Big Ten apparatchik Jim Delany announced that former Nittany Lion head coach Joe Paterno’s name would be expunged from the Big Ten Championship trophy today. What was to have been the Stagg-Paterno Trophy will now be just the Stagg Trophy.

Just what old Joe needed: A kick in the nuts from the conference when he’s down.

“The trophy and its namesake are intended to be celebratory and aspirational, not controversial.” —Jim Delany

“We believe that it would be inappropriate to keep Joe Paterno’s name on the trophy at this time,” stated Delany. “The trophy and its namesake are intended to be celebratory and aspirational, not controversial. We believe that it’s important to keep the focus on the players and the teams that will be competing in the inaugural championship game.”

I suppose Delany has a point, but I’m sorry to see the accolades being slowly stripped away from Paterno, one at a time. His coaching achievements are legendary, even if he screwed up big time with his silence in the Sandusky caper.

What’s the next remedy? Vacating victories because they occurred during the time Sandusky was an assistant professor emeritus at Penn State?