Penn State Cancels Paterno Presser

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State's press conference with Joe Paterno has been cancelled by the university.

Slideshow: Key People In Penn State Scandal

The school said in statement that it cancelled Paterno's weekly press conference due to the ongoing investigation into sex-abuse claims by former coach Jerry Sandusky.

"Due to the ongoing legal circumstances centered around the recent allegations and charges, we have determined that today's press conference cannnot be held and will not be rescheduled," the school said in a brief statement.

The AP says Paterno's son Scott tells it that the decision was made by President Graham Spanier's office.

Scott Paterno says his father was disappointed and was prepared to take questions about the scandal as well as the upcoming game against Nebraska.

Another newspaper said Paterno was not told in advance by Spanier of the decision.

Penn State released a media advisory last night asking reporters not to ask Paterno about the current sex-abuse scandal. But it’s unknown if reporters will follow that request and what Paterno will talk about, in addition to the Nebraska game this weekend.

Several team leaders were to be at the press conference, as well as many national media outlets.

Paterno issued a statement on Sunday saying that he complied with a grand jury investigating former coach Jerry Sandusky, and the grand jury found no wrongdoing on Paterno’s part.

But the local and national media have called for Paterno’s resignation and the top police officer in Pennsylvania said Paterno didn’t meet his “moral obligation” in not going to police with a sex-abuse report about Sandusky.

Paterno said in his Sunday statement that he was not given details from a graduate assistant about the 2002 incident involving Sandusky.

Penn State officials on Monday night said Paterno wouldn’t be discussing the Jerry Sandusky sex-abuse case at his regular Tuesday press conference.

“Head coach Joe Paterno and any Penn State Football student-athletes in attendance will be answering questions about the Nebraska game, Penn State's season thus far and other topics related to the current college football season,” the school said in a statement.

Paterno isn’t known for necessarily following the playbook in some cases, and he may need to address the “moral” issue as a chorus of writers and reporters are calling for his resignation.

A grand jury in Harrisburg said that Paterno, 84, was not legally at fault for how reported an alleged sexual assault by former coach Jerry Sandusky in 2002.

But Paterno’s critics are saying the coach had a moral duty to report the incident to local police after two Penn State administrators, Tim Curley and Gary Schultz, declined to do so.

Among those critics is the highest-ranking member of the Pennsylvania state police, Frank Noonan, the police commissioner who also spent more than 30 years with the F.B.I. and the Attorney General’s office.

“I think you have the moral responsibility,” Noonan said. “Anyone — not whether you’re a football coach or a university president or the guy sweeping the building — I think you have a moral responsibility to call us.”