Joe Paterno being treated for lung cancer
Former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno has a treatable form of lung cancer, according to his son.

Scott Paterno said in a statement provided to the Associated Press by a family representative on Friday that Joe Paterno, 84, is undergoing treatment and that “his doctors are optimistic he will make a full recovery.”

“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,” Scott Paterno said in a brief statement.

The announcement came shortly after Penn State said the NCAA would examine whether the university broke any rules with its handling of a child-sex abuse scandal that shocked the campus and cost Paterno and the school’s former president their jobs.

NCAA President Mark Emmert sent a letter to Penn State President Rod Erickson saying the governing body will look at “Penn State’s exercise of institutional control over its intercollegiate athletics programs” in the case of Jerry Sandusky, the former defensive coordinator accused of 40 counts of child sex abuse.

“We have to examine those facts and make a thoughtful determination of what is covered by our bylaws and what is not,” Emmert told the Associated Press on Friday.

Emmert said the case is not yet a formal investigation, though the inquiry could lead to that. Emmert has asked the university to respond by Dec. 16 to several questions. If the NCAA decides to move ahead from there, the process could take six to 10 more months.

“Everyone that works inside a university, a coach, an administrator, a faculty member is first an educator and mentor,” Emmert said. “When you’re in that position you have a responsibility to provide leadership and maintain a high ethical standard.”