Joe Paterno has been fired as Penn State’s head football coach.
STORY: Joe Paterno On His Way Out At Penn State
Paterno served the Nittany Lions for the past 46 years as their head coach, but in the last week the University has been plagued by an ongoing child sex abuse case involving defensive assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.
STORY: The 411 On The Penn State Sex Scandal
It is alleged that Sandusky raped a 10-year-old boy in the very showers used by the Penn State football players.
Sandusky apparently seduced the boy with promises of things like tickets to games and visits to the Penn State locker room.
Both Paterno and Penn State president Graham Spanier were fired in phone calls by the board of trustees, who have grown tired with the damage being done to the University’s reputation.
In a statement Paterno said:
“Right now, I’m not the football coach. And I’ve got to get used to that. After 61 years, I’ve got to get used to it. Let me think it through.”
Paterno had earlier in the day announced his intention to retire at the end of the season, his 46th. In Washington, the U.S. Department of Education said it has launched an investigation into whether Penn State failed to report incidents of sexual abuse on campus, as required by federal law.
Paterno will be missed at Penn State. Upon hearing about the beloved coach being fired, students went to the admin building chanting “We want Joe back,” some even rioted and turned over news trucks.
Sadly, Joe is gone and the winningest college football coach in history has been fired, closing the chapter in the Paterno era.
