Joe Paterno Retiring: Twitter Reactions To Penn State Coach's Announcement (TWEETS)

Joe Paterno announced on Wednesday morning that he intends to retire at the end of the season.

"At this moment the Board of Trustees should not spend a single minute discussing my status," he said in a statement. "They have far more important matters to address. I want to make this as easy for them as I possibly can. This is a tragedy. It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more."

This statement comes just four days after the disturbing reports about the sexual abuse committed by former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky became public. Although the student body at Penn State has rallied to support Paterno, the consensus elsewhere seems to be that Paterno should step down immediately after failing to do more to stop Sandusky.

According to the grand jury report, a then-graduate assistant (later to be identified as current receivers coach Mike McQueary) witnessed Sandusky sexually assaulting a boy in a locker room shower on campus in 2002. McQueary informed Paterno the following morning. Paterno then told athletic director Tim Curley and other school administrators, but no one ever notified the police. Sandusky also continued to be a presence on campus.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Linda Kelly and state police Commissioner Frank Noonan said on Monday that although Paterno fulfilled his legal requirement, he had a moral responsibility to tell law enforcement if young children were in danger.

That's why most people following the scandal believe Paterno should step down now, not after the season. Scroll down to see how the Twitterverse reacted to Paterno's announcement.

Comments

[whalemickie]

08:28 PM on 11/09/2011

The Penn State Board of Trustees phone number is 814-865-2521.

Join me and call them. Leave them a message of your thoughts. You deserve to be heard and I doubt that the Board will read this post.

[Richbruin]

08:12 PM on 11/09/2011

I'm willing to bet if someone told him footballs and helmets were being stolen from the equipment room, he'd have called the cops. Somebody tells him a kid was raped by an assistant coach and so he makes a report? Come on, he needs to be taken out in handcuffs.

[CPAwADD]

07:29 PM on 11/09/2011

Best tweet was #21 Nicholas Gaines.

[2tellthetruuth]

07:23 PM on 11/09/2011

And to think he went on coaching as if it didn't matter. He reasoned that he did what he was supposed to do. He should have done more. The young victim is a young man now. Come on Mr. Paterno is that all you have to say? I should have done more. Do more now, just leave already.

[Walter Robert]

07:16 PM on 11/09/2011

Coach Enabler should not coach another football game anywhere ever

[Walter Robert]

07:13 PM on 11/09/2011

Congratulations to Penn St and its Alumni They have Coach Enabler working for them. Football is way more important than Child Rape....

[kapalabhati]

07:23 PM on 11/09/2011

WTF do the Alumni have to do with this?

[texasaggie]

07:52 PM on 11/09/2011

Maybe instead of rallying around Joe's house cheering him, they should show up with torches and pitch forks. OK, so that's mostly pathetic current students. We'll see how honorable the alumni are when Joe trots out on the field.

[Au4]

07:05 PM on 11/09/2011

I have a response to his "retirement": Coward

[larryvnyrd]

06:57 PM on 11/09/2011

I believe that if one of my employees had told me he witnessed another of my employees raping a ten year old boy in the shower, I would have done a little more follow up. This should not have taken 9 years, I mean, after I dumped this baggage off on my boss, and hadn't heard anything after the first four or five years, I think I would have asked about it.

[bulldogmom2010]

06:58 PM on 11/09/2011

Hello! after 4 or 5 days max! unless of course someone gave me a "present" to keep my lip buttoned up....?

[mikeodd]

06:00 PM on 11/09/2011

Kudos to Jalen Rose for correctly pointing out the galling double-standard regarding malfeasance in collegiate athletics.

[SubgeniusMustHaveSlack]

05:58 PM on 11/09/2011

The pennstate community is sociopathy personified.

