STATE COLLEGE, Pennsylvania (Reuters) ? Penn State University football coach Joe Paterno, one of the most famous figures in American sports, on Tuesday avoided his first chance to publicly address questions regarding a criminal investigation into allegations that a long-time assistant coach sexually abused boys.
In addition, the New York Times reported on Tuesday that Paterno's tenure as coach at Penn State will soon be over, perhaps within days or weeks, citing two people briefed on conversations among the university's top officials.
The Times reported that the board of trustees has yet to determine the precise timing of Paterno's exit but that discussions about how to manage his departure have begun.
The university canceled Paterno's scheduled news conference on Tuesday minutes before the 84-year-old coach was due to face a barrage of media.
"Due to the ongoing legal circumstances centered around the recent allegations and charges, we have determined that today's press conference cannot be held and will not be rescheduled," the athletics department said in a statement.
Paterno and the university are engulfed in a scandal over the charges against his longtime assistant coach Jerry Sandusky, accused of sexually abusing at least eight boys over more than a decade. Paterno says he was informed of an incident involving Sandusky in 2002 and passed on the information to the school's athletic director.
The alleged abuse was not reported to police even though it was known for years, authorities have said. Two former Penn State officials were charged on Monday with covering up alleged assaults.
Paterno is one of the most famous figures in the history of U.S. college football, one of the most popular sports in the country.
The university had earlier said Paterno would respond to only questions regarding Penn State's football game on Saturday against the University of Nebraska.
(Reporting by Ian Simpson; Writing by Greg McCune; Editing by Jerry Norton and Will Dunham)
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