Head coach Joe Paterno claimed that he had to think a long time about whether or not to greet former President Bill Clinton when he came to Penn State over the weekend. Paterno eventually decided against it.

Paterno is a noted Republican, as reported by Genaro C. Armas of The Associated Press:

Clinton pitched the Penn State ties of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday during a stop in State College, reminding the mostly youthful audience that her father and brother both played football at Penn State. In fact, brother Hugh Rodham, a 1972 graduate, was a backup quarterback under Paterno.

But in the end, Paterno said, “I didn’t want to get into that because of my situation, because I couldn’t vote for either one of them because I’m a Republican.” He later declined to say whether he was supporting Sen. John McCain, the presumptive GOP nominee.

Paterno’s son and quarterbacks coach, Jay Paterno, supports Clinton’s rival, Sen. Barack Obama, who is scheduled to make a campaign stop at Penn State on Sunday. The younger Paterno said at the opening of Obama’s campaign office in State College that his choice was rooted in what’s best for his five children.

For more recent news from the NCAA reported by the Biz of Football check here.

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