Poll Shows Pennsylvanians Want Joe Pa Statue Restored

HARRISBURG (AP) — A poll says Pennsylvanians overwhelmingly want Penn State to put back a statue of former football coach Joe Paterno that was removed after Jerry Sandusky's child molestation conviction.

The Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll released Wednesday said the majority — 59 percent to 25 percent — favored restoring the statue to a prominent place on campus.

Pennsylvanians also strongly support a recent deal between Penn State and the NCAA that restored 112 wins to the football team and Paterno's status as winningest coach in major college football.

Paterno's statue outside Beaver Stadium was removed in July 2012, shortly before the university and the NCAA entered into a consent decree that invalidated the wins, fined the school $60 million and temporarily took away some football scholarships.

Quinnipiac surveyed 1,023 residents between Jan. 22 and Feb. 1. Its margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

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