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VIDEO: Joe Paterno Fired As Penn State Media Paints Itself Blue And White

Wednesday night, Penn State's Board of Trustees announced the firing of Joe Paterno. This is upsetting news, but not nearly as upsetting as actual tragedies, like perhaps the ones that started this whole thing to begin with. But listening to John Surma, CEO of U.S. Steel and the Board's spokesman, sort through frantic, accusatory questions from the assembled mob, you'd think the firing of a football coach caused intense, lifelong pain for families with young children or something.

Surma was grilled at wavering volume about why the Board failed to worry itself sufficiently with Paterno's dignity, the medium by which Paterno was fired, and how long the Board has been "gunning" for Paterno, and this was before thousands of students gathered in pain and anger to bump up against each other and yell, "Wooooooooooo!"

Star-divide

Everybody made fun of it.

Tom Fornelli@TomFornelli Wow, some of the "questions' being asked. Denial is an incredible force.    

Will Brinson@willbrinson Do all these reporters have their faces painted? What the hell.    

Bill Connelly@SBN_BillC Man oh man... RT @DanWolken: The angry "reporters" are embarrassing themselves    

Jack Kogod@Unsilent Wow, the media is pretty pissed. This is like a town hall meeting in Pawnee, Indiana.    

edsbs@edsbs Embarrassing SEC homer media types, I apologize. You're not alone, nor exceptional.    

Leonard Cigarettes@runthedive Security probably should've done a pat down on reporters on their way into this presser. This is wild.    

Bill Barnwell@billbarnwell Question/behavior of these journalists in the Penn State presser is the blogger strawman come to life.    

Michael Felder@InTheBleachers Love the 'Lord of the Flies' questioning methods during this presser.    

Steven Godfrey@38Godfrey My keen journal-o-senses are telling me a few butthurt JoePa fans have infiltrated this press conference.    

Barrett Sallee@BarrettSallee Good Lord...some of these questions are mind-boggling.    

straightbangin@straightbangin from what i can tell, the psu press corps is most concerned about psu students not getting to waive to joepa in the press box this weekend    

Bill Connelly@SBN_BillC RT @MarkHasty: After listening to these "questions" @ PSU presser, I don't want to hear any crap about pajamas-wearing bloggers ever again.    

Mike Prada@MikePradaSBN Impressed with Surma here. These questions are unreal    

Holly@Nastinchka Gobsmacked at how coolly John Surma is conducting himself. I'd've slapped somebody long before now.    

Dennis Dodd@dennisdoddcbs Joe toadies showing their ass, simple as that.    

Dan Rubenstein@Dan_Rubenstein The sound you're hearing is Penn State's journalism school freefalling down a US News and World Report list.    

Chuck Dunlap @SEC_Chuck I have the privilege of working with some of the best and most fair sports media in country everyday. I'm at a loss for words watching this    

Charles Robinson@CharlesRobinson The difference between national media questions & some of the local scribes is, uh, disappointing. Locals feel like they are lecturing.    

Adam Kramer@KegsnEggs Should end this presser with: "Thank you for your time tonight and good luck in your mother's basements, everyone."    

Mark Ennis@Mengus22 Yes. Asshats. RT @tyduffy Did someone just complain about JoePa not getting "a little bit of dignity?"    

Michelle Beadle@MichelleDBeadle Are these "actual" reporters asking questions?!? Holy cow...feels like a bad SNL skit. Kids were abused folks. Ruined. U sound like fools    

CollegeFootballTalk@CFTalk I don't know who the diatribers are amongst the media asking questions at the Penn State press conference, but they should be embarrassed.    

Tower of Bammer@towerofbammer Those Penn State reporters hurrying to post-press conf couch burning!    

TheUConnBlog@theuconnblog Glad to see the media is keeping the Penn State BOT's feet to the fire on issues like legal fees and wacky-ass message board conspiracies    

Testudo Times@testudotimes The last question was an LOL-worthy conspiracy theory. Unbelievable.    

Matt Stewart@matt_stewartcss The reporters at this press conference are an embarrasment to my profession.    

Eleven Warriors@elevenwarriors Thank you, Penn State beat, for making bloggers look so professional.    

Nick Baumgardner@nickbaumgardner Whenever this settles, some credential rights need to be revisited in State College. Unreal.    

Dave Matter@Dave_Matter I really want to believe there are some Penn State fans posing as reporters at this press conference. Please be true    

Bryan Fischer@BryanDFischer Penn State local media: Absolute JOKE.    

Pete Thamel @PeteThamelNYT Surma has handled a difficult situation with aplomb here. The manic nature of the questions is unusual and he's stayed calm.    

Bronco Beat@IDS_BroncoBeat That was the strangest press conference I've ever seen.    

Kentucky Sports - CJ@KyleTucker_CJ Sounded like they let some fans pretend to be reporters in that Penn State press conference. Shouting down the Trustees for firing Paterno?    

Doug@CaptainAnnoying That Penn St presser was a train wreck, and it wasn't the trustee answering questions -- it was the dipshit biased media barking them.    

Clay Travis@ClayTravisBGID The Penn State homer press was insane. Never heard anything like that.    

MockingTheDraft@MockingTheDraft WTF kind of presser was that? Were people asking questions dressed as lions?    

For more on the Nittany Lions, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. Follow all of SB Nation's coverage of the Jerry Sandusky investigation in our StoryStream.

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As a citizen of the US, a fan of football, and as a college student

I am embarrassed at everything going on with these students at Penn St

by Jonesy24 on Nov 9, 2011 11:42 PM EST reply actions  

Insular, cult-like, and in denial. And those were the adults.

Incredibly sad and disappointing.

Oregon loves you, Chip Kelly!

by gamedaytribe on Nov 10, 2011 12:47 AM EST reply actions  

Let's take that a step further...

… these were not just “adults”. The guy who’s wasted his life pursuing ever higher quantities of chips & beer who has no goals, no ambition and no functional desire to ever do anything that would be considered “productive” in the long term is an adult.

These are college students. They are supposed to be the intellectual “elite” of a nation. They’re supposed to be the kids who either have an incredibly amount of natural talent or the ingrained work ethic to study hard from grade school through advanced high school courses, earning a chance at an advanced degree to show they are capable and productive members of the workforce.

Instead, we get these shenanigans. We have diluted the college experience into "Bring in as many idiots as we can hold who will buy football tickets and merchandise. Colleges have been mobile sports-domes with classes as an afterthought attachment, and it sickens me to my core.

by VorAbaddon on Nov 10, 2011 1:14 AM EST up reply actions  

Hate to be the old fart leadin with "Nowadays"..

but nowadays just about anyone can get into just about any university. The students are not in any way the “elite”.

by bangkokhoosier on Nov 10, 2011 3:50 AM EST up reply actions  

Ooooohhhh, I'm aware

It’s why my college spent tons of money advertising a football team that, when I attended, was a perennial joke, but couldn’t be bothered to individualize degrees with your major or field of focus.

by VorAbaddon on Nov 10, 2011 6:59 AM EST up reply actions  

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