Joe Paterno Got Hefty Contract Amid Inquiry

The New York Times has a story today illustrating the power of Joe Paterno at Penn State: Even as the Jerry Sandusky investigation was proceeding and Paterno had testified before a grand jury, he negotiated a richer contract for himself loaded with perks and worth roughly $5.5 million. The money will still be paid to his estate, despite the misgivings of some board members. Why so much? As part of the deal, hammered out in the summer, Paterno agreed to make the 2011 season his last, though that wasn't made public at the time. Which suggests that in November, when Paterno announced his pending retirement as the Sandusky investigation intensified, what seemed like a concession at the time actually wasn't much of one.

One paragraph in particular from the Times' Jo Becker resonates:

• "Documents show that the board even tossed in some extras that the family demanded, like the use of specialized hydrotherapy massage equipment for Mr. Paterno’s wife at the university’s Lasch Building, where Mr. Sandusky had molested a number of his victims."

(More Joe Paterno stories.)