Should Paterno statue remain? Sculptor says ‘I think we should wait’

Associated Press

Joe Paterno still greets visitors to Beaver Stadium. Forever looking spry, and pointing toward the sky with his jacket flown open and tie whipped around as if it was hit by the wind of another brisk Penn State football Saturday, Paterno is still there.

Amid a cascade of controversy, of course.

Paterno’s statue stands outside the stadium even as his reputation has swiftly fallen following a scathing special investigative report that found he helped cover up child sex abuse allegations against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.

Much like the final months of his life, there are no easy discussions or answers when it comes to JoePa.

Not long after a plane flew over campus this week with a banner that read: “Take the statue down or we will,”

Penn State students quickly rallied with a vigil to protect it from vandals.

Should it stay or should it go?

Not even the sculptor of the life-sized statue knows, for sure, how to feel about his creation that has turned into a 900-pound Rorschach test for all who step foot on campus.

“I think we should all wait on it. Put a cover on it,” Angelo Di Maria said. “Let’s see how everyone feels in six months ... or a year.”

Penn State won’t wait that long. University spokesman David La Torre said a decision on the matter would be made next week as Penn State’s president seeks input from trustees, alumni and other constituencies about the fate of the monument.

The 65-year-old Di Maria, who lives near Reading, Pa., was commissioned more than a decade ago by “Friends of Joe and Sue Paterno,” as well as Penn State to create the nearly 7-foot statue.

Di Maria had a long relationship with the university, mostly creating works for the donor program, when he was asked to craft the statue.

Di Maria snapped sideline photos and decided on the iconic shot of Paterno running out of the tunnel, his right index finger extended.

He first made a clay model and then received the approval of one of Paterno’s daughters.

But the statue has morphed from a fan-friendly gathering spot to a shameful bronze symbol of all that is wrong with idolizing football coaches.

Critics have called for the sculpture to be taken down after the Freeh report concluded that Paterno was aware of the 1998 allegations against Sandusky — in contrast to his grand jury testimony and an interview given after his firing — and that he was involved in the decision to hide a 2001 incident from authorities.

“All the focus is on the statue right now, but horrible crimes were committed,” Di Maria said. “Let’s move on away from Joe Paterno. He’s gone, he’s passed on.”

Di Maria never imagined his simple statue would leave such a thorny legacy.