[justice225]

05:55 PM on 11/09/2011

It sickens me to watch the arrogance of this university. Students supporting a man who lived up to nothing that he preached day in and out to them. As a Penn State Alumni I hope that by tomorrow morning I am reading that he is forced out of Penn State along with everyone involved in the cover up. If the governor, who claims to be the protector of children, allows this to happen in his State college then I know that everything in Pennsylvania is corrupt. Ohio State got rid of their coach on charges that don't even come close to this crime. Step up Pennsylvania, have some pride in yourself for once.

[CPAwADD]

06:39 PM on 11/09/2011

Child rape enabler pep rally.

[bulldogmom2010]

06:48 PM on 11/09/2011

Amen!

[CiscoPike]

05:30 PM on 11/09/2011

There is no way he will still have a job after this home game. There is no way he will be able to go on the next road game. The boos will be deafening. I bet this weekend's game will be his last.

[happymomof3]

07:37 PM on 11/09/2011

I so hope you are right ... I'd like the boos to be deafening and incessant. Of course, I'd prefer the Board step up and fire him before Saturday.

[pennlady]

05:24 PM on 11/09/2011

Shame on any student that took part in a pep rally for Joe. How would you feel if this had been one of your relatives...or you when younger?. Sorry students you need to get your priorities in order. Football is a game what happened to these children is life and the abuse will remain with them forever.

[JessWonderin]

05:31 PM on 11/09/2011

EXACTLY!!! and the Board should drop him NOW. . . . . .

[t iessa]

05:46 PM on 11/09/2011

My thoughts exactly!

[Ozarks]

07:01 PM on 11/09/2011

And his pension

[johnl7]

06:08 PM on 11/09/2011

If my kid had showed up at that rally at his house I'd drive up there, pull him out, and send him to a school without a football program.

[bulldogmom2010]

06:57 PM on 11/09/2011

Finally, a parent willing to step up and a parent! Any kid who supports this enabler has issues.

[JessWonderin]

05:19 PM on 11/09/2011

Penn State Bookstore has Boys pants half off . . . .

[CPAwADD]

05:24 PM on 11/09/2011

Too soon. Trust me on this one.

[JessWonderin]

05:28 PM on 11/09/2011

yes, but in light of the "students rally" to support "coach", reflects the lack of decisive action to make a moral stand over a "school sport" . . . they should be ASHAMED not demonstrating "support" . . .

[kapalabhati]

07:06 PM on 11/09/2011

Seriously

[pennlady]

05:25 PM on 11/09/2011

Not funny...... especially to the abused children.

[JessWonderin]

05:29 PM on 11/09/2011

neither is holding a student rally to support him . . . . especially to the abused children and to THEIR own future children.

[myopinion2]

05:17 PM on 11/09/2011

Curious. what did Joe do that was so wrong. he reported the incident to the University president, or whoever he reports to. He didn't cover it up. he could have done more, been more aggressive. sure. But why is he being made the villian. he didn't make the decisions. he's no hero, and fell short here, but he's not the bad guy.

[pennlady]

05:27 PM on 11/09/2011

Because he knew it was happening and let the pervert continue to come into the locker room. Maybe he did what he had to do legally.......but not morally.

[JessWonderin]

05:37 PM on 11/09/2011

I would think that legally he DID witness a CRIME and should have reported it to the POLICE . . . didn't Kitty Genovese teach us anything!?????

[CiscoPike]

05:32 PM on 11/09/2011

We all know that Paterno was really the top dog at Penn State. The AD, President were all subservient to him. He should of led by example. He knowingly allowed this sick man Sandusky to use Penn State facilities for camps, etc. after the incident. He did enable the man to have victims. Granted, he is not legally cullpable, but he is morally responsible. He put reputation and a game above the welfare of children. Simple as that.

[bulldogmom2010]

06:55 PM on 11/09/2011

YES HE IS! He is legally responsible. He is a coach at a public school.

[Talossa]

07:00 PM on 11/09/2011

The fact that the President of the school is getting fired today, while Paterno gets to live it up through the bowls this winter proves your point.