Jay Paterno wins Penn State board seat

Jay Paterno, son of the late football coach Joe Paterno, won an alumni-elected seat on Pennsylvania State University's board of trustees Friday, garnering the most votes of any candidate.

With more than 16,000 votes, Paterno will join Alice Pope and Robert Jubelirer, who were re-elected to the 38-member board. They were among four candidates for three open seats.

The results were announced at a board of trustees meeting Friday. Paterno was not present.

Paterno has been critical of the trustees' handling of the Jerry Sandusky scandal and has ardently defended his father, whom the board fired as head coach after Sandusky's indictment in 2011.

Many of the members who fired his father are no longer on the board, but some of the current members remain divided over the Sandusky case and Paterno's presence will introduce a new dynamic.

"The results reflect the continued, unwavering resolve of alumni to set the Sandusky record straight," said Maribeth Roman Schmidt, executive director of Penn Staters for Responsible Stewardship. "There was absolutely no cover-up at Penn State."

A former Penn State assistant football coach, Paterno filed a lawsuit against the university for dismissing him in 2012. A judge dismissed that suit about a year ago.