STATE COLLEGE, Pa. _ Following eight years of rocky relations in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal, Pennsylvania State University has made peace with the family of Joe Paterno.
The head of the Penn State's board of trustees announced Friday that the school had resolved all outstanding issues with the legendary coach's family, including a lawsuit that Paterno's son Jay, now a member of the board, had filed against the university in 2014.
"As part of the resolution, the Paternos have dropped all outstanding claims and the university has agreed to cover certain of the Paterno family's expenses," Trustee Mark Dambly said at the start of the board's monthly meeting.
The Paternos and the university have been bitterly divided for years after Penn State fired its longtime coach in 2011 when his former assistant, Sandusky, was charged with sexually assaulting boys. Even after Sandusky's conviction _ and the prosecution of university administrators for endangering children by concealing his misconduct _ the family for years argued that Paterno had been unfairly scapegoated, and legions of Penn State fans and supporters mounted campaigns to restore his reputation.
Paterno died in early 2012.
"With this resolution, my family and I want to move forward with the university community and university leadership," Sue Paterno, the coach's widow, said in a statement.
