Schools

PSU Trustee Resigns, Says They Never Should Have Fired Paterno

"I will always regret that my name is attached to that rush to injustice."

A Penn State Trustee has resigned abruptly, saying he regrets being part of the decision to fire longtime football coach Joe Paterno.

Alvin Clemens resigned at Friday’s trustee meeting, multiple media outlets are reporting.

"We had no advance notice and little opportunity to discuss and consider the complex issues we faced. After 61 years of exemplary service, Coach Paterno was given no chance to respond. That was a mistake," Clemens said at the meeting, according to NBC10.

Find out what's happening in Doylestownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I will always regret that my name is attached to that rush to injustice.”

Clemens was a gubernatorial appointee to the Trustee board, The Philadelphia Inquirer said.

Find out what's happening in Doylestownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Paterno was fired by the university on Nov. 8, 2011, days after the arrest of former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky on child sexual abuse charges.

Paterno was head coach of the Nittany Lions from 1966 to 2011, and had a record of 409 wins, 136 losses and three ties at the time of his firing, though the NCAA has since vacated 111 wins, bringing his official record to 298-136-3.

Paterno died in January 2012.

Sandusky was convicted in June 2012 of 45 counts of child sexual abuse, and is serving 30 to 60 years in state prison.



Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here