Joe Paterno Announces His Retirement at Season's End; Spanier Forced Out

Penn State President Graham Spanier and  Head Football Coach Joe Paterno, AP photo

Earlier today, legendary football coach Joe Paterno announced his retirement as head football coach of Penn State's Nittany Lions at the end of the season.  In his statement, Paterno said, "I am absolutely devastated by the developments in this case.  I grieve for the children and their families, and I pray for their comfort and relief.  This is a tragedy. It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more."  He told reporters that he considered part of his job was to serve the best interests of the university and the young men who were entrusted to his care and added,  "That's why I have decided to announce my retirement effective at the end of this season. At this moment the Board of Trustees should not spend a single minute discussing my status. They have far more important matters to address. I want to make this as easy for them as I possibly can."

His departure will signal the end of an era for Penn State, where he served as head coach for 46 of his 61 years in coaching.  While head coach, he compiled a record of 409 wins, 136 losses, and 3 ties, as well as 5 perfect seasons and 2 national championships.

Just a few minutes ago, news came that Penn State President Graham Spanier would exit later today, either by resigning or being ousted by the Board of Trustees.  Athletic director Tim Curley and Vice President for Finance Gary Shultz were charged Tuesday with not reporting the sexual abuse to police and lying to a grand jury under oath during the investigation.  Both Paterno and Spanier had been informed of at least one case of abuse.  They reported it to school officials but never to the police.

Police arrested former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky and charged  him with sexually assaulting 8 boys over several years.  Today, the reported number of offenses climbed to 20.  Whatever the number, even one assault is more than should occur when a person is entrusted with the best interest of his charges.  His alleged crimes have adversely affected the lives of all of the boys and their families.  

Ham on Wry regards this scandal in the same way Paterno labeled it--a tragedy.  No one wins in this situation.  Ham on Wry hopes that the law punishes Sandusky with the maximum sentence for his crimes, if a jury finds him guilty.  However, no sentence applied can ever recoup what those boys lost.