Paterno retiring at end of the season

Submitted by neoavatara on

Paterno retiring at the end of the season, according the AP as reported by ESPN.  

 

Link when available. 

Link.

Wave83

November 9th, 2011 at 11:19 AM ^

I'm not sure the Board of Trustees has acted yet.  I don't want to excuse anything they have done so far, but the way I read the news so far, Paterno has unilaterally said he would retire.  That's nice.  However, the BOT could still fire him, presumably immediately.  I don't know whether they have the balls or the brains to do it, but I have not seen any decision from them indicating that they won't.

I predict that Paterno is fired within the next 24-48 hours and does not "coach" this weekend.   I really think they have to let McCready go also.  What I don't know is whether they can find enough people on the existing coaching staff that they can safely not fire immediately.  What do you do with a football team that does not have any coaches?  Can they play?  Can they go on the road next week?

AMazinBlue

November 9th, 2011 at 11:29 AM ^

around every word Paterno speaks.  The students, the administrators and citizens of State College are all brainwashed by Paterno.

Was he a great coach?  yes at one time, but he's been a figurehead for years.

Is he a great human being?  Not anymore.  Read the Gr. Jury report, all 23 pages and you'll grow to detest everyone involved.

Paterno, Spanier, Curley, the University "Police" and everyone that had any knowledge of the disgusting, deplorable acts of that pig Sandusky are all guilty and will have to answer for all this one day.

I have lost all respect for Paterno and every day my disgust with that school grows more and more.  How can those "free-thinking" students stand by and support the university and the administrators and coaches who were involved.  And yes, Paterno is involved beause he knew about it and did virtually nothing.  How could any of these fools NOT go to the State Police.  How could they let this animal back on campus when they knew what he had been doing for years.

PSU is now Paterno Shame University

 

UMCoconut

November 9th, 2011 at 11:33 AM ^

He has nothing to lose with this gambit.  His contract expires at the end of the year, he's a thousand years old, and there's no way in hell that with this scandal out, he is coaching next year anyway.  If he dictates the terms and coaches out the rest of the year, he can go out with some sort of grace and respect intact (which I don't think he deserves).

 

I have spent basically my entire life admiring the guy who supposedly has done everything with honor and integrity.  It's so strange to see that turned upside down and learn that this guy might have been scummier than just about everyone else.  Too bad, but if everything that's been said is true, he doesn't deserve to go out with respect. 

triangle_M

November 9th, 2011 at 11:51 AM ^

Steve Spurrier calls Joe Paterno/Penn State situation "tragic" and says on Paterno's retiement, "Coach Joe did what he had to do."  Shut the fuck up Steve, fire that asshole as well.   What  the fuck is wrong with these people?  Is the coaching fraternity that strong that noone gives a fuck about the kids?  

Space Coyote

November 9th, 2011 at 12:15 PM ^

It is a tough day for college football when JoePa retires.  There will be very few if any like him and what he represented (again, with this whole current thing aside) for the duration of his time at Penn St.  His refusal to take a pay raise.  The amount of his salary he donated right back to the school.  The amount of dedication in both time in effort he had for one single institution.  He was/is truly a part of Penn St. and not just a football coach.  

All that gets a bit lost now because of all the terrible things that have been brought forward recently.  It's sad that many legends can't go out the way that they should  (Woody, Joe Pa, Bowden, etc), or maybe could is a better term here.  It's sad that it seems like many of the people we consider leaders and role models are forever tarnished, some in worse ways than others no doubt.  Without question, what has come forward recently is terrible and it's good that action is now being taken, especially for those the accusations happened to, but a piece of me feels we were for the most part better off without all the media attention, hawking over every single thing.  We still had heroes, people could still become legends, and people were generally more optimistic while a little more oblivious.  But that seems to be part of a glorified past now.

My last comment.  It is important to remember that Joe Pa wasn't the one who did these heinous acts.  While he didn't take all the correct actions to bring them to a close, I have no doubt that he is truly disgusted by these acts.  Joe Pa isn't a bad person.  He has done a lot of very good things.  He morally made a bad decision and lacked the courage to go to authorities when he heard something terrible about someone I'm sure he trusted very much to stand for the same morals Joe Pa represented.  Joe Pa was human, he had very bad human judgement, he admits it himself, but it's much easier to sit here like Statler and Waldorf up high in our belconies claiming how we ourselves would have done so much different.  This is on Joe Pa's conscience, as it should be, this should be one of if not the biggest regret of his life.  I believe what he said in that statement, and I believe this is.  By not turning him in, Joe Pa himself went against what he stood for, and that's sad, but his actions are no where near as bad as the actions of Sandusky's.  That can't be forgotten in all this.  While they can be linked, they are not equalled.   

Gameboy

November 9th, 2011 at 12:53 PM ^

You know what REALLY sucks?

Buckner was a very good first baseman for many many years for Boston. But that is not what the regular fans remember anymore. Whenever Buckner's name is brought up, all they remember is how he booted that ground ball.

