Report: Board Could Still Decide To Deny Paterno Rest Of Season

Longtime Penn State football coach Joe Paterno recently announced his plans to retire at the end of the season but the university’s Board of Trustees can still decide to fire Paterno before season’s end, The New York Times reports.

The Board had reportedly agreed Paterno would not coach next season, but are still trying to determine when exactly the longtime coach should make his exit.

In Paterno’s statement after the retirement announcement, he spoke directly about the Board of Trustees:

“At this moment the Board of Trustees should not spend a single minute discussing my status. They have far more important matters to address. I want to make this as easy for them as I possibly can.”

Paterno’s retirement announcement comes as the university is embroiled in controversy over the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse charges.

Paterno has not been accused of any legal wrongdoing, though many have called for his immediate retirement due to his moral obligation to file police reports against Sandusky.

Sandusky was charged by a state grand jury with counts of deviate sexual intercourse, corruption of minors, endangering the welfare of a child, and indecent assault. Despite initial reports claimed Sandusky sexually abused eight young boys, however, after a hotline was offered for victims, the number appears ‘closer to twenty.’