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.
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 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.
The time for Joe Paterno to no longer be associated with the Penn State football program was on the horizon, and it finally ended Tuesday night inside Deans Hall at the Penn Stater Hotel.
Below is a series of photos from the Board of Trustees Press Conference, the silent gathering at the JoePa statue following the announcement of his firing, and the scene downtown.