When news broke that Penn State had plans to honor former Nittany Lions head coach Joe Paterno Saturday by having the co-captains from his team take part in the coin toss and by having video presentations of people sharing how Paterno had impacted them, discussion surely began.
Paterno, as most know, came under fire in late-2011 for having knowledge of Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky’s sexual abuse of young boys but not acting on that information while he had the chance to.
Paterno argued he was told the background of what was happening, but was never given the in-depth details that were later brought up during testaments.
Saturday’s opponent for Penn State, the day of the ceremony, were the Temple Owls, some of whose fans protested the honoring of Paterno.
Temple sign with protesters behind it: "HE TURNED HIS BACK, SO WE'LL TURN OURS." pic.twitter.com/m2M145BZng
— David Jones (@djoneshoop) September 17, 2016
The legacy of Paterno is one that is, and will continue to be, hotly contested due to the events that happened off the field.
Paterno was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007 and is the winningest head coach in FBS NCAA football history.
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