Charity-Abuse Scandal Brings Down Penn St. President, Football Legend

The Penn State board of trustees on Wednesday fired university President Graham Spanier and revered football coach Joe Paterno over the sex-abuse scandal involving a former football assistant’s youth organization, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The moves marked a sudden and swift downfall for the two officials, coming four days after ex-defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was charged with molesting boys in campus athletic facilities used by the Second Mile, a charity he founded for at-risk youths. He has denied the allegations.

Mr. Paterno, the head coach and public face of Penn State, and Mr. Spanier, the top administrator for 16 years credited with helping bring more than $3-billion in donations to the school, were engulfed by public, political, and media criticism that they and other university leaders failed to act on past reports of abuse by Mr. Sandusky.

“These decisions were made after careful deliberations and in the best interest of the university as a whole,” said John P. Surma, vice president of the university’s board.

Mr. Paterno had already said Wednesday morning that he would retire at the end of this season. After the board’s announcement, Penn State students took to the streets of State College, Pa., to protest the coaching legend’s ouster.