STATE COLLEGE - Joe Paterno was released from the hospital yesterday, 2 days after getting blindsided at Penn State practice by a player and injuring his right shoulder and pelvis.
The school said in a statement the 84-year-old coach was looking forward to returning to practice today.
"It's time for everyone to turn the attention to the team," Paterno said in the brief statement. "We have a lot of hard work ahead in order to be as good as we think we can be."
Penn State confirmed that no surgery was required for Paterno, and that "precautionary measures" were complete. The team did not offer any more details about the injuries.
He was home by late morning. The Hall of Fame coach spoke with his assistants as they prepared to lead two-a-day sessions.
After stopping by the house to check in on Paterno, son and quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno said he ended up instead getting grilled about practice.
"He's fine . . . It turned into a little work session," Jay Paterno said with a chuckle in a phone interview. "I wish I was as tough as he is."
The latest health issue won't push his father into retirement, either.
"This is nothing more than a small blip on the radar," he said.
Paterno is major college football's career leader with 401 victories in 45 seasons as Penn State coach. His contract expires after the season, though he hasn't offered any clues as to when he might step down.
