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6:24 a.m. CDT, July 22, 2012
The president of Penn State University says he has ordered the removal of the statue of Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno.
The university announced that it's taking down the monument in the wake of an investigative report that found the late coach and three other top Penn State administrators concealed sex abuse claims against retired assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.
The statue turned into a target for Paterno's critics after former FBI Director Louis Freeh alleged a cover-up by Paterno and others that allowed Sandusky to continue molesting boys.
Police and construction workers have barricaded both sides of the street and the sidewalks near the statue.
A chain-link fence has been erected around the area and a tarp has been raised that conceals most of the statue.
In a statement, the university President Rodney Erickson said: "I fully realize that my decision will not be popular in some Penn State circles, but I am certain it is the right and principled decision."
