INDIANAPOLIS —
The news coming from the Indianapolis Colts West 56th Street offices Monday morning was, to say the least, stunning.
During a hastily called news conference, teams officials confirmed that Colts coach Chuck Pagano has been hospitalized since Wednesday after being diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia.
According to team owner Jim Irsay, Pagano had been suffering from fatigue and some unusual bruising on his body since the start of training camp in August. The first-year Indianapolis coach had initially attributed his fatigue on the rigors of his job and on the oppressive heat during the camp’s duration.
When the symptoms didn’t go away after the start of the season last month, Tina Pagano urged her husband to go in for a checkup. Dr. Larry Cripe of the IU Health Simon Cancer Center made the official diagnosis.
The Colts did not have a game Sunday because of a regularly scheduled bye week. Pagano put the team through two days of workouts Tuesday and Wednesday before a four-day break. He entered the hospital that night.
“It’s been a very difficult week,” Irsay said. The coach was feeling some fatigue over the last few weeks, had noticed some bruising on his body that at first he thought could have been from contact on the field coaching or playing with his grandkids or whatever. Eventually, through talking to his wife, Tina, she said, ‘You need to check that out because the bruising appears to be more and more prominent.’
“So we did have the coach go in, get fully evaluated on the bruising and his fatigue, and the conclusion came down that he did have leukemia. A very difficult blow for him, for his family. We always talk about God, family, football in that order. And certainly this has been difficult for him and for his family. Knowing Chuck, his first concern always is going to be for his children, for his grandchildren, for his wife, for others. That’s just the type of man he is. But I am optimistic.”
While acknowledging that leukemia in any form is a serious disorder, the Colts owner remains confident in Pagano’s ability to battle the disease.
“I feel with every fiber in my body and I know Chuck feels the same way, that he can beat this thing. And that when you get such a difficult diagnosis like this, it’s tough. But at the same time, in terms of other diagnoses that can come down as advanced pancreatic cancer, ALS, you can pick some out there that are extremely difficult and maybe almost incurable, that’s not the case here,” Irsay said.
“The case here is we feel that and I know he feels that he will battle and get this disease in remission. It’s a marathon, there’s no question about it.
Pagano, who had been the Baltimore Ravens’ defensive coordinator before being hired as the Colts head coach in February, is expected to undergo treatment for at least six to eight weeks.
Indianapolis offensive coordinator Bruce Arians has been named as the team’s interim head coach. He’ll serve in that role for as long as it’s deemed necessary. Irsay, though, said that he doesn’t expect Pagano to be “all in” in terms of his coaching duties after his initial release from the hospital.
“I think it’s unlikely that he will be all-in as a head coach this season, that’s probably not in the cards where he’s going to be able to come back and be all-in this season. Certainly to be in the press box, to contribute, to do things, I’m going to let the doctor be more specific about that with his expertise on how this process goes but there are peaks and valleys,” Irsay continued.
“Once you get better, there’s more chemotherapy and it’s a process of really getting back to yourself. We know the demands in this league of being a head coach. It’s one of the most demanding jobs that you can have in this country. So Bruce Arians is going to be our interim head coach. It was Chuck’s wishes and certainly had my blessing and [general manager] Ryan’s [Grigson] blessing on that.”
Grigson said with Arians taking over the head coaching duties for the foreseeable future, the rest of the Colts’ coaching staff will pick up any slack along the way.
“I don’t think that’s going to be an issue,” Grigson said. “Whoever needs to shoulder more is going to shoulder more, whoever needs to take on a new role is going to take on a new role. But I feel like we have the right guys in place to shoulder those loads.”
Cripe explained said APML, which is also referred to as AML (acute myeloid leukemia), is a cancer of the bone marrow. Pagano is currently in semi-isolation at the IU Health Simon Center.
“He was evaluated for bruising, and that evaluation demonstrated changes consistent with acute leukemia. He was hospitalized Wednesday night and we initiated treatment at that time. I’m here because the coach has asked me to be here. He wants to deal with this challenge in a very forthright fashion,” the cancer specialist said.
“First of all, the goal of the treatment I’m about to describe is to cure the disease. That means that he’s returned to a fully functional life, the life that he worked so hard to earn and he’s looking forward to leading the Colts to some Super Bowls. However, the process is long and complicated, and we are just starting right now. For the next several weeks, this will be day-by-day. We’ll be vigilant and we’ll do everything we can to assure and help him reach a full recovery.”
Messages, yes;
flowers, no
• Colts officials request that all cards, letters and message of support for Pagano and his family be sent to the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center, P.O. Box 535000, Indianapolis, IN 46253.
• They also ask that no flowers be sent.
Local & Bistate
Coach’s LEUKEMIA stuns Colts
- Local & Bistate
-
-
Not just graffiti: Children learn to express inner positive thoughts, expand vocabulary through street art
The scribble of chalk brushing up against a stone wall could be heard Wednesday as children showed their creativity at the 14th and Chestnut Community Center. The messages on the wall were straightforward: “We are ... artistic, amazing, hope, funny, unique.”
-
An honor for the ages: Famous Terre Haute sculptor comes up with unique memorial to fete veterans
“Until they all come home” are the words written on the concrete floor clearly visible to workers and onlookers as part of the centerpiece to the new Montezuma Veterans Memorial that was set in place Wednesday afternoon at Aztec Park in Parke County.
