Tom Corbett Says Joe Paterno ‘Probably’ Should Have Been Allowed To Coach

Ousted Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett is going out with a bang, insisting Penn State coach Joe Paterno “probably” should have been allowed to keep coaching even after the Jerry Sandusky child sex scandal broke in 2011.

Corbett, who was voted out in Tuesday’s elections by a landslide margin, added “they probably shouldn’t have fired him. He probably should have been given the last three games, not on the sidelines.”

Paterno was fired in November of 2011, reportedly via phone call, shortly after news of Sandusky’s transgressions were made public. Corbett’s stance this week seems to stand in firm contradiction to the one ESPN reported he took in June of 2013 as then state’s attorney.

“Something not very good happened,” Corbett told reporters back then. “We have to … take the bull by the horns and fix it. Quickly.”

Corbett’s flip-flopping was not lost on those around long enough to have heard and considered his seemingly juxtaposed views.

“It seems rather disingenuous to make that statement, given he made the charge to fire Paterno,” said university board member Anthony Lubrano. “Frankly, it shows what a poor politician he is.”

Indeed, even Corbett admits his tenuous position with the university may have been a factor in high-stakes ouster at the hands of democratic challenger Tom Wolf.

“You know me, I have to have evidence on everything,” said Corbett. “If it was clear [Paterno] understood and did not do anything, yeah. But I’m not sure it was clear to him. And, technically, he complied with the law.”

[Photo Credit: Pan National Guard]