PSU Board Will Ask Spanier To Resign
STATE COLLEGE (KDKA) -- KDKA Investigator Marty Griffin reports sources close to the investigation confirm the Penn State Board of Trustees will meet in an executive session tonight.
The board will put together a departure package for Penn State President Graham Spanier and he will be asked to resign.
Sources say Spanier will be asked to accept the deal the trustees come up with or he will be fired. Spanier has retained Harrisburg defense attorney Joshua Lock in his grand jury matter.
This latest development comes after head football coach Joe Paterno announced he would retire after this season.
An emergency team meeting at 11 a.m. broke the news to players if they hadn't heard it through social media already. It was emotional.
"Actually this is probably the first time I've ever seen him cry and I actually almost got teary-eyed myself," Matt Stupar, a member of the football team, said. "My dad played for him, my uncles played for him, my mom came here, I mean, Penn State is in my blood and it's just hard to see a huge key person of Penn State to go like this."
"It was sad – had a couple tears in there, but he pretty much let us know and left it at that," Rob Bolden said. "It was sad. He's our coach. He's been here for my two years here and I can appreciate what he's done for us."
"It's really tough," Matt Zordich, a fullback, said. "Coach Paterno's been a part of our family for so many years – I think 30 years – I think it's dating back to and he's had an impact on my father's life, my grandfather's life, my life – just my whole family …"
In his statement, Paterno said in part: "At this moment the Board of Trustees should not spend a single minute discussing my status. 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."
The calls for Spanier and Paterno to be removed from their positions stem from an ongoing child sexual abuse scandal involving former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.
Sandusky is accused of sexually assaulting several children while on Penn State's campus.
Two other Penn State officials, Athletic Director Timothy Curley and Senior Vice President for Finance and Business, Gary Schultz, are facing perjury charges for statements made duringthe grand jury investigation.
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