Penn State coach Joe Paterno has been fired for following the rules in sexual abuse case.
November 10, 2011- University trustees fired both Joe Paterno and the Penn State president on Wednesday night. This comes in the wake of the child sex abuse scandal that has rocked the school and nation. The trustees said that Graham Spanier would be replaced and Paterno would not finish out the football season as head coach as was announced earlier.
The school said Tom Bradley would replace Paterno as head coach until a permanent replacement is found. Rod Erickson, provost and executive vice president of the school, will act as the interim president. Spanier was named president of the school back in 1995.
Earlier in the day, Paterno announced he would leave the team at season’s end but that timetable was moved up to immediately by the trustees on Wednesday night. Jerry Sandusky, the former head of defense for the team is accused of child abuse. A graduate assistant at the university in 2002 told Paterno he saw Sandusky showering with a boy at the school athletic complex.
Paterno reported the incident to his boss and it appears he met all his obligations under Pennsylvania law. Nevertheless, many are saying he should have reported the abuse to local police. Sandusky was arrested over the weekend and charged with sexual offenses and other charges involving eight boys. Two officials from Penn State have been accused of not reporting the allegations.
The announcement Wednesday night of Paterno’s firing caused thousands of students to riot and take to the streets in State College yelling their support for the longtime coach, tearing down light posts and overturning a van from a local news station.
