Mary Montgomery football coach Scott Lesley has stepped down as the school's football coach to concentrate on his battle with skin cancer, the Mobile Register reported.
Lesley, 43, has been diagnosed with melanoma, a particularly deadly form of skin cancer, and is scheduled for surgery next week. Mary Montgomery principal George Romano described Lesley as taking a leave of absence, but the coach said it's unlikely that he will return to the sideline in 2010.
"The best thing for me is to go and fight it," said Lesley, who was diagnosed in November and learned late last month that it has spread to his lymph nodes. "I decided to do whatever it takes to beat cancer. ... I know I'm going to beat this cancer. That's my primary concern.
Romano described the football coaching situation as "a holding pattern." Defensive coordinator Brad Lowell has been installed as the interim head coach, Romano said, but Lesley has not submitted a formal letter of resignation.
Lesley said he didn't believe "it would be fair" to remain as head coach during his cancer battle. He expects to have surgery next week in Birmingham, followed by experimental treatments in Virginia or Louisiana that could force him to be away from school for weeks at a time.
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