Penn State president expected to decide fate of Joe Paterno statue

As emotions continue to swirl around Penn State’s larger-than-life statue of Joe Paterno, the university president is methodically seeking input from trustees, alumni and others about the fate of the monument.

The statue has become a lightning rod since an investigation concluded the Hall of Fame football coach and other top university officials concealed child sex abuse allegations against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky more than a decade ago.

President Rodney Erickson is expected to announce his decision next week.

Predictably, it will be unpopular no matter what.

Many of Paterno’s supporters will be incensed if the bronze statue comes down. But critics say it would be unseemly to leave the statue in place in the wake of an internal investigation that found Paterno, ousted President Graham Spanier and two other Penn State officials covered up a 2001 allegation against Sandusky to shield the university from bad publicity.

Sandusky is awaiting sentencing after felony convictions of abuse involving 10 boys.

The statue, nearly 7 feet tall and weighing more than 900 pounds, was erected in 2001 in honor of Paterno’s record-setting 324th Division I coaching victory and his “contributions to the university.”

As he weighs its fate, Erickson must also consider how the NCAA will react if he leaves the monument in its current location outside Beaver Stadium. The governing body is investigating whether Penn State lost “institutional control” of its athletic program, and it could level harsh sanctions -- including a complete shutdown of the lucrative football program -- depending on the outcome of the probe.

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The Ducks signed free-agent forward Daniel Winnik to a two-year contract worth $1.8 million per season. Winnik, 27, can play center or wing and is expected to get time on the third line and the penalty-killing unit. He has appeared in 366 NHL games with the Coyotes, Avalanche and Sharks and had 37 goals, 101 points and 187 penalty minutes. Last season, he appeared in a league-leading 84 games with Colorado and San Jose and had eight goals, 23 points and 52 penalty minutes.

— Helene Elliott

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Miami football Coach Al Golden’s second season at the school is beginning much like his first one, with new accusations of rule breaking, the looming threat of serious NCAA sanctions and no apparent end in sight for the long probe into the Hurricanes’ compliance practices.

Citing unidentified sources, Yahoo Sports reported Friday that former Miami football employee Sean Allen — who has been linked to onetime booster and now-convicted Ponzi scheme architect Nevin Shapiro through the improper-benefits scandal that broke last year — assisted members of Golden’s coaching staff with recruiting.

If true, that could be a major NCAA violation by the troubled program, despite Golden’s repeated insistence that he wants to “get it fixed.”

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The Spanish Olympic committee said basketball player Pau Gasol will replace Rafael Nadal as the country’s flag bearer for the opening ceremony of the London Games.

Nadal will not defend his Olympic tennis title after pulling out with an undisclosed injury on Thursday.

Spain said Gasol, who plays for the Lakers, was chosen to replace Nadal because he represents “the best values in sport and competition.”

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The Houston Rockets will send Courtney Lee to the Boston Celtics as part of a multi-team, sign-and-trade deal, completed on Friday.

The Rockets will receive a second-round pick in next year’s draft from Boston (a pick that was originally owned by Charlotte), forward JaJuan Johnson, guard E’Twaun Moore and forward-center Sean Williams. Houston will also acquire the rights to guard Jon Diebler from Portland. The Celtics completed the deal by trading guard-forward Sasha Pavlovic to Portland.

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The Denver Nuggets signed free agent forward Anthony Randolph to a multiyear contract.

Randolph averaged 7.4 points and 3.6 rebounds in 34 games with the Minnesota Timberwolves last season, including a season-high 28 points at Denver on April 11, when he pulled down six rebounds and blocked five shots.

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The Cleveland Cavaliers claimed forward Jon Leuer off waivers from the Houston Rockets on Friday.

Leuer averaged 4.7 points and 2.6 rebounds in 46 games as a rookie last season for Milwaukee. The 6-foot-10, 228-pound Leuer started 12 games, averaging 7.7 points and 3.3 rebounds.