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WE ARE PENN STATE.
Those were the chants heard around Beaver Stadium on Sunday morning as workers removed the 900 pound statue of former head football coach Joe Paterno.
The university announced early Sunday morning it would take down the monument in the wake of the Freeh report that was announcement this past week that found the late coach and three other Penn State officials concealed information regarding sex abuse claims against former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.
The statue was built in 2001 after Paterno’s 324th Division I victory.
Penn State president Rodney Erickson said the decision to remove the statue and put it in storage was because it has become a source of “division and an obstacle to healing.”
Paterno’s name will remain on the campus library to help display his lasting contributions to academic life and educational excellence according to Erickson.
Among the many that voiced their opinion not to take the statue down, there were some who were against the decision. One student vowed to have himself chained to the statue if they were to remove it.
It seems extreme for one to feel this way about something so minuscule as a statue, but after looking at the Paterno’s philanthropy to Penn State, you can see why he and the statue are so coveted to many.
Him and his wife, Sue, donated more than $4.5 million to the university to help with the library’s construction, and they also have paid for many scholarships.
Money can’t buy everything though. Especially when trying to pay back the victims of Sandusky.
Will Wilson is a writer for Rant Sports covering College Football and the Big Ten Conference.
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