Joe Pa Statue Taken Down

NCAA to announce penalties against Penn State Monday; Paterno statue taken down
By Nick Bromberg | Dr. Saturday – 1 hour 31 minutes ago

It's been a busy Sunday morning in State College.

The NCAA has scheduled a news conference for 9 a.m. EDT at NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis Monday to announce "corrective and punitive measures" against Penn State because of the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal.

According to a report from CBS News, a source says those penalties will be 'unprecedented' and 'I've never seen anything like it.'

While sanctions are coming Monday, action has already been taken on the statue of Joe Paterno in front of Beaver Stadium.

Workers set up fencing around the statue early Sunday morning and removed it via forklift. The school released a statement announcing the decision to remove the statue at 7 a.m. EDT.

"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 the statement. "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. 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 university's library will still bear Paterno's name.
"On the other hand, the Paterno Library symbolizes the substantial and lasting contributions to the academic life and educational excellence that the Paterno family has made to Penn State University," Erickson said. "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. Thus I feel strongly that the library's name should remain unchanged."

The Paterno family released a statement in response to the statue's removal.

"Tearing down the statue of Joe Paterno does not serve the victims of Jerry Sandusky's horrible crimes or help heal the Penn State community," the statement said.

"We believe the only way to help the victims is to uncover the full truth.

The Freeh report, though it has been accepted by the media as the definitive conclusion on the Sandusky scandal, is the equivalent of an indictment - a charging document written by a prosecutor -- and an incomplete and unofficial one at that."

The statue's future had been the subject of much debate that intensified significantly after the release of the Freeh Report. (The Paterno family announced shortly after the report's release that they were conducting their own investigation.) Now that it has been decided the debate about what action the NCAA should take remains, albeit for just a few more hours.