Following the release of the Freeh report, many are re-evaluating the legacy of late and storied Penn St. Nittany Lions coach Joe Paterno. Nike renamed its child care center, an adjustment was made to a local mural and conversations are ongoing about whether to remove a statue of Paterno at PSU.
The weekly tent-city and camping site outside of Beaver Stadium in University Park, formerly known as "Paternoville," will now be known as "Nittanyville," reports Ben Jones of State College, PA.
"We always have discussed the idea of changing the name once Joe was no longer the head coach," Paternoville Vice President Jeff Lowe said.
"The discussions slowed down a bit in January as we waited for more information. With the Freeh Report being released, we began the process of careful discussion and planning so we could make the right decision if faced with the situation where we would have to change the name.
"The idea of being in the middle of a political war over the name, due to our association with Joe Paterno, has to lead to threats, hate mail and efforts from people outside of Penn State to try and ruin our ability to run an effective organization," Lowe said.
Throughout the 2012 college football season, students at Nittanyville will donate a portion of their fundraising to the Center for the Protection of Children, based at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital.
For more on Nittany Lions football, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire, SB Nation Pittsburgh and SB Nation Philly.
