Penn State Hockey Team Sparks Controversy With '409' Decals
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The NCAA and Penn State reached an agreement to restore the wins Joe Paterno lost in the sanctions stemming from the Jerry Sandusky scandal last Friday.
It was a decision by the Penn State hockey team Friday night that is still causing a controversy.
The team took to the ice with a 409 decal on their helmets.
409 is the number of career wins by Joe Paterno, making him the winningest college football coach in history.
The decision caused mixed feelings from some at Penn State and outside the school.
Head hockey coach Guy Gadowsky talked about the controversy on a Canadian radio station saying, "you're moving it towards the victims this was a support of our student body, it wasn't towards anything else, it was for the support of the students that could feel good and finally move forward."
Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour responded to criticism people expressed for the hockey team's decision.
On Twitter Barbour wrote that she agreed with one critic that the decal was "inappropriate and insensitive."
@gretchnielsen Agree with you. Inappropriate and insensitive. It's been corrected.
— Sandy Barbour (@SandyB_PSUAD) January 17, 2015
Gadowsky says this is was a one-time thing, and that "news came that they were happy about, and it was all for support of them, nothing else, nothing more."
Barbour tweeted the following statement in regards to the controversy:
"Greatly respect JoePa's legacy, always have, always will. Thrilled that those victories earned by former PSU athletes and coaches are now again recognized. We will continue to use our platform to raise awareness and support for child abuse victims."
CBS Sports reports that the Penn State basketball team was going to wear '409' t-shirts under their jerseys Saturday night, but that did not happen.
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