-
MARK BENNETT: Forget the cellphone, enjoy the summer
The third rail post from the left on the second-floor patio. By holding a cellphone at eye level, with your left hand, while standing perfectly still, without blinking, a faint one-bar signal was possible. Possible. Otherwise, there was no connection to the outside world at this retreat spot in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, where my wife and I stayed earlier this month
-
National group gives ISU low marks for training teachers
A national research and advocacy group has given Indiana State University — and more than a dozen other Hoosier colleges and universities — low marks for how it trains teachers.
-
Holcomb, other top leaders leaving Indiana GOP helm
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Republican Party Chairman Eric Holcomb leads a number of high-level departures from the state party half a year after the 2012 elections.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: June 19, 2013
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Tuesday and Wednesday, based on jail records.
-
Right lane of U.S. 41 South closed at Harlan Road
VIGO COUNTY, Ind. – An intersection improvement project on U.S. 41 and Harlan Road has closed the right lane for southbound traffic beginning today. This lane closure is scheduled to last about one month.
-
Terre Haute Coke & Carbon: Cleaning up a legacy
When heavy equipment starts moving dirt next week at the former Terre Haute Coke and Carbon industrial site, city officials hope a new day will be dawning for a long-neglected part of town.
-
Diversity growing: New census report shows changing face of Indiana
Like the rest of the nation, Indiana is continuing on a trend toward greater diversity as the numbers of Hispanics, blacks, Asians and other minorities are rising at a faster pace than whites.
-
Valley following diversity path of nation, Indiana
Like much of Indiana, the majority white population in the Wabash Valley is on the decline, while minority populations are on the increase.
-
Court lets walkout fines against House Democrats stand
House Democrats who had to pay more than $100,000 in fines after they walked out of the Indiana Statehouse two years ago during a legislative session won’t get the help they sought from the Indiana Supreme Court.
-
Arrest made, victim identified in Rosedale homicide
The victim in a Parke County homicide that occurred last week has been identified as Kathryn A. Bays, 55, of Rosedale.
-
Vermillion industrial park gets award for transition
The Vermillion Rise Mega Park, a former chemical weapons base now an industrial park north of Clinton, has gotten national attention for its rapid transition to civilian from military use.
-
Slight damage from evening storm
Very little damage was reported from a late evening storm that rolled through the Wabash Valley on Tuesday.
-
U.S. 41 lane restrictions
Motorists should expect delays because of lane restrictions on U.S. 41 in Sullivan County next week as a railroad company repairs a rail crossing 1.2 miles north of Shelburn.
-
Lane restrictions next week on U.S. 41 at Shelburn
SHELBURN, Ind. – Motorists should expect minimal delays because of lane restrictions for U.S. 41 in Sullivan County next week as the railroad company makes repairs to the rail crossing 1.2 miles north of Shelburn.
-
Reputed Mafioso tip triggers new Hoffa body search
OAKLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The FBI saw enough merit in a reputed Mafia captain’s tip to once again break out the digging equipment to search for the remains of former Teamsters union leader Jimmy Hoffa, last seen alive before a lunch meeting with two mobsters nearly 40 years ago.
-
UPDATE: Parke County homicide victim identified
ROSEDALE — The victim in a Parke County homicide that occurred last week has been identified as Kathryn A. Bays, 55, of Rosedale.
-
Court lets walk-out fines against House Democrats stand
INDIANAPOLIS — House Democrats who had to pay more than $100,000 in fines after they walked out of the Indiana Statehouse won’t get the help they sought from the Indiana Supreme Court.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: June 18, 2013
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Monday and Tuesday, based on jail records.
-
Back home again: Items from vaudeville stage and Terre Haute native sent to Historical Society
The staff at the Vigo County Historical Museum are excited about the arrival of priceless items used by Terre Haute-native Rose Fehrenbach and her husband, Edward Pierce, to promote their Vaudeville acts in the early 20th century.
-
Husband charged in Archer homicide
Terre Haute Police have found local reports of domestic violence between a Terre Haute man and his wife, whose body was discovered wrapped in a tarp and dumped in an Ohio ditch.
-
National Road panels dedicated
Rewind to the mid-1800s, when the trotting of a horse and buggy on National Road could be heard alongside the voices of people heading west, searching for opportunities.
-
Pence sets agency priorities
Following a directive from Gov. Mike Pence, state agency heads are reorganizing some of their top priorities to better reflect the first-year governor’s “roadmap for Indiana” plan for improving the state’s economy, infrastructure and health.
-
Another I-70 traffic snarl: Three injured in two related crashes
Three people were injured Monday afternoon from a pair of crashes on Interstate 70 that temporarily closed the highway and diverted traffic into Terre Haute.
-
Terre Haute man still hospitalized after scooter/car crash
A Terre Haute man remained hospitalized Monday at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis after his scooter struck a car early Saturday on Wabash Avenue at 25th Street.
-
Overpass repairs causing Interstate 70 lane restrictions
Repairs to the Frye Road overpass in southeastern Vigo County has caused a restriction to the left lane of Interstate 70 between the 13- and 14-mile markers, about two miles east of the Indiana 46 exit.
-
Indiana woman condemned for killing at 15 is freed
A woman who was sentenced to death at age 16 for taking part in the torture and murder of a 78-year-old Bible studies teacher was released from an Indiana prison Monday after growing to middle age behind bars.
-
Grant will let Vigo Library evaluate map collection
The Vigo County Public Library has received a $2,000 grant to evaluate its historic map collection, a library official announced Monday.
-
Four juveniles caught on elementary school roof; one injured jumping off
Police say a juvenile was lucky to have suffered only a broken leg after jumping from the roof of a Vigo County elementary school – dropping about 30 feet to the ground.
- More Local & Bistate Headlines
-




