Joe Paterno '50 will remain in the Brown Athletic Hall of Fame, according to a statement from the Hall's Board of Directors released Sept. 13. The decision came about two months after the University announced Paterno's place in the Hall was under review by the board following the release of a report examining Pennsylvania State University's response to allegations of child abuse against former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky.
In a statement to the press, independent investigator Louis Freeh said Paterno and three high-ranking Penn State administrators "never demonstrated, through actions or words, any concern for the safety and well-being of Sandusky's victims until after Sandusky's arrest."
The board wrote in its statement that in its choice "not to remove Paterno from the list of Brown's Hall of Fame athletes, the Board of Directors did not intend to diminish the tragic events that occurred at Penn State toward the end of Coach Paterno's career. It sought, rather, to acknowledge the recognition of the achievements for which it elected Paterno to the Hall of Fame nearly 35 years ago."
Paterno was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1978. Earlier this year, the athletics department removed his name from the first-year male athlete award. The Howard D. Williams '17/Joseph V. Paterno '50 Football Coaching Chair was also renamed in the past year, though for reasons unrelated to the Penn State sexual abuse scandal.
