Phil Knight Confirms Joe Paterno Child Development Center Will Be Renamed

Nike has announced that they will be renaming the child development center in Beaverton, Oregon, after FBI investigator Louis Freeh publicly gave his report about the cover-up of child abuse at Penn State.

Both Mark Parker and Phil Knight, CEO and co-founder of Nike, respectively, released statements on the Nike, Inc. website yesterday on the changing of the World Headquarters.

"I have been deeply saddened by the news coming out of this investigation at Penn State. It is a terrible tragedy that children were unprotected from such abhorrent crimes.   With the findings released today, I have decided to change the name of our child care center at our World Headquarters. My thoughts are with the victims and the Penn State community."

– Mark Parker

"According to the investigation, it appears Joe made missteps that led to heartbreaking consequences. I missed that Joe missed it, and I am extremely saddened on this day. My love for Joe and his family remains."

– Phil Knight

Freeh believed that Joe Paterno was among the Penn State administrators that covered-up allegations of Jerry Sandusky sexually abusing kids at the university. The most damning quote from the beginning of his statements: ”The most powerful men at Penn State failed to take any steps for 14 years to protect the children who Sandusky victimized.”

The move is obviously a good one now that we know that Paterno did in fact cover things up to protect the program.

This comes after Knight made comments earlier this year at a Joe Paterno memorial service at Penn State University, and giving indication that the center wouldn’t be renamed.

“Whatever the details of the investigation are, this much is clear to me: There is a villain in this tragedy that lies in that investigation, not in Joe Paterno’s response to it.”

Brian Spaen is the lead editor for Autzen Zoo, follow the site on Facebook and Twitter. Read his other work on the Iowa State blog, Clones Confidential, and Watson Talk Lacrosse.