Legendary Penn State University football coach Joe Paterno has been fired in the wake of a child sex-abuse scandal, The New York Times reported.
Defensive coordinator Tom Bradley will take over as interim head coach.
The firing comes after a scandal allegedly involving one of Paterno's former top assistants, Jerry Sandusky, who has been charged with sexually abusing eight boys over a 15-year span. Graham B. Spanier, one of the longest-serving and highest-paid university presidents in the country, was also terminated.
A graduate assistant reported that incident to Paterno, who told the school's athletic director but did not talk to criminal authorities.
Paterno has the most career victories of any coach in major college football history with 409 wins. His contract was slated to expire at the end of the year.
Penn State fell to Nebraska 17-14 in the last home game of the season Nov. 12the first without Paterno as head coach in almost five decades.
Also, it was announced Nov. 14 that Paterno's name has been removed from the new Big Ten championship trophy, which had been called the Stagg-Paterno Championship Trophy, after him and another coach, Amos Alonzo Stagg. It will now be called the Stagg Championship Trophy.