DeAndre Levy is a big advocate against sexual assault, so it’s not too surprising that he’s not a fan of late Penn State football coach Joe Paterno.
The Detroit Lions linebacker really doesn’t like Paterno, though, as he told Men’s Journal recently that his “proudest moment in college” was being involved in a play that broke Paterno’s leg during a game between his alma mater Wisconsin and the Nittany Lions in 2006.
“That dirtbag, man,” Levy told Men’s Journal. “We’ve gotta stop prioritizing sports over humanity. Just because somebody can throw a football or coach football, they’re excluded from their wicked acts.”
Paterno’s longtime assistant Jerry Sandusky currently is serving 30 to 60 years in a supermax prison after being convicted in 2012 on 45 counts of sexual abuse of young boys. Paterno reportedly knew about Sandusky’s criminal actions as far back as 1976 but didn’t report him.
Levy has made it his mission to raise awareness of sexual assault and wrote an article about it in April for The Players’ Tribune. He also donated money to Enough SAID Detroit to test more than 11,000 neglected rape kits in hopes of helping victims get convictions for their attackers.
Levy’s coach, Jim Caldwell, coached under Paterno and considers him a mentor, but he said he doesn’t have anything against his players sharing their own opinions of Paterno.
“Really, I think I’ve gone on record many times about how I feel about Joe,” Caldwell said, per ESPN.com. “And in regard to our players making their statement about how they feel, I’d be hypocritical to tell you anything other than the fact that they can express their opinion.
“We don’t all necessarily agree with it.”
Thumbnail photo via Raj Mehta/USA TODAY Sports Images
