It seems that the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts is indeed “Chuckstrong”. As the Indianapolis Colts continued their “Chuckstrong” initiative before Sunday’s win over the Cleveland Browns, which promotes awareness and donates research money for leukemia, they also got some very good news about the health of their hospitalized head coach.
In the locker room after Sunday’s victory, Colts owner Jim Irsay let the team know that head coach Chuck Pagano had been released from the hospital. Pagano, who was diagnosed with a treatable form of leukemia a few weeks ago, had been hospitalized all of this month as he underwent treatment. In fact, Pagano was able to watch his team’s third win of the season from his own home.
Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne spoke about his head coach after Sunday’s game. “That was great news. Hopefully he was able to rest a little bit, and sit comfortable in his own house, his own couch, his own bed, or whatever, and sit back and smile at the end of the day.”
This news is both enlightening and invigorating for a franchise that was shocked by the sudden announcement of Pagano’s illness, which was made public on an early Monday after the Colts had a bye in week four. The time table for Pagano’s return to the Colts is still uncertain, but having him home is one giant step in the right direction.