I didn’t know it.

You didn’t know it.

And that’s just the way Chris Lofton wanted it.

One of the best players in the history of the University of Tennessee men’s basketball program announced last week that he had beaten testicular cancer – 13 months after being diagnosed with the disease.

In this day and age of modern media and the Internet, it’s amazing that anyone, especially a public figure like Lofton, could hide anything from anyone for more than a year.

More power to him.

Sometimes, we don’t have to know everything.

Yes, it would have been nice to know why a preseason All-America pick kept missing shots and looking sluggish for half a season.

It might have been good to know why, until late January, Lofton was a shell of the player he had been in 2005-06 and 06-07. And for the record, this columnist was one of those wondering why Lofton’s standard of play had declined.

But again, his choice, his way.

And while there might be some in my profession that will probably choose – if they haven’t done so already – to criticize Lofton and/or the university for hiding this, don’t count me among them.

Listen, I’m thirsting for knowledge as much as you or anyone else. It’s part of what makes me and you fans. It just makes us smarter fans, more perceptive people.

But there’s also a bigger issue here which means much, much more than our right to know: Lofton’s right to privacy, particularly as it relates to a sensitive issue as this.

It’s why there’s this thing called patient-doctor privilege. If the patient feels comfortable disclosing his or her condition, they can. If not, they don’t have to.

Lofton, who by nature is a private person, opted to keep his condition to himself, except for coach Bruce Pearl, his parents, doctors and trainer Chad Newman.

The only teammate he told was Jordan Howell, his roommate on the road. Howell didn’t even know until January, because Lofton found it so difficult to tell his friend.

So it’s pretty obvious that if Lofton had such a tough time telling those who were around him on a daily basis, why the heck should he tell complete strangers?

I realize we’re talking about a public figure to a certain extent. But Lofton’s not running for President; he’s only trying to play basketball and earn a degree.

The rules are different for Barack Obama or John McCain. They are public figures, angling to run a nation. Like it or not, if you want the responsibility of guiding a country, it means forfeiting your private life.

Those aren’t the rules for a college kid, not even one who performs 30 or more times a year in front of crowds numbering as much as 21,000.

For 13 months, Chris Lofton didn’t want you to know he had testicular cancer.

He didn’t want me to know.

And I didn’t have a problem with it. Hopefully, neither did you.

bdent@bristolnews.com | (276) 669-2181