Opinions differ from local Penn State alums on Paterno’s exit

In the wake of the child sex abuse scandal at Penn State, the board of trustees has fired beloved head football coach Joe Paterno, along with the University President. Attorney Jay Plunk, the South Jersey Penn State Alumni Association president, said firing Paterno was completely unfair. “I’m very frustrated with the board of trustees and think they didn’t act properly,” Plunk said.

Paterno should have had the chance to give his side of the story in public before he lost his job, said Plunk. And, he said, a man who has done so much good for Penn State shouldn’t have to be the “fall guy.””There’s plenty of blame to go around,” said Plunk. “Why people from the very get-go centered all their attention around Joe and why he didn’t stop it, I don’t quite understand.” Joe Kernan says: too bad. “I think it comes with the territory when you’re the top executive. Whether you’re the CEO of a company or the president of a university or the head football coach,” Kernan said. Kernan is also an attorney, and a member of the Penn State Schreyer Honors College Advisory Board. He said Paterno should have been gone days ago.   “It was absolutely necessary, and I wish Joe would have come to that conclusion himself,” said Kernan.Penn State Defensive coordinator Tom Bradley has replaced Paterno as interim head coach.