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Steve Spurrier: I still think Joe Paterno got a bad deal
South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier still thinks Penn State coach Joe Paterno was treated unfairly during the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal.
The former Penn State coach was fired from his post as the scandal involving his defensive coordinator took off. The topic of Paterno came up when Spurrier referenced him in an interview with The State about turning 70 years old. Spurrier's birthday was Monday.
Question: When you were 50 years old, what did you think about guys who were coaching in their 70s?
Answer: Well, there weren’t many. There weren’t many because just nobody did it. Nobody lasted that long, and most of the time they didn’t last that long because at some point they quit winning as much as they used to win. Bobby Bowden, of course, went a long time, and they finally had to tell him, ‘You’re finished.’ Joe Paterno was still there. That was very unfortunate what happened up there. I still think he got a bad deal, got a terrible deal.
Q: In terms of taking so much blame?
A: Correct. He did what the head coach is supposed to do. He told the athletic director, and (the AD) and the president let it die down I guess, and of course it flared up later. He was a good guy, a good friend. I liked him.
The interview with the State came on the heels of the publication of Spurrier's workout video.
Paterno told vice president Gary Schultz and athletic director Tim Curley when he was told of allegations surrounding Sandusky. In testimony to a grand jury before his death, Paterno said he figured Curley would handle the allegations "appropriately." They were not.
Shortly after his firing in November 2011, Paterno died in January 2012 at 85.
As part of the NCAA's punishment against Penn State, a portion of Paterno's wins were vacated in addition to a bowl ban, scholarship reductions and a fine. The NCAA reinstated Paterno's wins in January as part of a settlement agreement.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
