By Joe Juliano
Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Writer
Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, angered by recent arrests, said the Nittany Lions would "clean out the stadium every Sunday after every home game."
Angered by the arrest of six of his players in connection with a fight at an off-campus apartment, Joe Paterno will be disciplining his entire Penn State football team - for the entire season.
Speaking yesterday before a university alumni function in Valley Forge, Paterno said he was going to require all his players to perform community service.
Paterno said his players were "going to clean out the stadium every Sunday after every home game." He also said the Nittany Lions would work with the Special Olympics and build a home in Centre County through Habitat for Humanity.
He added that the players would turn their pay for cleaning up Beaver Stadium over to the university's club sports, whose participants usually perform the work to raise money for their teams.
"We had kids involved in something that was embarrassing and I think we ought to prove to people that we're not a bunch of hoodlums," the 80-year-old coach said at a news conference.
"Obviously, I'm probably going to have to keep one or two of them out of a game and drop one or two on the depth chart," he said. "And then whatever [university officials] think they have to do, they do. I want to do something where the whole team kind of says, 'Hey, we're all wrong, let's go.' "
State College police arrested six of Paterno's players, including defensive backfield starters Anthony Scirrotto and Justin King, on April 27, almost four weeks after a brawl at an off-campus apartment. A judge has since dropped charges against four of the players, including King, but Scirrotto, an all-Big Ten safety from West Deptford, and defensive tackle Chris Baker will stand trial.
Police said Scirrotto and a woman got into an argument on the street with passers-by who insulted the woman and punched Scirrotto. The player first summoned friends and then his teammates, who met him at the apartment where they knew the passers-by were, and a brawl ensued, authorities said.
Paterno said he had spoken with Scirrotto and heard his side of the story, but the veteran coach expressed disappointment that none of the players took a leadership role to avoid trouble.
"I was more upset with the kids that could have said, 'Hey, come on, knock this off. We don't need this,' " Paterno said. "I think that bothers me some. I'd be dishonest if I told you otherwise. But a major problem? I don't know.
"Maybe we'll learn from it. Sometimes I think kids don't quite understand what you mean by leadership. These are the kind of circumstances where a couple of strong kids could have said, 'This is ridiculous,' because it was. A couple of kids went in there and a couple of punches were thrown. I don't condone it. Our guys were wrong."
Paterno added, however, that he hoped the players would get a fair shake in the university's justice system.
"I just hope people don't overreact to it, because if it was another bunch of kids and these weren't football players, nobody would know what happened," he said. "I just hope everybody has some responsibility and says, 'Hey, let's look at this without making it a media event.'
"I think there are some things that should be done to a couple of kids - but what, I think I'll leave that to other people. But I know what I'm going to do. The ones I know about are going to have to do some things."
Paterno did not elaborate.
The veteran coach said he was feeling fine after a sideline accident in November left him with a broken left leg. He recently walked about 55 minutes and felt sore, but Paterno said he wanted to work his way up to longer walks.
He admitted that he might be "a little bit apprehensive" about standing on the sideline this season. Paterno said that during spring practice, he was speaking to a player and another player grabbed him and got him out of the way of a punting drill just in time.
Paterno also said he would not have a problem if Penn State revealed his salary, something the university is fighting in court in response to a suit asking that Penn State be required to disclose salaries as a state-related university.
"I don't care whether they release it or don't release it - I really don't," Paterno said.
"I don't care if you find out I make five, six million bucks a year," he said in jest. "That's fine. Putting up with you [reporters], I deserve it."
Paterno also said he felt sad for junior offensive lineman Elijah Robinson, a graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School in Camden who suffered a neck injury during spring practice. Robinson was advised by doctors to stop playing because of a defect that might result in paralysis if he took a hit to the head.
"It's tough because he was a really good prospect, great kid, solid student," the coach said.
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The Lions in Spring
Here's why the Penn State football team is making news in May:
Safety Anthony Scirrotto and defensive tackle Chris Baker are facing assault charges related to an off-campus fight.
The state Supreme Court is considering whether to make coach Joe Paterno's salary a matter of public record.
Contact staff writer Joe Juliano
at 215-854-4494 or jjuliano@phillynews.com.
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