Report: Paterno discussed contract changes during Sandusky probe

During the same month that Joe Paterno testified before a grand jury in the Jerry Sandusky child abuse case, Paterno initiated discussions that resulted in a better retirement contract for him, The New York Times reported.

The revised contract totaled $5.5 million and was agreed upon by Penn State officials and Paterno last August, several months before charges were filed against Sandusky.

However, The Times cited university records that indicated Paterno brought up the idea of revisiting his contact in January 2011. That's the same month he made an appearance before the grand jury.

According to the report, not all members of the university's board of trustees were told about the revised retirement package before the Sandusky case became public. Many of the trustees became aware of the lucrative deal only after Sandusky was arrested.

When Sandusky was arrested in November and two university officials were charged, Paterno announced he would retire at the end of the 2011 season. However, Paterno was fired the next day.

Paterno family attorney Wick Sollers told the Times on Friday that it was Penn State that proposed the lucrative retirement package.

Trustees chairwoman Karen Peetz said there will be no attempt to get the money back from the Paterno estate.

"Contracts are contracts," she told the Times, "and no, there's no plan to do that."

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