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Penn State Removes Paterno Statue

Jackie Mansky |
July 22, 2012 | 12:01 p.m. PDT

Executive Producer

Late football coach Joe Paterno (Creative Commons).
Late football coach Joe Paterno (Creative Commons).
Less than 12 hours ago, ESPN reported that the now controversial statue of Joe Paterno would stay up at least for the time being, however this morning, the president of Penn State, Rodney Erickson ordered the statue’s removal.

CBS Sports reported:

“Workers lifted the 7-foot-tall statue off its base and used a forklift to move it into Beaver Stadium as the 100 to 150 students watching chanted, ‘We are Penn State.’”

Reuters reported that leaders in Penn State said that the statue of the late Paterno had become "a source of division after Sandusky was convicted in June of sexually abusing 10 boys over 15 years.

Reuters:

"I now believe that, contrary to its original intention, Coach Paterno's statue has become a source of division and an obstacle to healing in our university and beyond," Penn State President Rodney Erickson said in a statement on Sunday.

"For that reason, I have decided that it is in the best interest of our university and public safety to remove the statue and store it in a secure location," Erickson said. "I believe that, were it to remain, the statue will be a recurring wound to the multitude of individuals across the nation and beyond who have been the victims of child abuse."

The Pen State Collegian, the college's newspaper reported that the Paterno name would however remain on the Pattee and Paterno library.

The Collegian:

"The library remains a tribute to Joe and Sue Paterno's commitment to Penn State's student body and academic success, and it highlights the positive impacts Coach Paterno had on the University," Erickson said. "Thus I feel strongly that the library's name should remain unchanged."

Read the full story at CBS sports here, Reuters here and the Collegian here.

For more of Neon Tommy's coverage of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal, click here.

Reach Executive Producer Jackie Mansky here.



 

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