COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - A state lawmaker is taking Missouri football coach Gary Pinkel to task for his recent defense of former Penn State coach Joe Paterno as "a great man."
State Rep. Sara Lampe issued a statement Thursday criticizing what she called the "Mizzou coach's defense of a child rapist enabler." Lampe is a Springfield Democrat seeking her party's nomination for lieutenant governor in an August primary election.
Pinkel defended Paterno on Tuesday while speaking with reporters at the Southeastern Conference's preseason football event. He called the Penn State sex abuse scandal a "tragic situation," but said Paterno's legacy shouldn't be tarnished by the actions of his former top assistant Jerry Sandusky.
Lampe says the report by former FBI director Louis Freeh showed Paterno knew of Sandusky's behavior.
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