Game could 'pivot' Penn State from defense

Penn State should use its first football game this fall to go on the offensive, say trustees, in an effort to restore the school's tainted name. The "pivot" would move the school from a defensive posture the university has maintained since the Jerry Sandusky scandal, the State College Centre Daily Times reported. "You cannot go into your tortoise shell and wait for things to change," university public relations coordinator Richard Edelman told the trustees during a weekend retreat. "You have to now go out and begin the hard work of rebuilding the reputation of this great institution." Edelman's comments inspired a discussion among trustees about the scheduled Sept. 1 game, which they said would have a captive audience of people watching for the first time since Sandusky was sent to prison. Some trustees suggested putting messages on the scoreboard, while others mentioned buying ads during the broadcast of the game. Edelman recommended Chairwoman Karen Peetz and university president Rodney Erickson give interviews with the national media before the one-year anniversary of Sandusky's arrest in November. The board also discussed the search for someone to replace Erickson, who is scheduled to retire by July 2014. Erickson called the search "one of the most defining activities of the university that will take place for many years to come."