Sue Paterno issued a statement late Thursday afternoon about plans to honor Joe.

Tomorrow night the Paterno family and the Lettermen’s Committee will be hosting a Lettermen’s reunion to honor the contributions Penn State Football Student-Athletes have made to the University and to society.

The private event is to honor their achievements individually and as teammates at Penn State and in life. It honors the bonds of brotherhood and unity formed here and carried forward in the years since they left their Alma Mater.

The event coincides with the 50th anniversary of Joe Paterno’s first game as head coach at Penn State. Consistent with the Penn State tradition of philanthropy, the event will also raise funds for a scholarship for graduating Penn State athletes to attend graduate school.

Earlier this month the University announced plans to commemorate this occasion as well. While we are pleased they have acknowledged Joe’s contributions, we communicated to the administration that we would like the focus for this event to remain on the players. The University has confirmed that this is their plan, and we commend them for their approach.