While legendary college football coach Joe Paterno fights to keep his job amid a widening sex-abuse scandal, one former Penn State football player and former San Diego Charger said he believes it may be time for Paterno to go.
When NBC 7 Sports Director and former Charger Jim Laslavic played for Penn State, Jerry Sandusky was his position coach.
Charges were announced over the weekend alleging that Sandusky molested eight young boys between 1994 and 2009, and that two PSU administrators who have since stepped aside failed to notify authorities of a 2002 incident reported by an eyewitness
Laslavic spoke about the scandal publicly Tuesday night, saying if Paterno was part of a coverup, it's time for him to go.
"Sandusky -- was my linebacker coach my senior year. It appears he is a sexual predator," Laslavic said. "Paterno passing the information along to his 'boss' wasn't enough. Something should have been done the moment they heard about it."
"How many kids might have been spared sexual abuse? As of now, nine young men have come forward," he continued.
"If Paterno was part of a cover up, it's time for him to go," Laslavic said.
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Late Tuesday night, the board said it would appoint a special committee to conduct an investigation into the "circumstances" that resulted in the indictments of Sandusky, athletic director Tim Curley and vice president Gary Schultz.
The committee will be appointed Friday at the board's regular meeting, which Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett said he plans to attend, and will examine "what failures occurred and who is responsible and what measures are necessary to ensure" similar mistakes aren't made in the future.
The board also promised those responsible would be held "fully accountable."
Paterno, who earns about $1 million annually from the school, has been head coach for 46 years and part of the Penn State staff for more than six decades, and his old-school values pervade every corner of the program.
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