STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Jay Paterno leaned over his dying father, gave him a kiss, and whispered in his ear.
“Dad, you won,” he said. “You did all you could do. You’ve done enough. We all love you. We won. You can go home now.”
Joe Paterno died Sunday of lung cancer at age 85.
At a memorial service Thursday that drew some 12,000 people to the Penn State basketball arena, Jay Paterno reflected on what he called the “magnificent daylight” of his legendary father’s life. It was primarily a glowing tribute to Paterno and his accomplishments during 46 years as Penn State’s football coach — but also an opportunity to defend his legacy against criticism that he failed to do more when told about an alleged child sexual assault involving one of his former assistants.
Nike founder and CEO Phil Knight won a thunderous standing ovation when he defended Paterno’s handling of the 2002 allegations against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. Paterno, he hinted, had been made a scapegoat.
“If there is a villain in this tragedy, it lies in that investigation and not in Joe Paterno’s response,” Knight said. Paterno’s widow, Sue, was among those rising to their feet.
Capping three days of mourning
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