Joe Paterno Fired: Why the Legendary Coach Could Not Coach Another Game

As of about 10:15 PM EST, legendary Penn State football coach Joe Paterno has been fired. After 46 years as the coach of the Nittany Lions, this comes as a result of the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

The move came hours after Paterno announced he would resign at the end of the season.

Although Paterno did announce his intent to step aside, doing so at the end of the season was an unacceptable move considering the circumstances.

By not going to the police with the information about Sandusky's alleged molestation activities as early as 13 years ago, he, in effect, waived his right to leave on his own terms.

JoePa's choice to wait to the end of the season would've been a huge distraction and a growing black eye to the university.

It would've been an unfair distraction to Paterno's players and, with the exception of assistant Mike McQueary, his coaching staff to have to deal with.

Football, though, is far from the biggest worry at Penn State.

The problem is that the culture and the integrity of the athletic program and the university as a whole was established by Paterno over his 46 years of an honorable ideology.

Now that he seems to have violated his own code, he had to go.

Realistically, Paterno could not coach another game under any circumstances with the severity of the allegations and the potential for multiple figures, not just Sandusky, to serve time behind bars.

If he, in fact, did know about some of the alleged actions and did not tell anyone other than former AD Tim Curley, JoePa had to be let go immediately.

Regardless, the integrity of Penn State has been tarnished and probably will never be restored to the condition that it once had.

University President Graham Spanier also stepped down just days after announcing "unconditional support" for Paterno.

When the announcement was made the scene Wednesday night was absolutely surreal; the next sound was a collective gasp from hundreds of media members in the back of the press conference room.

For Paterno to stay on the sidelines or in the press box was unacceptable. The university has to clean house from top to bottom immediately in at least an attempt at a fresh start.

With the firing of Paterno, the biggest legend in modern college football, it proves even a legend is not above the program.

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