UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. --

In the wake of a sex abuse scandal that's tarnished Penn State University's reputation, longtime university football coach Joe Paterno has announced he will retire at end of the season.

In a statement released Wednesday morning, Paterno said, "I am absolutely devastated by the developments in this case.  I grieve for the children and their families, and I pray for their comfort and relief. I have come to work every day for the last 61 years with one clear goal in mind: to serve the best interests of this university and the young men who have been entrusted to my care. I have the same goal today. That's why I have decided to announce my retirement effective at the end of this season.    At this moment the Board of Trustees should not spend a single minute discussing my status. They have far more important matters to address. I want to make this as easy for them as I possibly can.    This is a tragedy. It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more."


The announcement came just days after Paterno's former assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky, was arrested and charged with dozens of sex crimes against children. Sandusky is accused of molesting eight young boys in his home and at the Penn State campus. On Tuesday, another alleged victim came forward.


Paterno -- who just two weeks ago became the winningest coach in Division 1 history -- met with his team briefly Wednesday morning.  He is not charged with any criminal wrongdoing in the Sandusky scandal, but many people have said they think Paterno should have done more to alert police and expose the alleged child abuse.


People nationwide have called for Paterno to resign, but others expressed much support for the longtime coach. Paterno, 84, has not defended Sandusky and said he was prepared to make a statement at his weekly news conference on Tuesday, but the university canceled that news conference. Afterward, reporters, students and others flocked to Paterno's home and, after hundreds of supporters chanted his name, Paterno addressed the crowd.



"You know …there's been some criticism of the way we've handled some of the poor victims. You know my wife and I, we have 17 grandkids from 16 to 3. We pray for them every night, but we're going to start praying for those kids that got some of the problems we talked about. They don't deserve it. We owe it to them to say a prayer for them to make sure they understand that their life can still be enriched," Paterno said from his front door Tuesday night.


Some people are questioning how the Sandusky scandal will tarnish Paterno's reputation, but there is no question about his career success on the field. Currently in his 46th season as head coach, Paterno has had more wins -- 409 -- than any other Division 1 coach against 136 losses. He's won two national championships with five undefeated seasons, has more bowl victories and more bowl appearances than any other coaches and was named College Coach of the year five times in four different decades. He's also already in the College Football Hall of Fame.

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