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CFB AM: Governor says Penn State made mistake by firing Joe Paterno
About three years after legendary Penn State coach Joe Paterno was fired, a person of power in Pennsylvania is admitting the university made a mistake.
State governor Tom Corbett, who lost the recent election to Tom Wolf and therefore is on his way out of office, said in an interview with Philly.com the university “probably” shouldn’t have fired Paterno in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal. From the story:
"They probably shouldn't have fired him. They probably should have suspended him," Corbett said in an exclusive interview at his residence. "He probably should have been given the last three games, not on the sideline."
Two days after Corbett lost his reelection bid, his comments seemed to be a softening of his stance on the case and new ammunition for those who for years have assailed the trustees and Corbett -- who as attorney general launched the Sandusky investigation -- for blaming and firing Paterno.
Corbett takes part of the responsibility of how things ended for Paterno, as he was not only state governor and attorney general at the time but also governor the PSU’s board of trustees.
This is a departure from his original stance three years ago, as Corbett has changed course on Paterno. More from Philly.com:
But in an interview days after Paterno's firing, Corbett seemed to defend the board's vote. "I always have said your actions speak louder than your words," he told Fox News. "That should not have been able to continue. The actions, or the failure to act, while maybe not criminal, caused me not to have confidence in the president and in the coach."
...
If it was clear Paterno was aware of Sandusky's conduct and did nothing, he said, the punishment was valid. "But I'm not so sure it was clear to him," Corbett said. "And, technically, he complied with the law."
There has been a legion of Penn State fans defending Paterno for the past three years, and recently there have been more signs of murkiness regarding the NCAA’s handling of the Sandusky case. Internal emails showed some within the NCAA doubted the organization’s ability to levy the penalties it did against Penn State, including a bowl ban and $60 million fine.
Of course, there is nothing that can be done now to alter the history of Paterno and Penn State, as the coach was indeed fired and then passed away from cancer in January 2012. Some Penn State fans will always support “JoePa” and try to defend his legacy. Others will believe Penn State had no choice but to cut ties with its iconic coach and move forward. On his way out now, Corbett isn’t so sure.
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
1. Some big news before an important Pac-12 game this weekend: Star Washington cornerback Marcus Peters was kicked off the team just days before the Huskies will host UCLA. Coach Chris Petersen didn’t elaborate on why exactly Peters was booted but said, “It’s unfortunate, but we’ve got certain standards and operating procedures.” The Huskies were already up against a big task in defending Brett Hundley, and now that becomes even harder.
2. An Arizona State alum and his wife are giving a $700,000 donation to set up a scholarship in Pat Tillman’s name that will support a linebacker each year at ASU. Thursday would have been Tillman’s 38th birthday. Sam Gardner spoke with the man making the donation, who was college friends with Tillman and explains how his life is still inspired by his friendship with Tillman. Nice story and a quality message here about how to live.
3. No. 21 Clemson had a little scare Thursday evening at Wake Forest but ended up pulling out the victory, 34-20. Running back Wayne Gallman (19 carries, 106 yards, one TD) and wide receiver Artavis Scott (eight catches, 122 yards, two TDs) had big nights for the Tigers; both guys are freshmen. We also should give a shout out to Cole Stoudt, the senior QB who probably played his last meaningful football at Clemson, as freshman Deshaun Watson is expected to return from injury to the starting lineup next week. Stoudt went 27-of-42 for 282 yards, three TDs and one pick. Here’s Aaron Brenner’s game story on the freshmen that stepped up big.
THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
1. Michigan State alums made a $3 million donation to the school in part for the “endowment of the defensive coordinator position.” Each year, Pat Narduzzi helps crank out another great Spartan defense that helps him find his way onto head coaching shorts lists. One of these offseasons, if he aspires to be a head coach, he’ll take one of those jobs. But for now Michigan State is continuing to sweeten the pot to keep him in East Lansing. Narduzzi is making around $900,000 this year, and the Spartans may need to put him on the same level as LSU DC John Chavis -- $1.3 million per year -- to keep him around much longer.
2. Bruce Feldman had Pac-12 Network analyst Yogi Roth on The Audible to discuss UCLA, Jameis Winston (Roth has known Winston since the QB was 16 through working with Elite 11) and much more. I encourage you to listen to the end to hear Yogi discuss an inspiring personal project he’s working on about motivating people to spend time with the people they love rather than letting relationships go to waste – something we all should take to heart.
3. Thursday was the 145th anniversary of what’s acknowledged as the first college football game ever played, between Rutgers and Princeton. Nj.com reports there are some preliminary discussions being had about the idea of rekindling the rivalry in 2019 for a 150th anniversary game. The two teams haven’t played since 1980. That would be pretty cool.
THREE THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO KNOW
1. The next young hot-shot offensive coordinator to shoot up the coaching ranks? Interesting story from Ben Kercheval on East Texas Baptist’s Scotty Walden.
2. Bill Connelly previews on Alabama-LSU and Ohio State-Michigan State.
3. How Oregon has become a prime target of “negative recruiting” and how some of its recruits handle those tactics. This happens all the time in college football, and I wonder if the very best do it. I just can’t imagine Nick Saban wasting time and energy disparaging someone else’s program to a recruit when he can spend that time talking positively about his own. Maybe some others on his staff do, but negative recruiting tactics feel desperate more than effective, as if you know your own program isn’t quite as good so you need to knock another’s down to compete.
LASTLY
* Funny scene here: The Grambling-Mississippi Valley State game was halted by sprinklers.
Have a great weekend, all, and enjoy the packed Week 11 slate. The season’s home stretch promises to be a ton of fun.
Teddy Mitrosilis is an editor and writer for FOXSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TMitrosilis and email him at tmitrosilis@gmail.com.
