At least three times in the past two months, Penn State head coach Joe Paterno has been forced to cancel appearances for what was first described as a reaction to medication prescribed before undergoing dental work and then said to be an intestinal issue.
Given the fact that the winningest coach in big-time college football is a robust 83 years of age, there are some who concerned over whether Paterno’s availability for the 2010 season will be affected by the medical issue.
In an attempt to perhaps allay some of those concerns, the university’s president responded to a request from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by stating that the health issue currently limiting Paterno’s offseason banquet tour will not be an issue once the season rolls around.
“Coach Paterno has had intestinal issues this summer that have forced him to limit his efforts to team activities and therefore some of his personal appearances have been cancelled,” university president Graham Spanier told the Post-Gazette in an e-mail.”We have no reason to be concerned about coach Paterno’s ability to lead the team.”
We said it before and we’ll say it again: get well, get healthy, Coach Paterno. This is a better sport when you are involved.