Joe Paterno Statue’s Future Reportedly in Limbo, But Penn State Denies Discussions About Its Removal

by abournenesn

Nov 16, 2011

The Joe Paterno statue outside Beaver Stadium could end up staying put after all.

Penn State said Wednesday that no discussions have taken place regarding the potential removal of the statue, USA Today reports, contradicting a previous report from CBS Sports' Gregg Doyel.

Doyel reported earlier in the day that Penn State is planning to take down the statue of Paterno over Thanksgiving, stating that two PSU students were informed of this by their professors. He said that the removal of the 7-foot tall, 900-pound statue of JoePa would be done in an effort to avoid riots.

That makes sense, considering the demonstrations that took place when Paterno was fired by Penn State's board of trustees.

But according to USA Today, Bill Mahon, vice president of university relations, said he was unaware of the removal rumors.

"No university officials have discussed the statue in the last 10 days," Mahon told USA Today.

The rumor is the latest surrounding the fallout at Penn State, which has been thrust into the spotlight in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal.  While the school has denied the rumor, it's worth noting that The Big Ten recently announced that Paterno's name would be removed from the conference championship trophy, and those close to the situation are well aware of the school's suddenly "trigger happy" nature.

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