TAMPA, Fla. — Did you hear the one about the 397,000 Google hits that pop up by simply typing “latest Joe Paterno rumors”?
Paterno dismissed a week of unruly, undisciplined, unsourced rumors circling his final game as the New Year’s Day Outback Bowl against Florida here Tuesday afternoon at the Wyndham Westshore Hotel, then blasted a creeping society’s obsession with social media.
“It drives me nuts,” Paterno said. “I get in a bus and I gotta tell a bunch of kids, ‘Take that thing sticking in your ears and shove it.’ I don’t particularly like the idea of people having that much access to anything.”
Dressed in a plain gray sweatshirt over top a white shirt, the 84-year-old Paterno sounded as spry and energetic as 46-year-old Urban Meyer, dressed in a shirt, tie and khaki blazer. The two shared the dais four days before their first meeting on the sidelines.
And, wardrobe wasn’t the only difference between the two coaches, who shared their thoughts on when it’s time to leave coaching.
The Outback Bowl will be Meyer’s last game at Florida so he can spend more time with his family. In a five-year period, Meyer said, his family lived in four different states, uprooting his three children from schools and friends along the way.
“They sacrificed for us. Now we’re gonna sacrifice for them,” he said.
Said Paterno: “I’m different than Urban. I got people who call me up saying, ‘When the hell are you getting out of it?’ I got a different slant on it. People think I’m gonna quit this year or next year, I haven’t even thought of it. The situation around me is very stable. The athletic director was a kid I recruited as a walk on. The president has been with us 14, 15 years. We have a lot of fun together. I don’t see any reason to get out of it yet.
“I get a kick outta … I had a big problem in State College last week. Some say I was down at Hershey hospital. Geez, Hershey hospital? I was home chewing out somebody for being late to a meeting.”
Monday, Sue Paterno called the rumors “just lies.”
Penn State and Florida meet at 1 p.m., Jan. 1 at Raymond James Stadium. ABC will televise.
Notes:
– Paterno has not yet discussed a transfer with sophomore quarterback Kevin Newsome, who is not with the team in Tampa.
– Meyer joked he submitted an application to become a graduate assistant at Penn State. He will likely work for ESPN, prompting Paterno to quip, “I hope he never becomes Dr. Urban.”
– Paterno offered to help Tom Bradley pursue the Temple coaching vacancy, but Bradley declined.
“It’s easier for me if he stays. But I don’t wanna get to the point where I’m interfering with someone who might wanna get in on another program. I’m pleased he’s gonna still stay with us. If he wanted the job and didn’t get it, then I feel I could’ve done a better job.”