The sex-abuse scandal at Penn State that cost legendary coach Joe Paterno his job has caused a ripple effect throughout the NFL landscape, particularly among those with ties to the program.
Among them is Pittsburgh Steelers great Franco Harris, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Harris blasted Penn State's Board of Trustees on Friday for firing Paterno and supported his former coach by saying the school made a "bad decision."
"I'm very disappointed in their decision," Harris told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "I thought they showed no courage, not to back someone who really needed it at the time. They were saying the football program under Joe was at fault.
"They really wouldn't give a reason. They're linking the football program to the scandal and, possibly, the cover-up. That's very disturbing to me. ... I think there should be no connection to the football program, only in the case that it happened at the football building with an ex-coach. I'm still trying to find out who gave him access to the building, who signed that contract."
Tennessee Titans coach Mike Munchak, who also played for Paterno, had a much softer stance on the school's decision on Thursday. Munchak said he would support a decision based on what was best for the university. Â
"I think most of us hoped that they would work through the details," Munchak told reporters. "I wasn't going to make a judgment on any of this because you know just the bare minimum of what you hear, everyone has an opinion on it, which is fine, so you hope that they gathered the information to make the best decision and I'm assuming that in their mind they did what was best for the university overall, not necessarily what was best for the football team or anybody else.Â
"It's about the university first and foremost and you go with your decision."
