Nike taking Paterno's name off child care center in Beaverton
BEAVERTON, Ore. (AP) — The president of Nike Inc. said Thursday he has decided to change the name of the Joe Paterno Child Development Center, a child care facility at the company's headquarters outside Portland.
Chief executive Mark Parker said he was deeply saddened by the news coming of the Louis Freeh investigation on the child sex abuse scandal at Penn State. Freeh says Paterno and other top school officials disregarded the welfare of Jerry Sandusky's victims as they failed to report abuse allegations against the longtime assistant coach.
"It is a terrible tragedy that children were unprotected from such abhorrent crimes," Parker said.
Nike founder Phil Knight, who defended Paterno at the coach's memorial service, said "it appears Joe made missteps that led to heartbreaking consequences. I missed that Joe missed it, and I am extremely saddened on this day."
Knight said Paterno strived to put young athletes in a position to succeed in sports and in life.
"My love for Joe and his family remains," Knight said.
Nike has not released a new name for the Joe Paterno Child Development Center, which opened in the early 1990s and was remodeled in 2008. The company declined to provide more information about the center or its new name.
The company is known for naming its buildings after sports figures including Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson, Nolan Ryan and Mike Schmidt. Nike's headquarters is located on Bowerman Drive, named for Bill Bowerman, Knight's track and field coach at the University of Oregon who co-founded the athletic-wear giant.
Joe Paterno Child Development Center- I have never heard of it. What is it a care facility for the Nike employees?
How many people have had their lives and posterity ruined because of such a foolish decision.
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I hope that other public figures can take a lesson from this and know that remaining silent about such evil is far more destructive than revealing the truth.
@Mikey .......absolutely !
Good for Nike to admit Paterno and others like him screwed up. They could have done more, but the almighty dollar kept a lot of them from doing the right thing.
It was the right thing to do. Â Glad they "just did it."
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 @onceagain What does this have to do with political partisanship? Whatever else he might have done, the available evidence indicates that Mr. Paterno covered up child molestation by someone in his inner circle and thereby allowed other children to be abused. It is wholly appropriate that his name be removed from a child care facility.
 @cpt.iceman SCI Rockview isn't far from campus -- won't have to haul them very far.
I also think they should remove his Statue that they just put up at Penn State for his years of work as the coach and a great role model to the kids. YEA RIGHT. I say Melt that sucker down and make paper wieghts from it!!!!!! Then throw that snitch away for a few years cause he covered it up also. He only came out to protect his backside. If it bothered him that bad then he would have turned it over to the Police unstead of do nothing for 10 years then report it. Every Head person of Pen State should be Locked up for this........
 @onceagain  @Saltire I'm left handed, so I guess I am in my right mind.  And, I am not liberal.
Nike is just bowing to the public because it does not have the balls to stand up for itself. Â Joepa is not the problem here, he told his superiors, what do you want him to do. Â Joepa did great things for a lot of young men and for the football program at Penn State. Â IF you are foolish enough to think that Penn State is the only college to have this going on, I have some water front property to sell you.
 @onceagain Doing something good for a community in one area does not justify evil done in another area. It's really not that difficult a concept.
@mikew ........great comment. Precise and accurate !
@onceagain .........oh yes he was part of the problem. Want him to do?...... Follow this through, follow up, make sure there isn't anymore chance for sexual assault.
It's a no brainer!
and yet millions of people still go to Mass on Sundays...They still revere the Pope and catholocism. Supporting the church is no different......yet everyone calls JoePa and Penn State alumni trash.....nothing but a bunch of hypocrites.
 @Haslips Don't forget to mention Portland's Mayor. Portland had a chance to remove him but decided to turn the other cheek. Beau was not 18 when their "relationship" started. But according to the recall effort, that's "ok" with a majority of the Multnomah voters.
@Haslips You nailed it perfect!!! Our country has been all but gutted by the Vatican, Jesuits and their
operatives in various venues like federal reserve, nato, cfr, on and on ad nauseum, and the catholics
still pretend to live in fantasyland with their major denial!!!!!!!
I think I saw a quote from Phil Knight that said Paterno had some "missteps". Are you kidding me?? Phil you should be ashamed and fire your PR firm that put together this ludicrous statement. A trip off of a curb is a misstep. Concealing and hiding sexual assault is a crime. Morally and criminally.
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Excellent. Paterno was a great coach, but he made some very bad choices which led to the continuing abuse of those boys. Those who stay silent are just as guilty as those who commit the crimes.
Well Put Harvey 1701!!!
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That hasn't been true for many years now, but it's interesting you think it's how they still do business. I wonder how many people still believe that and buy Nike products anyway....enjoying their own little Jopa-like states of denial.
 @WTFWTF Like all the people who support Portland's Mayor?
 @WTFWTF  interesting Sandusky hadn't abused someone in years too yet they are still taking paterno's name off.
That we know of DickCheney2016. A child Preditor just don't stop. Wait thier will be more comming out. There allways is. A Pedo can not stop.It would be like trying to get a Great White Shark to Never eat Seals. They are allways monsters exspecially if they Prey on kids.
@DickCheney2016 At least give Phil Knight and Nike credit for this one and avoid shifting the focus
of the runaway child abuse. What you allude to is not going to be decided at Nike's level, but at a
much higher one like the Vatican and Jesuits globally!!!!!!
Thank you Phil Knight for that gesture of support for those child abuse victims, that Penn State and Vatican keep
trying to minimize and coverup!!!!!!!
Maybe Nike should hold a contest to rename it. Then give each of the family members a new pair of Nike's.
Does NIKE have anything named after Kobe Bryant? Or did that undisclosed amount of cash take care of that issue?
Well I would hope so!!! That school and everyone involved who covered that nightmare up are just as responsible as that monster Sandusky. Its criminal what they did.
BRAVO NIKE!  How could anyone hid a person who was a pedophile ?  Sick... Just Sick.
LOL LOL LOL EPIC FAILÂ
I think it's pretty hilarious that Nike's Childcare Facilities were named after Paterno.
It is strange how stuff like this happens. Of course Nike beforehand did not know any of this info so it does make sense to rename the facility.
@Orbit Odd sense of humor.
probably a good idea
Sad to say the least. Someone who should have had a legacy as one of the best tenured coaches ever, but who will go down as someone who kept a "dirty little secret".
I want to know how many kids was hurt after Paterno blew it off? If I found out that my ass. coach was touching kids or abusing them in anyway this would have been stopped that sec. I would have turned his bloody Face over to the Police!!!!!!!! I say Joe Paterno got off lucky in my book he should have had to do Jail time for his Neglegence!!!!!!!
Nike - You have done the correct thing ---!!
Good job Nike. It was the right choice at the right time.Â
While Nike has been criticized for not acting sooner, there is something to be said for "due process" and the fact that Nike did make the correct decision.
@I812 Once the decision came out, it appears they wasted no time. My friends who are Nike employees will be pleased.
Hard thing to do, but the right thing was done.Â
 @washcomom Not really a hard thing. The possibility of it affecting their bottom line and therefore the executive bonuses was a much bigger motivator than what Mr Paterno did or didn't do. Corporations do things like this all the time...like laying off lots of workers before the holidays so their balance sheet looks good at the end of the year, thereby ensuring that they get their bonuses. For Nike, it makes perfect business sense.
Good decision Nike!