Once a place of reverence, Joe Paterno’s statue outside Beaver Stadium — in the wake of information that he knew and covered up the Jerry Sandusky child abuse scandal — is the epicenter of a another Peen State controversy.
To dismantle the statue or leave it.
For now, the embattled members of Penn State’s Board of Trustees quietly have decided to leave the statue standing — at least for now and, some hope, forever, according to sources with firsthand knowledge of the trustees’ private discussions this week.
The trustees’ reluctance to remove the statue is motivated, in part, by a desire not to offend alumni and students who adore the late coach despite the damning findings of his role in the Sandusky child sexual abuse cover-up detailed in the Freeh report, the sources said. Some trustees also said in interviews they want to resist being pressured by the media into a sudden decision about such an emotionally charged issue.
“You can’t let people stampede you into making a rash decision,” a trustee said. “The statue represents the good that Joe did. It doesn’t represent the bad that he did.”
Although some trustees said in discussions Thursday and Friday in board meetings in Scranton, Pa., they believed the statue eventually would have to be torn down, most quickly reached a consensus it should remain standing in the coming weeks and months, trustees and a person briefed on their discussions said. Some trustees went even further, insisting Paterno’s statue never should be removed.
“It has to stay up,” said another trustee. “We have to let a number of months pass, and we’ll address it again. But there is no way, no way. It’s just not coming down.”
Since the Freeh report revealed Paterno’s role in covering up child sexual abuse allegations against Sandusky, former coaches, commentators and members of the public have demanded the Paterno statue be torn down immediately. Some have also called for the removal of Paterno’s name from the university library; the Paterno family donated more than $4 million to the university.
On Saturday, a campus security guard stood a few paces from the Paterno statue outside Beaver Stadium, keeping watch for would-be vandals. On campus, rumors have circulated that campus police officers might try to dismantle the statue in the early morning hours when no one is watching.
