In the wake of the scandal alleging sex abuse at the hands of a Penn State assistant coach, the Harrisburg Patriot-News is right.

Penn State coach Joe Paterno and Penn State President Graham Spanier may have met their legal requirements, but there are ethical questions they didn’t meet.

The winningest coach in NCAA Division I football history needs to step down after this season. And his university’s president should resign immediately.

The front-page Patriot-News editorial for Nov. 8 said this: “There are the obligations we have to uphold the law. There are then the obligations we all have to do what is right.

“It has become increasingly clear that while Penn State University President Graham Spanier has not been charged with breaking any laws, he did not do what is right — for this school or, more importantly, for the alleged victims of coaching legend Jerry Sandusky. Spanier needs to step aside. If he doesn’t, the university board of trustees needs to take that step when it meets this week.

“As for Joe Paterno, the face of Penn State and the man who has pushed for excellence on the football field and for the entire university, this must be his last season. His contract should not be extended. This is not about age. This is not about rebuilding a football team.”

We recommend reading the full piece at www.pennlive.com. At the end of the editorial, it states: “There will be other people who argue that Graham Spanier and Joe Paterno should not be punished at all. After all, they obeyed the law.

“Eight little boys would have said: That simply isn’t enough.”