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Joe Paterno to Retire After Season, After His Team Has Chance to Play for Stagg-Paterno Trophy

Reports out of Penn State are indicating that head coach Joe Paterno has decided to retire after this season—after his team has a chance to play for the Big Ten title and a trophy named after the legendary Nittany Lions head coach: the Stagg-Paterno trophy.

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It is slightly awkward to say the least that in the wake of this information about a former Penn State coach (Jerry Sandusky) and the fact that Paterno did what he was legally obligated to do by notifying his authorities (but not taking it further) that he and his team are potentially the best team in the Big Ten and probably deserve a shot at a Big Ten title.

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There are many right now who believe that Paterno needs to simply step down from his position immediately, and if he doesn’t choose to do that, those same critics believe he should be fired before he has a chance to be seen on the sidelines for Penn State again to preserve what reputation they have left in terms of NCAA football.

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No matter what you think, it seems that Penn State is doing its darndest to protect Paterno despite all that has gone on, and even the fact that he has admitted he should have done more than what he did almost a decade ago.

Photographs by spatulated, Triple Tri, and chrischappelear used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.