In an exclusive interview with The Daily Caller, sportscaster and former NFL star quarterback Joe Theismann called the Penn State University football controversy that resulted in the firing of legendary coach Joe Paterno “tragic” and “deplorable.”
On the Penn State trustees’ decision to fire Paterno, Theismann said, “They made that decision. It’s theirs to live with.”
The Washington Redskins’ former #7 also had advice for students and fans whose protests reached near-riot status after Paterno’s termination was announced.
“Act like adults,” he said. “Be sensitive to those people who need your sensitivity, and respect other human beings the right way, as some people have not.”
Watch:
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“The only way to describe it is tragic — for college sports, for the people involved — meaning the young people that were put in situations and their families. It’s deplorable,” Theismann told TheDC at a Notre Dame Club luncheon Friday before the “Fighting Irish” football team suits up against the University of Maryland.
“It seems to me that the way Penn State is handling their situation is in an appropriate manner.”
He continued, “There comes a time for everyone to move on and not be part of a program and I think it’s important that you appreciate the accomplishments of Joe Paterno and the things that he did as the leader of the football program for so many years. You don’t know what the future holds.”
Videography by Direna Cousins