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Come Fan with UsFriday, June 26, 2026

VIDEO: Joe Paterno’s Impromptu Statements After Being Fired

In light of the events of Wednesday night that once again shook the sports world to its core, which included Penn State dismissing head coach Joe Paterno and PSU students rioting in reaction to the news of their favorite coach’s departure.

Students gathered outside Paterno’s home in State College, Pa., cheering for Paterno and expressing their support, which prompted Paterno, after previously issuing a brief statement, to address the crowd once more before, presumably, trying to go to sleep for the first time in 44 years as something other than the head coach of the Nittany Lions football team.

This wasn’t Paterno’s best moment, as he encouraged students to “get some sleep” and “study,” but he admitted he was “out of it” after being told he was fired over the phone. If you had been fired over the phone after a 61-year career, chances are you’d be out of it, too.

For more on the situation that continues to develop at State College, visit SB Nation’s Penn State blog, which has been on the forefront of the story from the beginning, Black Shoe Diaries, and revisit this storystream for updates.

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