Joe Paterno replica statue coming to Penn State?
Two cousins are building a replica of the Joe Paterno statue that was removed in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal.
The bronze statue of iconic Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Joe Paterno was taken down in 2012 in the aftermath surrounding the child sex abuse case of his former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.
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The statue has been kept in a private location since it’s controversial decision to take down the statue of the winningest head coach in FBS history, but a replica statue of Paterno is on the way.
Cousins Yesid Gomez and Wilfer Buitrago who did casting work on the original statue are hard at work on two Paterno replica statues that could total upwards of $100,000. They’re doing this without any sponsors and without the approval of Angelo Di Maria who was the original sculptor, Penn State and the Paterno family, according to Rob Tornoe of Philly.com.
“Penn State should have given us the courtesy of contacting us when they removed the statue and letting us know where it is,” Gomez told Philly.com. “Instead, they are not responding to us, so we decided to bring the statue back again.”
The statue won’t be an exact copy. In the original statue, Paterno’s right hand had his index finger raised while the replica will see Paterno raising a fist.
Gomez and Buitrago plan to give one of the replica statues to the Paterno family while the other statue will be displayed at various locations including Beaver Stadium and museums for Penn State and Paterno fans.
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They estimate to have the clay sculpture finished in one month while it’ll take another four-five months to cast it in bronze. That means it could be on display for the opening of the 2016 college football season when Penn State hosts Kent State in Beaver Stadium on September 3.
Penn State fans, are you cool with the idea of a replica Paterno statue being trotted out at Beaver Stadium or do you think this is all just a little too much?