After some debate, the statue honoring Penn State football coach Joe Paterno was removed from the front of Beaver Stadium, while some students watched and chanted, “We are Penn State.”
The 7-foot, 900-pound statue was removed by forklift, and stored in an unnamed “secure location.”
Penn State president Rodney Erickson said he decided to have the statue removed because it “has become a source of division and an obstacle to healing” and would be “a recurring wound” to victims of child abuse had it remained. Erickson said in a statement:
“I now believe that, contrary to is original intention, Coach Paterno’s statue has become a source of division and an obstacle to hearing in our university and beyond. For that reason, I have decided that it is in the best interest of our university and public safety to remove the statue and store it in a secure location. I fully realize that my decision will not be popular in some Penn State circles, but I am certain it is the right and principled decision.”
According to ESPN, the decision to remove the statue came 10 days after a report conclude that Paterno, as well as other top Penn State administrators, had concealed the allegations of child sexual abuse made against Jerry Sandusky since 1998.
Penn State has decided to allow the Paterno family name to remain on the university’s library, however. “The library remains a tribute to Joe and Sue Paterno’s commitment to Penn State’s student body and academic success,” Erickson said, “and it highlights the positive impacts Coach Paterno had on the university. Thus I feel strongly that the library’s name should remain unchanged.”
