CFB AM: Steve Spurrier is still sticking up for old friend Joe Paterno

Published Apr. 20, 2015 10:15 a.m. ET

Teddy Mitrosilis

The events that unfolded at Penn State regarding the Jerry Sandusky scandal and Joe Paterno's ultimate responsibility in them -- namely, what he did in reporting information and following up vs. what he didn't -- will be debated until the end of time in State College.

What we know is that Paterno could have done more (he said so himself before passing away in January 2012) and that the NCAA completely screwed up its handling of the matter.

It hit Penn State with unprecedented penalties and stripped Paterno of 111 wins, only to later reverse the majority of those penalties and reinstate Paterno's wins after the NCAA realized just how poorly it handled the investigation of the scandal and its ultimate response.

Most at Penn State and around the country have moved on and are focusing on the impressive work James Franklin has done thus far in rebuilding the energy and focus around the Nittany Lions' program, but every once in a while someone will come out with a comment on Paterno.

The latest is South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, who counts Paterno as an old friend and went out of his way in a recent interview to defend the late Penn State coach.

"That was very unfortunate what happened up there," Spurrier told The State. "I still think he got a bad deal, a terrible deal."

When asked to clarify why he thought Paterno got a "terrible deal," Spurrier confirmed it was because he thinks the coach took too much of the blame.

"He did what the head coach is supposed to do," Spurrier said. "He told the athletic director, and [the AD] and the president let it die down I guess, and of course it flared up later. He was a good guy, a good friend. I liked him."

Make of those comments what you will. Spurrier, like everyone else, is of course entitled to his opinion.

Here's the full interview again with Spurrier, which he did to reflect a little bit on his career as he turns 70 years old today. In the Q&A, the Head Ball Coach discusses the question of retirement, how he still uses open weekends during the season to escape to the beach and other stuff.

The State's Josh Kendall, who did the interview with Spurrier, also went through a workout with him to see how he stays fit. It resulted in a pretty funny video you can see below. Happy birthday to the Ball Coach.

THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

1. Ohio State wraps up spring practice. The Buckeyes were among the high-profile teams that held their spring game this past weekend, and they set a record with more than 99,000 fans in attendance. The fans who showed up got to see the defending national champs for the only time until they play Virginia Tech on Labor Day to kick off the 2015 season, and they also got to see Cardale Jones launch a ball 74 yards in a throw-off. Things are rolling at Ohio State, writes Zac Jackson, and within the piece he notes a couple freshmen will soon learn they have earned starting jobs (although Meyer hasn't announced who those players are). The Buckeyes got a lot of quality individual work done this spring, but they didn't improve at all as a team, Meyer said. That's mostly due to players being out with injuries and Meyer limiting the reps for some guys.

2. Other spring games of note. Texas held its spring game in Austin over the weekend, where a lot of attention was on the quarterbacks. Charlie Strong didn't officially announced Tyrone Swoopes as his Week 1 starter, but he said he hopes he doesn't have to start redshirt freshman QB Jerrod Heard in the first game at Notre Dame. Speaking of Notre Dame, there is no clarity on the QB race between Everett Golson and Malik Zaire after the Irish's spring game this weekend, writes Brian Hamilton. Here are five questions Alabama faces after its A-Day, courtesy of Michael Casagrande. Safety Tray Matthews had a nice day in Auburn's spring game, showing off his MVP potential, writes Brandon Marcello.

3. Some off-field bummers. The offseason always brings bad off-field news unfortunately, and we have a few new things to report after this weekend. Five-star UCLA recruit Soso Jamabo was reportedly arrested in Texas for trying to evade police and issued warning for under-age drinking and a few other things; the Bruins are still gathering information and not offering a comment on the issue. In Baton Rouge, prized LSU tackle Travonte Valentine has been suspended because of academic issues and may never play a game for the Tigers after sitting out last season because of more academic problems. He was rated the No. 3 defensive tackle in the Class of 2014. In Gainesville, cornerback J.C. Jackson has been arrested following an armed robbery.

LASTLY

This is from last week, but it's worth watching in case you missed it: Ohio State coaches presented national championship rings to their players and had the opportunity to tell the team what each player means to them with some heartfelt words. Here's a snapshot of what was said -- a nice moment for the Buckeyes.

Have a great Monday, everybody, and best of luck to all of those running the Boston Marathon today.

Teddy Mitrosilis works in content production at FOX Sports Digital. Follow him on Twitter @TMitrosilis and email him at tmitrosilis@gmail.com.