Central Michigan head coach diagnosed with tonsil cancer

Published Jun. 18, 2015 11:47 a.m. ET

foxsports

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- Central Michigan football coach John Bonamego has announced he has cancer and plans to continue working during treatment.

Bonamego wrote in a letter released Thursday that he has cancer in his left tonsil, and "it was discovered early and is very treatable."

He says he'll coach during his treatment but will attend fewer external events for a couple months. Central Michigan opens its season Sept. 3 against Oklahoma State.

Bonamego became head coach in February at the Mount Pleasant school, where he played in the mid-1980s. He had been special teams coordinator for the Detroit Lions for the past two seasons.