continuing to fight,” a tweet from Jay Paterno, the coach’s son, read.
“CBS report is wrong - Dad is alive but in serious condition. We continue to ask for your prayers and privacy during this time,” another son, Scott Paterno, wrote.
In an update on their website, the Patriot-News wrote that “sources close to the Paterno family say that the family is tremendously upset with CBS Sports and other news media who have erroneously reported Paterno’s passing.” The paper also reports that Paterno is awake and able to communicate with family and friends who have come to see him.
OnwardState.com was actually the first media entity to report Paterno’s death. The website has subsequently retracted their initial report.
“Our 8:45 pm tweet about Joe Paterno’s death appears to be inaccurate, according to @JayPaterno, who says he’s alive,” the site wrote in a tweet. “We were confident when we ran with it, and are still trying to figure out where our process failed. We apologize sincerely for error.”
The last official update on Paterno’s status was a statement from a family spokesperson, who wrote in a statement that “Paterno has experienced further health complications. ... His doctors have now characterized his status as serious.”
(Photo credit: @KevinHornePSU)
UPDATED 10:31 p.m. ET: The managing editor of OnwardState.com, Devon Edwards, has resigned in the wake of the website’s erroneous report.