President Barack Obama called the family of departed Penn St. Nittany Lions coach Joe Paterno to express sympathies Monday. He spoke with the coach's wife, Sue, and son Jay, expressing happy memories of meeting Paterno. Ivan Maisel collected a quick sketch of the conversation:
Barack Obama Called Joe Paterno’s Family To Offer Condolences
“Jay, I wanted to call,” Obama said, according to notes that Jay took. “Both Michelle and I wanted to offer our condolences to you and your family.
”Mrs. Paterno, your husband was beloved by so many and he will be missed.
”You both worked so hard to build a great institution.
“I was honored to have a chance to spend some time with him last year.”
Jay Paterno worked for the Obama campaign during the 2008 Democratic primary, and even kept a blog on Obama’s official site at one point. This was in contrast to Joe’s own politics, but everyone seems to have gotten along just fine.
For more on Paterno, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. For more college football, stay tuned to SB Nation’s college football news hub.
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