PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — In an interview with the Washington Post, Joe Paterno, weak from chemotherapy for lung cancer, refused to say anything negative about his firing.

“I’ve had a wonderful experience here at Penn State. I don’t want to walk away from this thing bitter.”

Paterno said he was never aware that the alleged sex abuse of a young boy by former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky could have been a rape.

“I called my superiors and I said, ‘Hey we got a problem I think. Would you guys look into it?’”

The “guys” were former Athletic Director Tim Curley and former University Vice President Gary Shultz.

Penn State great Franco Harris says despite what some may think, Paterno was not in charge at the school.

“It was the university people and I want more information about what happened with that and why we’re not getting that and why they put all the focus and blame on the Penn State football program and on Joe Paterno,” Harris said.

Harris says at times such as these, Penn State needs to have a great leader as president.

“And … to me Rod Erickson is not that person and I think that he should step down,” he said.

Harris says the board of trustees botched the firing of Joe Paterno and the handling of the Sandusky scandal, adding they should all step down.

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