THE Penn State Board of Trustees announced on Wednesday evening the firing of the legendary football coach Joe Paterno.
The announcement was made by John Surma of the board of trustees.
Earlier the same day, Paterno made clear his intention to retire at the end of the season. In his statement, he said the board of trustees ‘should not spend a single minute discussing my status.’
The Paterno news has become one of the hottest topics on the Internet. Paterno supporters went berserk on Twitter expressing their anguish over the board’s decision and their support for the coach.
Especially, the student community seems to be outraged at the decision to sack Paterno. All the same, some also expressed relief that now some of the crimes allegedly committed would be addressed.
While some believed that Paterno had to be given the marching orders, they also felt that the firing issue could have been handled with more tact and diplomacy instead of a brusque phone call. Angry supporters of Paterno also questioned the logic behind Mike McQueary – the current assistant coach who witnessed ex-defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky sexually assault a young boy in a locker room shower and told Paterno, but not the police – retaining his job.
