Bears kicker Robbie Gould played at Penn State, and he cast his support for his former head coach.
“He’s got 409 career wins,” Gould said of Joe Paterno. “Obviously, there’s a situation that I know nothing about. It doesn’t involve me. So obviously I’m not going to answer any questions involving the situation.
“But Joe is a great coach when I was there. He’s always been a great coach. He’ll continue to be a great coach for the rest of the season.”
Asked what he learned from Paterno, Gould said, “I think the biggest part is, he made you become a better man.
“Obviously, being on time for things, making sure you’re responsible for doing whatever homework or assignments or projects or helping your teammates out,” Gould said. “Being held accountable for things you do, is something we all learned from him. We became better people and better athletes by attending Penn State and that’s why you go there.”
Gould said he would like to see Paterno finish the season.
“I think everybody would like to,” he said. “As far as I know he’s going to. Up until this point, I think he should. I think he will. Let’s hope his kids can refocus now and worry about beating Nebraska and not worry about situations that are out of their control or not in their hands.”
Gould declined to answer questions about parents and even coaches and athletes struggling with the trust issue, as it pertains to former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, who allegedly sexually abused at least eight children.
“I’m not going to answer any of those questions. They have nothing to do with me,” Gould said.
