A majority of Pennsylvanians say it’s time to bring Joe Paterno’s statue back.
That’s the message delivered in a new poll complied by Quinnipiac University.
The poll, released Wednesday, asked, “Do you think Penn State should or should not restore the Joe Paterno statue to a place of prominence on campus?”
The results: 59 percent of state residents say the statue should be returned. Just 25 percent said it should not.
Support for the statue crossed all lines with men, women and various age groups all in favor of the move.
The statue, which stood outside Beaver Stadium for more than a decade, was carted away in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. The surrounding wall which was covered with plaques honoring Paterno’s football record, was also removed. It’s not known what has happened to the statue or where it is being stored.
“It appears time heals all wounds and legends get a second chance,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, in a prepared statement.
At the most recent Penn State Board of Trustees meeting in January, university president Eric Barron said there will be “a time and place” for university leadership to revisit the topic of honoring Joe Paterno and possibly returning the statue of the winningest coach in college football to its former location.
Asked whether anything has changed, university spokesperson Lisa Powers told StateCollege.com,”The president has said a decision on the statue is not imminent. He will follow a process of deliberation and discussion that will take time, and until then he does not plan to speak publicly about it.” Powers adds that the statue is being stored “safely in an undisclosed location.”
The same poll also uncovered strong support for the settlement in the lawsuit that two state officials filed against the NCAA.
That lawsuit was filed by Pennsylvania State Sen. Jake Corman and then-Treasurer Rob McCord, in an attempt to force the NCAA to spend the $60 million it fined Penn State on child abuse programs inside Pennsylvania. It morphed into a referendum on whether the consent decree that Penn State signed with the NCAA was a valid document.
The consent decree paved the way for the NCAA to impose unprecedented sanctions on Penn State. Those sanctions included the loss of 112 football victories, a significant reduction in football scholarships, a ban on bowl games and that $60 million dollar fine. As part of the settlement, the NCAA effectively agreed to erase all of the sanctions.
The Quinnipiac poll found that 64 percent of Pennsylvanians support the settlement. Once again, there was broad agreement with virtually no difference among men, women or different age groups. Only 15 percent said they were opposed to the settlement.
To obtain the poll results, Quinnipiac University says it surveyed 1,023 Pennsylvania adults. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points.
Click HERE to see the complete Quinnipiac poll results.
Editors Note: This report has been updated to include comments from Penn State spokesperson Lisa Powers.
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