After five years of court battles, the State Employees' Retirement System (SERS) released yesterday the highly anticipated salary of Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno: $512,664.
The figure is not inclusive of other compensation, such as money from television and apparel contracts as well as other bonuses that Paterno and other football bowl subdivision coaches may earn, said Robert Gentzel, SERS communications director. The release of these amounts can only come at the university's approval, which Penn State Spokeswoman Lisa Powers said will not happen.
"I'm paid well, I'm not overpaid," Paterno said during an interview with reporters Wednesday before the salary disclosure, The Associated Press reported. "I got all the money I need."
The 80-year-old coach was paid $427,220 in the first 10 months of 2007, putting his year-end salary on track to exceed $500,000. He was paid $490,638 last year, The Associated Press reported.
SERS was forced to release the salaries of Paterno, Vice Provost Rodney Erickson, former Budget Officer Richard Althouse and Treasurer Gary Schultz after the state Supreme Court ruled Nov. 20 that the salaries of Penn State employees receiving pensions from the state program are public information.
Erickson and Schultz each make $385,010 per year. Though not involved in the Supreme Court ruling, Penn State President Graham Spanier's full salary of $590,000 was released this semester after he signed a five-year contract extension.
Erickson and Schultz did not return numerous phone calls by press time yesterday. However, Althouse said he "didn't have a clue" why his salary was not reported by The Patriot-News.
"The issue has been decided by the court," he said. "The matter is closed."
The lawsuit originated from a complaint filed by reporter Jan Murphy and The Patriot-News Company in 2002. After the commonwealth court ruled in favor of The Patriot-News in 2005, the retirement board agreed to release the information, but the university appealed, sending the case to the state's Supreme Court.
Though given 14 days for an appeal, Gentzel said the pension board received a legally bound statement from Penn State yesterday, declining further appeals and authorizing the release of the four salaries.
Referring to Paterno, who has served as head coach for 42 years, as a "rare story," Guido D'Elia, branding and communications director, said the figure "might be lower than many people had thought," citing speculation that he might be among the highest paid coaches in college football.
"It's clear that comparatively speaking, his peers are making considerably more than him," D'Elia said. "He feels his compensation has been fair, and money has never been his driving force."
Paterno told reporters Wednesday that his first contract for head coach in 1966 was for $20,000, the AP reported.
"It bothers me that people have to know what I make. What difference does it make what I make, all right? I don't know what you guys make," Paterno said, according to the AP.
Yesterday, Joe Paterno's wife, Sue, seemed indifferent to the release.
"It is what it is, and that's what it is," she said. "He didn't care five years ago. You'd like to think some part of your life could be private. It's very difficult to keep your life private."
The figure came as no surprise to David Newhouse, Patriot-News' executive editor.
"Joe had said for quite some time that it would be lower than most people expected," Newhouse said. "I wasn't surprised because I believed him."
Ron Southwick, Patriot-News' assistant city editor, said he wanted to emphasize that the suit was "nothing personal" against Paterno.
"It's about getting access to information that we should be getting under the state's Right to Know Law," he said.
Powers said the university itself will continue keeping what "most people consider to be personal and private information" under wraps.
"We have received a lot of phone calls from employees who are understandably concerned that their salary is being made public," she added.
