According to a letter sent to Penn State University Trustees and University President Eric Barron, over 200 former Penn State football players, as well as coaches and staff, want the university to bring back the late Joe Paterno’s statue.
The letter reads:
“We remain saddened that the Penn State Administration and the Board of Trustees thrust our program and coach into an undeserved negative media frenzy in 2011. Nearly five years after the firestorm, they still have not defended us or corrected the false narrative.
Our legacy and our university deserve better. Penn State’s leaders should take two steps toward repairing the damage that they created.
First, restore the statue of Coach Paterno and the players’ wall to where they stood previously outside Beaver Stadium. These testimonies to “Success with Honor” should never have been removed.
Second, a formal apology from the University to Sue Paterno needs to be issued. This is a common act of decency, which is both warranted and long overdue.”
Joe Paterno’s statue was removed in July 2012 after longtime Paterno assistant Jerry Sandusky was convicted of numerous counts related to sexual abuse of boys over a 15-year period.
Paterno was dismissed as coach in November 2011, amid the shock of Sandusky allegations. Paterno died in January 2012, just two months later, of complications due to lung cancer.
For more on the story: Over 200 former players request restoration of Paterno statue, apology to widow.
