ESPN’s latest documentary will explore the legacy of one of the most famous coaches in college football, Joe Paterno.
The Paterno Legacy examines the life and career of Paterno, who died in 2012 and served as the head coach of Penn State’s Nittany Lions football team from 1966 to 2011. While he was revered for most of his tenure, Paterno’s public perception soured in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal.
A trailer released for The Paterno Legacy opens with glowing comments about the coach, including one person who says, “You’re going to play for Joe Paterno and Penn State,” and another who remarks, “The lessons I learned from Joe will stay with me forever.”
Just seconds later, the trailer shows footage from reports breaking the news of Sandusky’s crimes; the former assistant coach — who worked under Paterno — was eventually found guilty of 45 of 48 counts of sexually abusing 10 boys over 15 years.
In a press release announcing The Paterno Legacy, ESPN states that the “allegations of sexual abuse of minors leveled against former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky in the fall of 2011 cast a dark shadow on the university, the football program, and Paterno.”
Paterno’s son remarks in the trailer that his father went from “a revered patriarch” to “a reviled pariah.”
The trailer also shows the moment Paterno left Penn State. The coach retired from his decades-long position with the university’s athletic program in 2011, saying at the time, “This is a tragedy. It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.”
He added, “My goals now are to keep my commitments to my players and staff and finish the season with dignity and determination. And then I will spend the rest of my life doing everything I can to help this university.
ESPN’s Paterno documentary comes 10 years after the Sandusky sex abuse scandal shocked the country. It will feature “interviews with many who were involved or directly affected by the events of 10 years ago,” ESPN states in the press release.
“The legendary coach was cast out and his legacy, which he had spent decades building, was in tatters,” ESPN adds.
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