An end-of-the-season retirement wasn't soon enough. Penn State's board of trustees has fired both football coach Joe Paterno and university president Graham Spanier, reports the Associated Press. In the wake of how Paterno handled the molestation charges against assistant coach Jerry Sandusky's molestation charges, sports writer Allen Barra had argued in TheAtlantic.com that Paterno shouldn't coach the rest of the season. "By letting Paterno take the field Saturday, Penn State president Graham Spanier and his board of trustees will be causing massive and possibly irreparable damage to the reputation of their university," Barra wrote. Penn State's board of trustees appear to have agreed. "The outcry following the arrest of former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky on molestation charges proved too much for the board to ignore," writes the AP. The oustings are effective immediately. Penn State's defensive coordinator, Tom Bradley will take over as interim coach and executive vice president and provost Dr. Rodney A. Erickson will replace Spanier.

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