Joe Paterno Retiring: Why Allowing Joe Pa to Retire Would Be Classy Move

With everything crumbling around him amid the child sex scandal of former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, legendary head coach Joe Paterno appears ready to step down as head coach, a position he has held since 1966.

The university has yet to make a statement regarding Paterno's planned retirement, and they still reserve the right to fire him immediately. Paterno's neglect in alerting the authorities when told of Sandusky's actions by assistant coach Mike McQueary have landed him in hot water, but Penn State shouldn't make a rash decision.

There has been plenty of public outcry for Penn State to clean house, and while the university is essentially pushing Joe Pa out the door, it is only right to let him go out properly. What Paterno did was obviously wrong, but we may never know the extent of his knowledge with regards to Sandusky's transgressions.

That one incident should not tarnish the incredible career Paterno put together, including the most overall wins, bowl wins and bowl appearances in NCAA Division I football history. If Penn State decided to fire Paterno, then it would have been a major black mark on his legacy.

While it is clear that Paterno doesn't want to retire, it is best that he gets to at least somewhat go out on his own terms. In the wake of the Sandusky scandal most people are looking for somebody to blame, and a lot of that blame has gone to Paterno.

He should have notified the authorities just like McQueary and athletic director Tim Curley should have done as well, but it's important to not forget who the true villain is in this equation. Sandusky not only preyed on innocent children, but he also betrayed the trust of Paterno and the university.

Paterno has to be deeply hurt by the betrayal and he is paying the ultimate price for it. Even so, Paterno is not the type of coach or person who deserves to be unceremoniously pushed out of power. Joe Pa most certainly deserves his moment in the sun.

Penn State needs a clean slate, and ultimately that means that Paterno's time is up as head coach. The writing has been on the wall for the past two days, but it was only a matter of how it would go down.

No matter how outraged some may be by Paterno's lack of action, he is a legendary figure in college football and retirement is the only right way for him to go out.