The Big Ten Was Right to Take Joe Paterno's Name off the Championship Trophy

Today, the Big Ten announced that it will remove former Penn State coach Joe Paterno’s name from the trophy that will be awarded in the conference’s inaugural championship game at the end of the season.

The trophy, which was originally named for Paterno and coaching pioneer Amos Alonzo Stagg, will now simply be known as the Stagg Championship Trophy.

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delaney had this to say, “We believe that it would be inappropriate to keep Joe Paterno's name on the trophy at this time. The trophy and its namesake are intended to be celebratory and aspirational, not controversial. We believe that it's important to keep the focus on the players and the teams that will be competing in the inaugural championship game."

The removal of the recently fired head coach's name is symbolic of another major hit to the legendary figure's once great legacy.

Instead of being known and celebrated as the winningest coach in major college football history, the 84-year-old Paterno is now simply a controversial figure. He received a barrage of criticism from the media and the public this past week for his failure to properly handle horrific sex-abuse allegations against his former assistant Jerry Sandusky.

Paterno’s inexcusable inaction ultimately ended up costing him his job, and it will likely forever tarnish his once pristine legacy.

Once the face of Penn State University and one of college football’s greatest icons, Paterno is now just an example of an all-too-powerful coach who valued his own reputation and the reputation of his program over the safety and well-being of the community.

Joe may "Know Football," but he obviously doesn't know proper moral obligations.

His failure to act will be something that haunts the coach for the rest of his life.

Because we’re still in the midst of dealing with this scandal, it’s hard to tell how Paterno will be remembered 10 years from now when all the details of the case have come out and our perspective has widened.

For the time being, though, Paterno will simply remain a controversial and criticized figure, who deserves neither celebration, admiration or support.