Suspensions have not yet been levied against any Penn State football players who police say were involved in an off-campus fight this spring.
"You know just as much as I do," coach Joe Paterno said at Saturday's media day. "And until that whole thing settles down, and I can sit back and take a look at really what is proven and what hasn't been proven and so forth. I'm just going to play it by ear right now, realizing there may come a time, tomorrow, next week, two weeks from now, that I'm going to have to sit down and say, 'hey, something else has to be done.' Right now, everybody's in limbo."
Both Anthony Scirrotto and Chris Baker, the two players awaiting their October trial for their alleged roles in an April 1 altercation, were at football media day. And Scirrotto said the legal situation has "affected me mentally."
"It affected my family; it affected me," he said. "It's tough because it's something I've never been through before. But you learn from it, you grow up, you become a man, take your slap on the wrist and move on. I've learned from it, and hopefully, we'll see what happens with everything. That's about all I can say."
When asked what he had specifically learned from the situation, Scirrotto said nothing and shared an awkward silence with the clutch of reporters around him.
Scirrotto, a junior safety, is charged with burglary, criminal trespass, simple assault, harassment and two counts of criminal solicitation. Baker is charged with burglary, criminal trespass and simple assault.
Scirrotto and Baker were temporarily expelled through Judicial Affairs this summer but allowed to take part in preseason practices, which began Aug. 6. Because of the altercation, Paterno said in May that he would require the entire team to clean Beaver Stadium on Sunday mornings.
If Scirrotto misses time this season, it will almost surely hurt the Nittany Lions secondary. He was a first-team All-Big Ten selection last fall, having led the conference with six interceptions.
"It's still there, but I try to put it in the back of my head," he said, "because I don't want it to affect me right here on the field."
Captains unnamed
Paterno has yet to name team captains and is not sure how or when he will.
"You can point a finger at me on that one, because I've vacillated back and forth," Paterno said. "I'm just not quite sure what's best for this football team."
Quarterback Anthony Morelli and linebacker Dan Connor have both said several times that they would welcome leadership roles. They, along with senior wideout Terrell Golden, represented the team at Big Ten media day in Chicago in late July, but still no official announcement has been made.
"I'm not exactly sure why we've held off this long," said left guard Rich Orhnberger, who is currently second on the depth chart behind Lou Eliades. "Usually, it's made during the spring, but [coach Paterno] makes changes. He doesn't like to keep everything the same. ... Who knows what his plan is, but there's a plan there somewhere."
Paterno said he doesn't know how the decision will be made but would like to make it not long after the summer semester ends.
"I really haven't done a good job of sitting back and talking it over with the staff," Paterno said. "Do I want to appoint them? Do we want to elect them? How do we want to do it? I'm not sure yet. I gotta do something, I know that, pretty soon."
Injury update
One of the Lions' prized newcomers, Devon Still, is likely out for the season with a torn ACL in his left knee.
Still, a 6-foot-5-inch, 281-pound defensive lineman, was a gem of Penn State's freshman class. A native of Wilmington, Del., Still chose Penn State instead of Big Ten rivals Ohio State and Michigan.
His was the only significant injury reported on Saturday.
Tom McEowen, who tore an ACL in the winter, might return by late September or early October. Thus far, he's seen limited action in practice.
McEowen, a 6-foot-4-inch, 279-pound defensive tackle, took a medical redshirt his last season after suffering a season-ending ankle injury in the Northwestern game on Sept. 30.
Cadogan pipeline
Gerald Cadogan, who will take over for Levi Brown at left tackle, might not be the last from his family to play for Penn State. Gerald's younger brother, Nathaniel, currently a junior at Portsmouth (Ohio) High, is a defensive end prospect and regarded as one of the best from Ohio's Class of 2009. He attended the Penn State football camp this summer.
"He came to the camp, and he had a great time," Gerald Cadogan said. "I'm sure he'll think about Penn State."
