End Of An Era of the Day

Former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno's legacy is already in shambles, but the symbolic end of his demise came Sunday when workers removed the statue of his likeness from its perch outside Beaver Stadium. The decision to remove it had been a subject of heated debate since the damning Freeh Report shed new light on Joe Paterno's knowledge of Jerry Sandusky's child abuse.

The statue will be moved to a secure location, according to university president Rodney Erickson, who explained the ultimate reasoning behind its removal:

I now believe that, contrary to its original intention, Coach Paterno's statue has become a source of division and an obstacle to healing in our university and beyond. I believe that, were it to remain, the statue will be a recurring wound to the multitude of individuals across the nation and beyond who have been the victims of child abuse.

[gawker]