Joe Paterno Fired: Why Joe Pa Deserved to Coach for Rest of Season

Joe Paterno should have finished out the season as the coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions.

In his statement yesterday, Joe Pa expressed remorse and said he was “devastated” by the revelations in the Jerry Sandusky case.

He also asked the Board of Trustees not to spend a minute thinking about his status and said he would make the easy decision for them and retire at the end of the season.

Of course, the board did exactly the opposite.

They held a meeting and voted to oust Paterno and university president Graham Spanier, effective immediately. The decision sparked riots across Happy Valley last night.

Paterno realized he made a mistake and wished he had done more in hindsight, despite reporting what for all he knew was hearsay to the proper authorities and through the right channels.

Tim Curley and Gary Schultz were the two men most responsible for letting this situation go on. They should have had Sandusky arrested on the spot after hearing the story of the man supposedly raping a 10-year-old from Mike McQueary.

They are obviously facing legal repercussions for their inaction, but Paterno is dealing with a moral struggle. While this isn’t something to take lightly, he should have been afforded the opportunity to finish out his 46th year of head coaching.

Controversy and shame will surround this university for years to come, but forcing Paterno out with three weeks left plus a bowl game won’t change a thing.

The football team will still play those games. However, they will now have an inexperienced interim coach at the helm instead of their long-time leader, who would be best to guide them through their darkest times.

Agree or disagree with Paterno’s action or lack thereof, you must understand that causing even more publicity and subsequent rioting by firing him did not help the cause of repairing the university's image.