Nittany Lions community is circling the wagons after child-sex-abuse scandal

WITH HIS 85th birthday a little more than a month away, it already was well understood that Joe Paterno's Penn State coaching career had much less future than past. He is in his 46th year as head coach of the Nittany Lions, and his 62nd year with the football program he almost single-handedly transformed into a national power and an example of all that supposedly was good about intercollegiate athletics.

But if JoePa couldn't find a way to live forever, he seemingly was determined to hang on to his job for as long as possible. At the Big Ten Media Days gathering in Chicago in August, he told members of the media he intended to continue coaching for "another 4 or 5 years," provided he remained reasonably healthy, and he didn't appear to be kidding.

Now - a little more than a week since he surpassed Grambling State's Eddie Robinson as Division I football's winningest coach, with 409 victories - Paterno's suit of shining armor has developed rust spots that might prove permanent. His empire, which dates back to President Lyndon B. Johnson's administration, is teetering on the brink of collapse, the result of the arrest of a former assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky, on multiple charges of child sex abuse.

A 23-page grand jury presentment released by Pennsylvania Attorney General Linda Kelly does not accuse Paterno of wrongdoing, but the inference is that he knew enough of at least one of Sandusky's alleged transgressions to do more than merely pass the information along to his immediate superior in the athletic department.

Multiple reports say that support for Paterno is eroding on the Board of Trustees, which would ultimately decide his fate. The board had regularly scheduled meetings planned for tomorrow and Friday, but met last night and is expected to meet today, according to the Centre Daily Times. After last night's meeting the board announced that it would form a special investigative committee at Friday's meeting.

If Paterno's support is eroding as quickly as some suggest, Saturday's Senior Day game against Nebraska might be the final time we see Paterno as head coach.