DeAndre Levy Says Breaking "Dirtbag" Joe Paterno's Leg Was His Proudest College Moment
By Kyle Koster
Men’s Journal profiled Detroit Lions linebacker DeAndre Levy, calling him “The Most Interesting Man in the NFL.” Included in the piece is this quote about the time Levy accidentally broke Joe Paterno’s leg in 2006.
"Born and raised in Milwaukee, where his mother is an assistant at a medical office and his father works on the line in a steel factory, Levy was a star linebacker at Wisconsin. He was most famous for a 2006 play against Penn State, a sideline tackle that accidentally drove him into coach Joe Paterno, breaking JoePa’s left leg. Ten years later, Levy now calls that incident “my proudest moment in college,” as history has since revealed Happy Valley’s sad secrets. “That dirtbag, man,” says Levy of Paterno, who was recently implicated as being aware of child sexual abuse committed by his assistant Jerry Sandusky as early as 1976. “We’ve gotta stop prioritizing sports over humanity,” says Levy. “Just because somebody can throw a football or coach football, they’re excluded from their wicked acts.”"
Here is the play in question:
Levy taking pride in breaking a 80-year-old man’s leg is tough to stomach, even if one holds the least favorable view of Paterno. On a certain level, it’s easy to understand how Levy’s feelings on the incident have changed over time but taking pleasure in an dead man’s pain isn’t the most admirable activity.
That’s just my two cents, though. Surely there are plenty of others who wish Levy would have broken both of Paterno’s legs.