A&M leaders apologize over remarks about Paterno
The Associated Press
SAN ANTONIO — Texas A&M officials have apologized to Penn State leaders over an Aggie yell leader's references to needing a ``casket'' for coach Joe Paterno.
Paterno last week turned 81.
Penn State faces A&M on Saturday night in the Alamo Bowl.
One A&M yell leader, during a pep rally Thursday night, told the crowd that Paterno was ``on his death bed'' and ``someone needs to find him a casket.''
The remarks drew boos from the crowd.
Some A&M and Penn State fans said the remarks were offensive and inappropriate.
A&M spokesman Alan Cannon says interim president Eddie Davis and athletic director Bill Byrne later apologized to their Penn State counterparts.
Paterno, a 42-year head-coaching veteran, is about to enter the last year of a four-year contract that expires following the 2008 season.
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