I keep hearing that Penn State should tear down the Joe Paterno statue. I disagree -- it's a piece of Penn State history, and Penn State should not be forced to bury that history. An artist worked long and hard on creating the statue. An architect designed its placement. Workers sweated and strained to make sure it was placed properly. Their effort shouldn't be thrown away.
But more than that, Penn State's labors should not be thrown discarded. The college and its administration went to great lengths to hide a criminal enterprise that would have "stained the program". I can't imagine a better symbol for that kind of craven exploitation than the statue of the man who so proudly and crassly presided over it.
Instead, I strongly encourage Penn State to keep the statue -- but I encourage the courts to order the University to add a new item to it. I would suggest a simple gravestone to "Joe Paterno's soul, and that of PSU" with the epitaph "409 wins -- and two losses", with the names of the victims inscribed underneath.