Joe Paterno: Embarrassing Front Lawn Display Should Be Last Straw

One way or another, Joe Paterno's days at Penn State are numbered. He'll either honor the last year of his contract, or he'll be forced out and labeled as a casualty of the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Penn State was working on a way to achieve the latter option. Citing two people briefed on the situation, the Times claimed Paterno was going to be given the boot within days or weeks.

If Penn State does choose this route, there will be very few complaints. Paterno is not a criminal in the eyes of the law, but he is a criminal in the eyes of the public. That's what happens when one is alleged to have not reported a child rape to police.

The situation at Penn State is already extraordinarily uncomfortable, but things seem to be getting even worse at every turn. Canceling Paterno's weekly press conference on Tuesday was a foolish move. In fact, it was far more foolish than sending out a press release demanding that Paterno not be asked any questions about Jerry Sandusky.

Had Penn State not canceled JoePa's customary presser, perhaps the scene in the video clip below could have been avoided:

This video was recorded outside JoePa's house on Tuesday night, and it's an embarrassment from start to finish. At this point, the last thing JoePa wants to be doing is basking in the support of what fans he still has, and the remarks he made about Sandusky's child victims were less than inspiring.

JoePa's words are hard to make out, but you can clearly hear him say that everyone should say a prayer for the kids.

And then he said something that I found to be pretty pathetic.

"Tough life," he said, "when people do certain things to you."

This statement was immediately followed by Paterno looking up at the crowd gathered outside his house and saying, "But anyway, you've been great."

Before Paterno stepped out of his house and opened his mouth, it was hard to imagine his predicament being any worse.

Then he opened his mouth, and it got worse.

The Penn State brass don't need any more excuses to force Paterno out. He's a huge distraction for the football program and the university in general, and he's been holding the program hostage for long enough.

As if that wasn't enough, he went out and made a fool of himself in an impromptu appearance for the fans on his front lawn.

I want to say that enough is enough, but the truth is that enough has been enough for a while now. For all the great things Paterno did for Penn State, his presence has become a burden that the university needs to rid itself of.

Immediately.