Halo Painted Over Paterno on PSU Mural

The artist who recently removed Jerry Sandusky from Penn State’s most famous mural just painted a halo over Joe Paterno’s head

Only a day after Joe Paterno died, a halo now hovers over his head in Penn State’s most famous mural.

Michael Bilato, the artist who removed the image of Jerry Sandusky in November after the former assistant coach was accused of child sex abuse, added the angelic sign atop Paterno on Monday.

While many are proud of the artist's depiction, canonizing the former head coach in the mural depicting Penn State’s 300 finest people could be controversial in the eyes of some.

Paterno died Sunday at the age of 85 after a brief battle with lung cancer. The Hall of Fame coach's death has prompted an outpouring of tributes and remembrances, including the halo addition to the mural, in honor of his legacy as one of the greatest coaches in the history of college football.

But revelations in the past six months point to the fact that perhaps Paterno should not be considered a saint. Paterno was fired in November following the arrest of former longtime assistant Sandusky on child sex abuse charges. The university's Board of Trustees cited Paterno's failure to report one alleged assault to police as a chief reason for his ouster.

In a statement given just before he was fired, Paterno said: "With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.
 

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