That sucks. Because in the grand scheme of things, booting a grounder should not define a career.

You know what doesn't suck?

Paterno stood by and did nothing while a monster was rampaging through countless boys right under his nose, all over the campus and on road trips. If people don't remember the good things that Paterno did and just remember this tragedy, well, that is just too bad. Paterno had the time and ability to make things right, he didn't.

He deserves all the scorn he receives. Because in the grand scheme of things, allowing a monster to rape countless kids because of your inaction SHOULD define your career.

 

STW P. Brabbs

November 9th, 2011 at 1:18 PM ^

So many people are treating this as an isolated instance of weakness for Paterno.  Remember that it went on - at Penn State, around the football program - for fucking years. 

It has redefined Paterno's career.  He was more interested in his own legend than in doing the right thing - the blindingly obivous right thing - for years. 

M-Wolverine

November 9th, 2011 at 1:48 PM ^

Was Bo being strong enough to call it a day before he lost it on the field and/or off the field, and without any skeletons in his closet.  I look at Woody and Bowden particularly, and JoePa in similiar ways outside this situation, and think they might have all been better off is they were as self-aware as Bo was.

ak47

November 9th, 2011 at 11:57 AM ^

How can people possibly defend Paterno? because of his inaction a number of children had their lives potentially ruined by a disgusting human being.  Every single episode that has occurred since 1999 is entirely on the conscience of joepa as well as the rest of the penn st admin.  The man is a despicable human being who despite being in a position of power did nothing to help.  When it comes to something like this the bare minimum legally just doesn't cut it to avoid being a disgusting person, he got out of jail by going to the AD, he didn't get out of his moral responsibility of being a decent person and ensuring this didn't happen ever again when he had the power to do so.  The man is scum and there really is no other way to look at it, he just happens to be scum that won't go to jail.

jmblue

November 9th, 2011 at 12:02 PM ^

Does anyone else find it a little peculiar that this scandal just happened to not go public until after Paterno recorded win number 409?  Why now?  Why couldn't the cops have gone forward a few months ago?

mgojew

November 9th, 2011 at 12:24 PM ^

lets him coach another game they're basically saying football is more important than these young children.  I think what paterno is doing is trying to go out on his standards rather than the universities.  It really says something about humanity if joepa coaches another game.

AMazinBlue

November 9th, 2011 at 12:46 PM ^

ARE YOU F'ing KIDDING ME?

"But put yourself in his shoes.  Its not so simple as always reporting every crime.  You can't tell me we all reported our underaged friends drinking.  So, it's a decision on whether to report the crime, based on the outcomes.

MAYBE, he didn't really believe the GA.  I mean, you're putting a decade-long friend and a GA in a contest for whom JoePa trusts more.  Let me guess who wins that. 

WELL, HE STiLL SHOULD HAVE CALLED:

Duh....But again, put yourself in his shoes.  It's pretty tough to throw a decade-long friend under that amount of scrutiny (if the allegations are incorrect) or into jail (if they are correct).

It really doesn't matter what the crime is.  You guys try throwing your friends into jail sometime.  Seriously, it's a very hard thing to do.'

I put myself in his shoes and I go straight to Sandusky's house, kick in the door and drag his sick ass to the State Police station.  There is no ifs or whatevers here.   Don't try to shrink the impact by comparing it to the Nazis.  It is the moral job of every adult to protect those that project themselves.  The grad assistant, Paterno, the president of the school, the AD and everyone who knew anything about it, failed.  EPICALLY!

Fire Paterno and forever!

 

 

Hokester

November 9th, 2011 at 2:17 PM ^

Is anyone REALLY surprised by this clusterfuck of a cover-up? When money and The Brand are involved, men will do irrational, evil things to protect it because we are animals and animals only worry about survival.

The higher-ups who are already casualties made the decision that protecting The Brand and its image was more important than doing what was right and, honestly, would it be all that surprising if this had happened somewhere else as opposed to PSU? No, because money and power and self-image corrupt.

The fact of the matter (as has been touched on several times in this thread) is that while Paterno legally did what was asked of him, he didn't follow through and his actions (or lack thereof) resulted in a serial child abuser not only being able to roam free but to continue to do what he'd been doing on PSU's campus.

I won't argue that Paterno should've gone to the police or confronted Sandusky himself or anything like that but the simple fact that he did not once follow up, even after seeing Sandusky around campus for 9 years, says more about Paterno than anything else.  Which is a shame; the man did so much good and this one horrible instance wipes all of that out.

Paterno should be pushed out, should have this black mark on his career/life until the day he dies, and though it won't happen, he should be hit with criminal negligence for his lack of a follow up.

mackbru

November 9th, 2011 at 3:24 PM ^

Paterno, by retiring on his own terms, and by hiding behind a PR firm, is proving what a self-centered asshole he is. And a coward besides. He has surrendered the benefit of the doubt.

ak47

November 9th, 2011 at 3:45 PM ^

Is there any sort of petition going around to change the name of the championship trophy? It's disgraceful for the conference to have it named after this scum