The past several hours have been emotional for Penn State Nittany Lions fifth-year senior defensive tackle Anthony Zettel, as his father, Terry, passed away at home last night at age 46 after a 19-month battle with Stage 4 cancer.
However, per Josh Moyer of ESPN, Zettel will still play in today’s game against San Diego State.
This is absolutely admirable on Zettel’s part, as he is easily the team’s best defensive lineman and has posted 12 tackles this year. Even though most others would head home after such a personal loss and absolutely no one would judge Zettel for doing the same, he has opted to remain with the team and play before heading to a memorial service tomorrow.
Terry Zettel’s death also isn’t entirely unexpected, as both he and his son were open about just how serious his condition was. Just the same, the fact that Anthony is opting to play is officially the story of this game, and all eyes will be on him to see how he performs under the circumstances.
Kickoff in Happy Valley is slated for 3:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports