Joe Paterno will retire as Penn State’s football coach after this season, the result of a child sex-abuse scandal involving a former assistant that’s rocked the university and one of college football’s most prestigious programs, the Associated Press reported. The news agency cited an unidentified person familiar with the decision, and said Paterno, 84, will announce his retirement today.
Paterno is in his 46th season as coach of the Nittany Lions and has won 409 games, the most for any coach in college football’s top division. Penn State has three games remaining in the regular season and is 8-1 so far. He is in the last year of his contract.
He has faced criticism for failing to contact authorities after being told of a case involving Jerry Sandusky, a former defensive coordinator who is charged with sexual assault of eight boys from 1994 to 2009.
Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley took a leave of absence and Senior Vice President Gary Schultz retired on Nov. 7 after being charged with perjury and failure to report the allegations. State prosecutors said Paterno isn’t a target of the official investigation.
