Emotions ran high Wednesday night on the campus of Penn State. Students expressed their anger over the firing of head coach Joe Paterno by rioting. Some even pushed over a news van and kicked out its windows.
Joe Paterno was fired following an alleged child sex scandal that some report Paterno was aware of but didn’t do enough to stop. Paterno himself said that in hindsight he wished he would have done more.
“This is a tragedy,” he said. “It is one of the great sorrows of my life.”
The tragedy is that Paterno’s former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky is charged with abusing at least eight boys over 15 years.
Paterno said he grieves for the children and their families and prays for their comfort and relief.
While Penn State students were outraged by the firing of their beloved coach, news broke of their violent behavior on campus. Social media feeds lit up. Many expressed disappointment that Penn State students were rioting for the wrong reasons. Some asked students to consider the young victims who were abused, questioning ‘who’s rioting for them?’
As Paterno is pushed out, Tom Bradley steps in as the interim coach for the rest of the season. Penn State plays Nebraska on Saturday.
