Joe Paterno wasn't happy about the questions he was getting at his press conference yesterday.
Over the weekend, the coach disciplined Austin Scott, Penn State's senior running back and heard reports that two younger players were issued underage drinking citations.
Now, the 80-year-old coach said, there might have been another fight involving his team, but he said he doesn't know the details.
A reporter began to press the coach about the fight, but Paterno cut in and halted the question.
"We're fine," the coach said. "Let me handle the football team."
He's been trying to handle it the same way he has from the very beginning.
Early on in his tenure, Paterno set forth his idea of a "grand experiment" -- attempting to paint his program as one full of athletes who would excel on the field and off.
But this year's squad has yet to evoke talk of the "grand experiment" -- the way things are going now, there's no end in sight to the off-the-field problems that have plagued this team since April.
The past six months have produced an apartment fight, numerous underage-drinking citations, and the suspension of Scott, who was supposed to be the next Larry Johnson.
Every player saw, up close, the turmoil that each incident produced. The apartment fight, for which starters Anthony Scirrotto and Chris Baker are still facing charges, ended with the team having to clean Beaver Stadium each Sunday following home games.
It can't feel good to wake up early on a Sunday morning and have to pick up trash in the student section. But it's a weekly reminder as to why each member of the team needs to stay in line.
The team got another reminder when sophomores Andrew Quarless and Willie Harriott were cited for underage drinking during the preseason -- the team watched the two players spend 2007's first two games assigned to the bench.
Each of these instances have allowed the individuals on the team to step back and take a look at what happened to their teammates after they got into trouble. They've all had the benefit of hindsight -- looking at the punishments handed down in the recent past.
That's what makes this weekend's problems so surprising.
Paterno told the team at practice on Friday that he would discipline Scott for reasons that are still unclear.
There were two guys that either weren't there, weren't paying close enough attention or didn't get the memo: freshmen Joe Suhey and Ryan Breen.
Both players were cited over the weekend for underage drinking, and Paterno had to explain and rationalize their actions to a room full of reporters yesterday.
"I'd like to know anyone in this room, when they were in college, [that] weren't sitting around at parties and underage drinking wasn't going on," Paterno said. He later added that since the two freshmen won't play this year, their obligations to the team are a little different.
Among the citations, fights and cloudy suspensions, Paterno hasn't had time to mention the words "grand experiment" so far this season.
Normally, Paterno is focused solely on his team's work both on the field and in the classroom.
The 80-year-old coach has had to spend his time defending the public perception that his players create.
"I don't think there's anything wrong with the program," Paterno said yesterday.
"I go back to the fact that [reporters] are trying to create some problem that I don't believe we have."
Kevin Horan is a senior majoring in journalism and political science and a Collegian football writer. His e-mail address is kjh5017@psu.edu.
