Joe Paterno Mocked!

And, for some reason, the outrage is indescribable. It's as if someone made fun of Mohammad - who is actually younger than Joe Pa.

SAN ANTONIO —Texas A&M apologized to Penn State after a student leader mocked Joe Paterno by telling a crowd that the 81-year-old coach needs "a casket."

Paterno and his Penn State team face A&M on Saturday night in the Alamo Bowl.

One A& M yell leader, during a pep rally Thursday night, told the crowd that Paterno was "on his death bed" and "someone needs to find him a casket." The remarks drew boos from the crowd. A&M team spokesman Alan Cannon said Friday he did not know the name of the yell leader, though the student has been sent home.

The yell leaders - similar to cheerleaders - are A&M's official "spirit" organization and lead fans' cheers during games and other school events. They are elected by the student body.

Paterno, at a news conference Friday at the Alamodome, said he was backstage with Aggies interim coach Gary Darnell when the comments were made, but did not hear them.

"I think everybody has to take things with a grain of salt," Paterno said. "Some young guy went up there, trying to be funny. Maybe he's accurate, I don't know." (H/T - Rivals.com)

Okay, first of all, the casket remark is funny. Does anyone remember when America had a sense of humor? It's college football for cripes' sake! The point of a pep rally is to fire up the home crowd at the opponent's expense.

Second of all, Paterno is right; the comments were accurate. The man is 81 years old, he barely knows where he is half the time, he lets his assistant coaches run the games for him, and he's even more humorless than John Kerry. Personally, I think Paterno passed away years ago, but I'm not a doctor, so . .

Lighten up, Joe. Life's too short. Heh.