Joe Paterno announced this afternoon that he would be stepping down as the head coach of the Penn State football football team at the end of the season. However, he did not even make it that long. The Penn State board of trustees announced tonight, Nov. 9, that Joe Paterno has been fired and university president Graham Spanier has resigned.
"This is a tragedy. It is one of the great sorrows of my life." Paterno said. "With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more."
Paterno and Spanier were not charged in connection with the sex abuse scandal, but both have come under heavy fire for their inaction in connection to allegations against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.
John Surma, Vice chair of the Penn State board of trustees announced the news.
"These decisions were made after careful deliberation and in the best interest of the university as a whole. Penn State always strives for the highest moral standards in all of our activities. We promise we are committed to restoring public trust in our university."
The decision to fire both Spanier and Paterno was unanimous according to Surma. Paterno has been the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions for the past 45 years. He holds the record for most Division 1 victories with 409, a win he recorded 10 days ago.
Defensive coordinator Tom Bradley has been named interim head coach.