 |
| Paterno at a Nittany Lions football game /The Patriot News |
Most students at AACC have mixed views about Penn State head coach Joe Paterno getting fired, according to an informal poll.
Paterno, 84, retired early Wednesday after 46 years, only to be fired hours later by PSU's Board of Trustees.
"I am absolutely devastated by the developments in this case. I grieve for the children and their families, and I pray for their comfort and relief." he said.
Paterno and president Graham Spanier were fired after failing to inform the police about former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky allegedly molesting a 10-year-old boy in the shower in 2002.
Sandusky is being charged with 40 counts of child sex abuse and reports say he allegedly found these children through his charity, The Second Mile.
Assistant coach Mike McQuery caught Sandusky but ran away. He asked his father for advice then reported the incident to Paterno.
.
Violent riots broke out at PSU around 7:30 p.m.
Students rebelled against cops, coughing from pepper spray and tipped over a CBS van in support for Joe Paterno.
"Yes, he should have been fired. He should have been hanged," said Jane Creager, 56, from Pasadena, Md.
Freshmen at AACC thought differently.
"Not really," said Connor Bachmann, 17, from Gambrills, Md.
"No," said Eddie Pena, 18, from Centerville, Md.
"Yes," said Phil Cook, 26, from Baltimore, Md.
He compared it to former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, who served time in prison for dog fighting in 2007.
Other students had no idea who he was. Some were adamant he didn't do anything wrong.
"No," said Rebecca Edmisten, 19, of Pasadena, Md., getting defensive and telling a friend across the picnic table outside that Paterno wasn't the one abusing the children.
"Yes, he should of. Just like the Catholic Church," said Steve Kay, 71, from Severna, Md., as he sat angry while reading a newspaper on campus.
