Paterno statue's fate left to president

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., July 20 (UPI) -- Penn State University trustees said any decision to remove or move a statue of the late coach Joe Paterno will come from the university's president.

Two members of the school's Board of Trustees responded Friday to claims they were planning to remove the statue of the former coach during the weekend by saying the decision over what to do with the statue at Beaver Stadium will be left to university president Rodney Erickson, ESPN.com reported Friday.

The trustees said the fate of the 11-year-old statue was discussed during a Thursday night conference call, but no votes were taken and no decision was made. They said possibilities include moving it from the Beaver Stadium area to the library or the Penn State All Sports Museum.

The statue controversy comes in the wake of the report by former FBI Director Louis Freeh, which accused the late coach of helping to cover up child sexual abuse perpetrated by former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, who was convicted in June on 45 counts of sexual abuse.