Former Penn State linebacker Michael Mauti isn’t a big Jay Paterno fan.
Sure, when Mauti played at Penn State from 2008-12, he played defense at linebacker, and Paterno, the QB coach, worked with the offense.
But that didn’t stop Mauti from developing a dislike for the legend’s son as a coach.
In John W. Bacon’s book “Fourth and Long: The Fight for the Soul of College Football,” which detailed a season with four Big Ten programs: Ohio State, Northwestern, Michigan and Penn State, Mauti had this, among other things, to say about Jay Paterno.
”That dude was an example of everything a coach should not be.”
It’s been more than 10 years since Mauti last played at Penn State and more than 11 since Paterno last coached there or anywhere else.
But it’s probably safe to say Mauti still doesn’t like Jay Paterno.
Paterno’s currently a member of Penn State’s Board of Trustees. The University has been under heavy criticism for the past few days as a result of basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry leaving for Notre Dame.
Many blame Penn State for being behind in its Name, Image and Likeness initiatives, such as Success with Honor— which Shrewsberry himself said in December was probably at or near the bottom of the Big Ten.
Paterno took to Twitter Saturday morning to defend the University.
“Fact: Dedicated #PennState fans, community, & @successwithhonor met every basketball NIL request,” Paterno tweeted. “The latest increase exceeded in just two days. That’s how #PennState alumni responded. Those spreading any counter-narrative only hurt the program’s coaching search and future. #WeAre
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Fact: Dedicated #PennState fans/community & @success_w_honor met every basketball NIL request. The latest increase exceeded in just 2 days. That’s how #PennStateAlumni responded. Those spreading any counter-narrative only hurt the program’s coaching search & future. #WeAre
— Jay Paterno (@JayPaterno) March 25, 2023
Mauti wasn’t having any of it.
“Fact 1,” Mauti began, referencing how Paterno opened his initial tweet. “The response from dedicated alumni is a result of you and your cronies’ definition of ‘meeting every basketball NIL request.’ How can you continue to spit this garbage? You continue to undermine the progress and efforts being made to genuinely align and unify PSU.”
Mauti wasn’t done.
“@PennSateAlums and @GoPSUsports community deserve the best. We need all hands on deck, not a few guys brokering behind closed doors using words without deeds. Your input on this matter is toxic and your relevancy has expired in this era of collegiate athletics.”
@PennStateAlums and @GoPSUsports community deserve the best. We need all hands on deck, not a few guys brokering behind closed doors using words without deeds. Your input on this matter is toxic and your relevancy has expired in this era of collegiate athletics.
— Michael Mauti (@Michael_Mauti) March 25, 2023
But wait, there’s more!
“Fact #2,” Mauti wrote. “You voted against football on BoT (Board of Trustees), please remind me why you are even in this conversation? We need alignment, not rhetoric about “counter-narratives.” Go to capital hill with that slander, let those who intend on actually unifying psu community advance so we can thrive!”
The “voted against football” part references Paterno voting against a $48.3 million dollar upgrade project, which got approved in February 2021.
Fact #2: You voted against football on BoT, please remind why are you even in this conversation? We need alignment, not rhetoric about “counter-narratives”. Go to capital hill with that slander, let those who intend on actually unifying psu community advance so we can thrive!
— Michael Mauti (@Michael_Mauti) March 25, 2023
