Penn State honored Joe Paterno during its victory against Temple Saturday afternoon. It was the school’s first formal commemoration of its 46-season head coach since it fired him in 2011. Paterno died months later.
Penn State honored Joe Paterno on Saturday. Jerry Sandusky’s victims weren’t mentioned.
Penn State honored its longtime football coach. The school skipped some things.
Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports
The Joe Paterno video played during the break pic.twitter.com/B9laZUrLNK— Audrey Snyder (@audsnyder4) September 17, 2016
The occasion is the 50th anniversary of Paterno’s first game as Penn State’s head coach, Sept. 17, 1966. The university played three separate videos, and ESPN’s Josh Moyer reported the first led to a standing ovation.
Paterno lost his job at the height of the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal, which resulted in prison for Sandusky, disgrace for Penn State administrators and NCAA sanctions for the Nittany Lions. Paterno vacated 111 of his all-time-best 409 wins, but those were later restored.
He died long before the Sandusky case sped up in civil courts, where it’s still unfolding today. New allegations against Paterno's program went public as recently as this summer.
“My focus and our focus is on Temple and the game this week,” current coach James Franklin said on Tuesday. “All of those other decisions, they’re for the administration. Our focus is on Temple.”
Many in the crowd gave a standing O to the video tribute to JoePa and his commitment to graduating scholar athletes pic.twitter.com/E11ouamNC9
— Jan Murphy (@JanMurphy) September 17, 2016
A group of Penn State lettermen is also on campus this weekend. At an event Friday night, they saw this video about Paterno’s run at Penn State, narrated by his son, Jay, who says of Paterno’s career legacy, “no one --€” no one --€” can take that away.” This doesn’t appear to be a university-affiliated video, unlike those played at the stadium on Saturday.
Outside the stadium:
Words to describe this picture: sad, pathetic, sickening. Phrases: wildly inappropriate, tone deaf. Pick your fav. pic.twitter.com/BIsDgpmqIT
— Chris Mueller (@ChrisMuellerPGH) September 17, 2016
This tidbit didn't make it into my Paterno column. Someone thought quoting MLK would a good idea on this billboard? pic.twitter.com/CahyEqlNkG
— Juliet Macur (@JulietMacur) September 17, 2016
There is a Rent-themed Joe Paterno tribute sign outside the Penn State game today. pic.twitter.com/tEGCkYDAbB
Fans pay tribute to JoePa at this tailgate in the hinterlands of Beaver Stadium parking @PennLive pic.twitter.com/gI5rLZWNM3
— Jan Murphy (@JanMurphy) September 17, 2016
Inside the stadium after the tribute:
Temple fans with their Paterno protest banner. They say security tried to take it and they refused. pic.twitter.com/NO56LxdObb
— Eric Adelson (@eric_adelson) September 17, 2016
Not making the final cut in any of the Paterno videos: any mention of Sandusky, or any mention of the people he victimized while he worked for Paterno’s football program.
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