Joe Paterno will soon leave his role as Penn State's head football coach, The New York Times reported Tuesday afternoon, citing unnamed sources.

"Joe Paterno's tenure as coach of the Penn State football team will soon be over, perhaps within days or weeks, in the wake of a sex-abuse scandal that has implicated university officials, according to two people briefed on conversations among the university’s top officials," the article's lede reads.

Paterno's weekly press conference, scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, was abruptly canceled less than an hour before its start time.

University President Graham Spanier made the decision to cancel the press gathering, ESPN's Colin Cowherd reported on the air. National news media had lined up to cover the press conference.

Paterno said he was disappointed in Spanier's decision, according to a Patriot-News report.

Penn State athletics spokesman Jeff Nelson e-mailed this statement to reporters:

"Due to the on-going (sic) legal circumstances centered around the recent allegations and charges, we have determined that today's press conference cannot be held and will not be rescheduled."

StateCollege.com will post more information as it becomes available. Related coverage is available via the page linked below.

Related content

• StateCollege.com's ongoing coverage of the Penn State charges