Sports

Should Penn State Have Removed the Bronze Statue of Joe Paterno?

Take our poll and let us know whether you agree with the decision to remove the statue honoring the legendary late coach—in the wake of the Sandusky scandal and Freeh report.

Once one of the most revered coaches in the NCAA, the legendary Joe Paterno was honored on Penn State's campus about a decade ago with a bronze statue that's become a landmark.

But in the wake of the and the subsequent , .

Fox News reported earlier this week that some Penn State students had begun a vigil to protect the statue from vandalism. CNN reported that a small plane flew around the Penn State campus last week carrying a banner that read, "Take the Statue Down or We Will."

Find out what's happening in Robinson-Moonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Other tributes to the much-honored former coach have begun to fall.

This week, Paterno's alma mater, Brown University, removed his name from its annual award to the outstanding male freshman athlete. The Brown Athletic Hall of Fame is reviewing whether Paterno still deserves a place among its elite athletes.

Find out what's happening in Robinson-Moonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Nike, which outfits Penn State athletic teams, removed the coach's name from the Joe Paterno Child Development Center at its Oregon headquarters. The Penn State student group has changed the name of the football weekend tent city known as "Paternoville" to "Nittanyville."

In Grambling, LA, city officials have asked the NCAA to restore longtime-Grambling State coach Eddie Robinson to the honor of being the Division I coach with the most number of wins. Paterno only surpassed Robinson's 408 wins last Oct. 29 when he won his 409th game—and he was fired by Penn State because of the Sandusky scandal less than two weeks after breaking Robinson’s record.

And there's even a question of whether Penn State's famous Creamery will continue to offer Peachy Paterno as a flavor.

Editor's note: This story was updated about 9 a.m. Sunday.

So where do you stand? Take our poll and let us know if you think the statue should have remained or if you agree with the decision to remove it—and tell us why in the comments box below the story.


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