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| Penn State coach Joe Paterno to quit amid abuse scandal | Penn State coach Joe Paterno to quit amid abuse scandal |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| One of the most famous coaches in American sport has bowed to calls for him to step down amid a child abuse scandal that has shocked the country. | One of the most famous coaches in American sport has bowed to calls for him to step down amid a child abuse scandal that has shocked the country. |
| Penn State's head football coach Joe Paterno said he would retire at the end of the college football season, adding he was "absolutely devastated". | Penn State's head football coach Joe Paterno said he would retire at the end of the college football season, adding he was "absolutely devastated". |
| Mr Paterno has been accused of failing to act over alleged child abuse by long-serving assistant Jerry Sandusky. | Mr Paterno has been accused of failing to act over alleged child abuse by long-serving assistant Jerry Sandusky. |
| Mr Paterno has not been implicated in the case. | Mr Paterno has not been implicated in the case. |
| In a statement on Wednesday, Mr Paterno said: "I am absolutely devastated by the developments in this case. I grieve for the children and their families, and I pray for their comfort and relief. | In a statement on Wednesday, Mr Paterno said: "I am absolutely devastated by the developments in this case. I grieve for the children and their families, and I pray for their comfort and relief. |
| "I have come to work every day for the last 61 years with one clear goal in mind: to serve the best interests of this university and the young men who have been entrusted to my care. I have the same goal today. | "I have come to work every day for the last 61 years with one clear goal in mind: to serve the best interests of this university and the young men who have been entrusted to my care. I have the same goal today. |
| "That's why I have decided to announce my retirement effective at the end of this season." | "That's why I have decided to announce my retirement effective at the end of this season." |
| He added: "This is a tragedy. It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more." | He added: "This is a tragedy. It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more." |
| Addressing his players in the auditorium of Penn State's football building, Mr Paterno reportedly broke down in tears as he told his team he was leaving. | |
| He said he wanted the team to finish the football season with "dignity and determination". | |
| Players gave him a standing ovation when he walked out. | |
| Mr Paterno's announcement came three days before the Nittany Lions, Penn State's football team, play their last home game of the season against Nebraska. | |
| The team gave Mr Paterno a standing ovation has he left. | |
| The 84-year-old has won 409 games, a record for major college football, and is in the middle of his 46th year as coach. | |
| Never reported | |
| Former assistant football coach Mr Sandusky was arrested at the weekend for allegedly abusing eight boys between 1994 and 2009. | Former assistant football coach Mr Sandusky was arrested at the weekend for allegedly abusing eight boys between 1994 and 2009. |
| Mr Paterno has said he alerted the university's athletic director after he was informed in 2002 of an alleged serious sexual assault by Mr Sandusky on a boy as young as 10 in a locker room shower. But the incident was never reported to police. | Mr Paterno has said he alerted the university's athletic director after he was informed in 2002 of an alleged serious sexual assault by Mr Sandusky on a boy as young as 10 in a locker room shower. But the incident was never reported to police. |
| Police have said that Mr Paterno fulfilled his minimum legal requirement but have suggested the coach had a moral responsibility to do more. | Police have said that Mr Paterno fulfilled his minimum legal requirement but have suggested the coach had a moral responsibility to do more. |
| Penn State's athletic director Tim Curley along with the university's senior vice-president Gary Schultz were charged on Monday with failing to report the suspected abuse. | Penn State's athletic director Tim Curley along with the university's senior vice-president Gary Schultz were charged on Monday with failing to report the suspected abuse. |
| Both men are also accused of perjury during their testimony before a grand jury. | Both men are also accused of perjury during their testimony before a grand jury. |
| Mr Sandusky retired from Penn State in 1999, but continued to use the university's facilities for his work with the Second Mile foundation, a charity for vulnerable children. | Mr Sandusky retired from Penn State in 1999, but continued to use the university's facilities for his work with the Second Mile foundation, a charity for vulnerable children. |
| He has been arraigned on 40 criminal charges on Saturday and released on bail. |