STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Joe Paterno has congratulated New England Patriots coordinator Bill O’Brien following reports that O’Brien will be Penn State’s next head coach.
O’Brien has agreed to take the job, though terms and details were still being worked out as of Friday night.
While O’Brien has no apparent previous ties to Penn State, he did attend Brown University — just like Paterno.
Paterno in a statement provided by his family to The Associated Press said he respected O’Brien’s coaching record. Paterno was fired Nov. 9 in the aftermath of child sex abuse charges against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.
Paterno said Penn State “has always been more about than winning” and that he hoped the program’s commitment to education and community service would continue.
