No Decision On Joe Paterno Statue Status

After two reports surfaced via Twitter that the statue of Joe Paterno would be taken down this weekend, a Penn State Board of Trustees member has told CBSSports.comthat no decision has been made about removing the landmark. 


NFL Network's Kim Jones and ESPN radio'sBonnie Bernstein both reported the statue, which has been outside Beaver Stadium since 2001, would be coming down over the weekend. A source told Bernstein that the board of trustees voted on a conference call Thursday night to take down the statue. 

PSU board member Ryan McCombie told Laura Nichols of the Daily Collegian that the Penn State board "did no such thing." Anthony Lubrano, another board member, said no vote has taken place and the decision on whether to keep or remove the statue would be the school administration's, not the board of trustees.

A decision from Penn State President Rodney Erickson about the fate of the statue is expected next week. 

Penn State has been under pressure (see story) to remove the statue following the release of the Freeh Report, which found Paterno and other university officials helped cover up child sex abuse allegations against former assistant Jerry Sandusky. 

The statue, which was built in 2001 in honor of Paterno's record-setting 324th Division 1 coaching victory and his contributions to the university, is nearly seven feet tall and weighs more than 900 pounds. 

Paterno has had his name removed from Nike's childcare center and PSU students changed the name of "Paternoville" to "Nittanyville" (see story) since Sandusky's conviction and the release of the Freeh Report.   

The Associated Press contributed to this report.