Joe Paterno isn't at all regretful for grabbing an official's shirt as he was coming off the field Saturday.

And according to Big Ten officials, he doesn't have to be. The conference has decided against taking action on the winningest coach in Div. I history for chasing down referee Dick Honig after the Nittany Lions' 42-35 overtime loss to Iowa Saturday, Big Ten associate director of communications Scott Chipman said yesterday.

Earlier this week, the conference asked Penn State athletic director Tim Curley to gather information about the incident. Athletic department spokesman Jeff Nelson said after reviewing the videotape and interviewing people standing around the tunnel at the end of the game, Curley concluded there was no improper action and conference officials agreed with his assessment.

"The process for review for unsportsmanlike conduct had not begun," said Chipman, who added the conference had "no comment on the incident because there was no violation."

For his part, Paterno dismissed the incident yesterday at his weekly press conference, explaining he did catch up with Honig but only said a few words to him before going into the locker room.

"All I did was try to stop him because he was running ahead of me and I was running toward the locker room and I grabbed him by the shirt and said he had two lousy calls," Paterno said. "Aren't I allowed to do that?"

The two calls in question came during overtime on Iowa's sideline regarding whether players were in bounds. On replays, both calls, which went against Penn State, appeared to be incorrect.

Paterno also dismissed the notion that he approached Honig, who he called a personal friend, with any malicious intent.

"I did not make contact," Paterno said. "I just stopped him, I came up from behind -- I didn't try to knock him over."

Such sentiments weren't isolated to Happy Valley. Paterno's fellow Big Ten coaches agreed with the decision to not enforce disciplinary action against the coach, both because of how Paterno handled the situation and because of his exemplary conduct in the past.

Minnesota head coach Glen Mason said he was surprised by Paterno's sprint across the field, but also understood why he did it, especially considering the plays had repeatedly been shown on the stadium Jumbotron. Mason said the incident was further proof that instant replay is needed in college football.

"I was watching Monday Night Football last night, and they have the top officials in the game, and look at the number of calls they overturn," Mason said. "I think it's a crime we don't have that luxury. I think we owe it to our players."