Whether or not the now-infamous statue of Joe Paterno remains standing will no doubt be a matter of highly charged debate both on and off Penn State's campus for days and weeks to come. But Nike has decided it won't wait where the child care center at its Beaverton, Ore., headquarters is concerned: Paterno's name will be stripped off the building.
As recently as last September, Nike said it has no plans to rename the "Joe Paterno Child Development Center," though a Nike spokesperson told the Oregonian the company was "disturbed" by the indictments brought against Jerry Sandusky and would "continue to monitor the situation closely." Thursday's release of the Freeh Report apparently changed the "situation" enough that Nike felt it had to act, with CNBC's Darren Rovell reporting that the decision had already been made to remove Paterno's name from the facility.
"I have been deeply saddened by the news coming out of this investigation at Penn State," Nike CEO Mike Parker said in a statement. "It is a terrible tragedy that children were unprotected from such abhorrent crimes. With the findings released today, I have decided to change the name of our child care center at our World Headquarters. My thoughts are with the victims and the Penn State community."
After previously defending Paterno -- to the point of speaking at the coach's memorial service -- Nike chairman Phil Knight also issued a statement in which he partially retracts his previous comments that "here is a villain in this tragedy that lies in that investigation, not in Joe Paterno’s response to it":
"Throughout Joe Paterno’s career, he strived to put young athletes in a position to succeed and win in sport but most importantly in life. Joe influenced thousands of young men to become better leaders, fathers and husbands.
According to the investigation, it appears Joe made missteps that led to heartbreaking consequences. I missed that Joe missed it, and I am extremely saddened on this day. My love for Joe and his family remains."
Paterno's family has responded to the report's findings that the coach was among the Penn State officials that showed a "total disregard for the safety and welfare of Sandusky's child victims" by saying that Paterno was never motivated by the need to avoid "bad publicity."
