Tom Bradley took the podium in the Beaver Stadium media room for the first time as head coach of the Penn State football team on Thursday afternoon. Bradley, in his 33rd season on the staff, has held the defensive coordinator position since Jerry Sandusky retired in 1998. He takes over for Joe Paterno, who was fired late Wednesday night.
University Park Undergraduate Association President TJ Bard (@TJBard) will speak from the steps of Old Main at 12:30 p.m. about the recent unprecedented and historic events that have happened over the past week.
Tom Bradley has been a part of the Penn State Football program for thirty six years. At most universities, that is unheard of, but at Penn State, it pales in comparison to someone who has been around for sixty one years. Bradley has never particularly sought the spotlight, but today, the spotlight will seek him as he appears publicly for the first time, no longer having the title of defensive coordinator but rather interim head coach.
It always seemed like the famed coach’s retirement was far away. Year after year he came back to a football program he helped build. A program with tremendous pride that he loved greatly. Unfortunately, in the wake of a pedophilic sex scandal involving former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, Paterno announced his retirement after the season yesterday. Later in the day, he was fired.
It doesn't matter who cast the first stone in last night's riot. The fact of the matter is that stones were thrown--at car windows, store fronts and riot police. The peaceful gathering of students in opposition to Joe Paterno's immediate termination quickly deteriorated into a swarm of vandalism and misguided aggression. What remains now is a campus full of debris and a tarnished image of the Penn State community. Read more about how the belligerent actions of a few are negatively affecting the institution as a whole after the jump.
It is difficult for me to put into words how I feel at this moment. Having been at the Board of Trustees press conference last night, I had heard rumors that Joe Paterno would not be permitted to coach the season's concluding matches. I immediately feared that there would be a riot, but I could have never predicted what actually transpired.