Neil Diamond's 'Sweet Caroline' cut from Penn State's stadium play list

Penn State football games will have a different feel this fall, as the school will attempt to put the past behind them by supporting a new-look Nittany Lions team. On the field, there will be names across the backs of Penn State players. On the sideline, first-year coach Bill O'Brien will pace the same grass once occupied by Joe Paterno. In Beaver Stadium, you will no longer hear a crowd singalong of Neil Diamond's 1969 hit "Sweet Caroline."

According to the Altoona (Pa.) Mirror, the school has decided to cut the song from the musical play list for Penn State games this season. Some concerns were raised by university officials regarding the "touching you, touching me" lyrics in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal. According to the report, some officials were uncomfortable with the perception of 100,000+ fans singing along to the potentially questionable lyrics during this hypersensitive time for the school.

UPDATE: Via StateCollege.com reporter Nate Mink, the school denies that the lyrics had anything to do with the removal of the song.

Penn State says "Absolutely no song changes were made based on lyrics" Sweet Caroline goes because the playlist is being updated.

— Nate Mink (@MinkNate) August 27, 2012

Regardless, we'll relive the song one more time below.



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