Report: Paterno statue driven away

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The bronze statue of late Penn State coach Joe Paterno was removed from Beaver Stadium for the last time Friday morning, sources told the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Workers put the statue into a truck, which then left for an undisclosed location, the paper reports.

The 7-foot, 900-pound statue had been forklifted Sunday and placed it into the lower level of the stadium.

"As we've maintained from Day 1, the statue will be stored in a safe and secure location until a permanent location is decided," Penn State spokesperson David La Torre said, according to the Inquirer.

Penn State's decision to remove the statue came 10 days after a scathing report by former FBI director Louis J. Freeh found that Paterno, with three other top Penn State administrators, had concealed allegations of child sexual abuse made against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. The Freeh report concluded their motive was to shield the university and its football program from negative publicity.

If the statue of Paterno, his right index finger raised in a No. 1 salute, had remained in its current location, Penn State president Rodney Erickson said he believed it would "be a recurring wound to the multitude of individuals across the nation and beyond who have been the victims of child abuse."

La Torre, Penn State officials and board member Anthony Lubrano declined to elaborate further on the statue's location.

Information from ESPN.com's Don Van Natta Jr. was used in this report.

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