Joe Paterno, the winningest coach in college football, should have retired years ago and finally made the decision to retire at the end of this season in the face of a media storm brought on by the arrest of his former defensive coach Jerry Sandusky. Details quickly come out of State College PA that Joe Paterno along with a graduate assistant and the Athletic Director at the time knew years ago that Sandusky had sexual contact with a minor while on campus but no one did anything except to notify the next person in the chain of command. Sandusky retired quickly after an internal investigation but enjoyed many perks around the football program including parking, access to facilities, and game day suites.
Late last night university officials met to discuss the future of the historical head coach (in his 46th year) and decided that his end-of-the-year retirement was not soon enough and immediately fired Paterno. Students on campus quickly entered the public areas, chanting, and some being very disruptive. Arrests were made when some became violent (turning over media vans) and police used tear gas to break up the group. Penn State President Graham Spanier was also let go by the Board of Trustees.
Sandusky is charged with assaulting 8 boys over the course of 15 years. The 84 year old Paterno has been a coach for 61 years and is now searching for meaning in the wake of his abrupt dismissal from the program that he built. The team also is looking to put the past issues behind them when they take the field this coming Saturday against Nebraska. Tom Bradley is the new interim head coach for a Nittany Lion team that could have a hard time focusing on the game with all the distractions of the week.
Joe Paterno Outside His House AFter Being Fired