Safety Concerns In The Post-Paterno Era

Penn State has a new head football coach but there are some concerns over the safety from several sides as the post-Joe Paterno Era begins in Happy Valley.

New Penn State coach Tom Bradley says he is replacing Joe Paterno with "very mixed emotions." The defensive coordinator was appointed interim coach by Penn State's board of trustees after it fired Paterno on Wednesday night in the wake of a child sex-abuse scandal involving former assistant Jerry Sandusky.

Bradley will coach the Nittany Lions through the end of the season, starting with Saturday's home finale against Nebraska.

Bradley played for Paterno and has been on the Nittany Lions staff for 33 years. He has been considered the leading in-house candidate to replace his Hall of Fame boss.

Meanwhile, a University of Nebraska regent says he fears for the safety of the Cornhuskers' football traveling party and fans at Saturday's game at Penn State. He wants assurances a security plan is in place to protect them.

Regent Tim Clare of Lincoln said he began worrying about safety while watching televised coverage of the scene in State College, Pa., after coach Joe Paterno's firing Wednesday night. He said Penn State has a raucous atmosphere on a normal football Saturday, and the school owes Nebraska answers.

Penn State police chief Tyrone Parham wrote in an email to the Associated Press on Thursday that his force is "taking extra precautions and has added additional resources for the game." Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne declined to comment.

A lawyer who's advising some victims in the Penn State child sexual abuse scandal says he's worried they could become scapegoats to people angry about Paterno's sudden departure.

Harrisburg attorney Ben Andreozzi said Thursday that the victims "are now watching people parade and riot" and "to think that is not in some way going to impact these victims is naive."

Andreozzi specializes in sexual abuse cases. He says he's working to provide therapy to the victims, but stops short of saying he represents them.

He says he doesn't want to interfere with the pending criminal case, in which former coach Jerry Sandusky is charged with sexually abusing eight boys.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)