Joe Paterno’s first interview since his dismissal from Penn State

Joe Paterno opens up about the sex-abuse scandal that put an end to his 61-year coaching career at Penn State.

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In 2002, when assistant coach Mike McQueary reported seeing inappropriate contact between Jerry Sandusky and a young boy in the locker room showers, Joe Paterno said he “turned it over to some other people, people I thought would have a little more expertise than I did. It didn’t work out that way.”

John McDonnell / The Washington Post

Former Penn State coach Joe Paterno came to the university in 1950 as an assistant coach. He was promoted to head coach in 1966.

John McDonnell / The Washington Post

An Oct. 29 victory over Illinois made Joe Paterno the winningest coach in college football history with 409 victories.

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Much of his first interview since his dismissal from Penn State was done with him sitting in a wheelchair at his kitchen table.

John McDonnell / The Washington Post

The former coach is currently undergoing chemotherapy and radiation to treat lung cancer.

John McDonnell / The Washington Post

Sue Paterno, left, Joe Paterno’s wife of 50 years says of the manner in which Joe was fired from Penn State: “After 61 years he deserved better.”

John McDonnell / The Washington Post

Joe Paterno said if his former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky is guilty of what he’s been charged with, “I’m sick about it,”

John McDonnell / The Washington Post

Joe Paterno has yet to figure out his next step. “Right now I’m trying to figure out what I’m gonna do,” he said. “Cause I don’t want to sit around on my backside all day,” he said.

John McDonnell / The Washington Post

Mounds containing 12,000 letters (his grandchildren counted them) adorn the Paterno house.

John McDonnell / The Washington Post

Penn State’s Beaver Stadium was renovated and enlarged six times during Joe Paterno’s tenure.

John McDonnell / The Washington Post

In the days following Jerry Sandusky’s arrest, students held rallies in support of Joe Paterno outside his home in State College, Pa.

Matt Rourke / Associated Press

Joe Paterno and his, wife, Sue, greet the well-wishers camped out on their lawn in November.

Gene J. Puskar / Associated Press

Penn State fan Gary Buck hugs a statue of former Penn State coach Joe Paterno at Beaver Stadium before the Nittany Lions took the field for their first game without Paterno on Nov. 12.

REBECCA S. GRATZ / Associated Press

Joe Paterno is carried off the field following the Nittany Lions’ 27-23 defeat of Georgia in the Sugar Bowl to claim the national championship in 1983.

File / Associated Press

Joe Paterno clutches the Lambert Trophy in New York on Dec. 6, 1973 after it was awarded to his team as emblematic of collegiate supremacy in the East.

Dave Pickoff / Associated Press

Over the course of Joe Paterno’s career, 47 of his players were named academic all-Americans, the third-highest total among institutions playing at the championship level.

Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press

$Joe Paterno’s starting salary was $20,000. In 2008 his salary was $1.03 million, still a fraction of many of his coaching peers.$

Joe Paterno’s starting salary was $20,000. In 2008 his salary was $1.03 million, still a fraction of many of his coaching peers.

Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press

Joe Paterno’s football program was not immune to the problems of big time college athletics. An ESPN inquiry found that from 2002 to 2007, 46 Penn State football players faced criminal charges.

Carolyn Kater / Associated Press

Joe Paterno arrives home on Nov. 9 to a sea of reporters, protesters and supporters in the aftermath of child sex-abuse charges against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.

Matt Rourke / Associated Press

A statue dedicated to Joe Paterno forever immortalizes the former Penn State coach leading his players out onto the field.

John McDonnell / The Washington Post

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