While it has long been debated whether or to what extent Paterno knew of Sandusky’s crimes, for which he was convicted to 30 to 60 years in prison in June 2012,
the shadow of ‘Joe Pa’ looms large over Happy Valley.
So large, in fact, that
it reportedly led to feelings of resentment toward
James Franklin, who was hired as Penn State’s coach after Paterno’s successor, Bill O’Brien, left for the NFL.
“When Franklin took over in 2014, the school was still reeling from the tumultuous end of the Joe Paterno era and the Jerry Sandusky child-sex abuse scandal. And despite his good relationships with players and many within the school, other people — like some donors and others affiliated with the school — never took to Franklin, even after a 2016 Big Ten championship, which still stands as the high point of his time in Happy Valley,” The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman and Ralph D. Russo said.