The NCAA's decision to strip Joe Paterno of his all-time Division I wins record earned praise from supporters of the man who now moves from second to first on that list.
Pamela Breedlove, city attorney in Grambling, La., told Yahoo! Sports she felt vacating the 111 wins Paterno amassed from 1998-2011 was an "appropriate" punishment for his role in the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Breedlove along with the city's mayor had sent a letter to the NCAA last week asking for some of Paterno's 409 wins to be vacated, thereby making legendary Grambling coach Eddie Robinson's 408 a Division I record once again.
"Mayor Jones and I both believe that the NCAA's corrective and disciplinary action announced this morning was appropriate and the right thing to do," Breedlove told Yahoo! Sports. "We also commend Penn State for making the Freeh Report public and accepting the decision of the NCAA. We hope that the university is able to move forward in a positive direction. Our hearts go out to all the victims and hope that they will be able to find a way to move forward."
Grambling was coached by Robinson from 1941-1998, where he accumulated all of his 408 career wins as a head coach. Paterno surpassed Robinson with a win over Illinois last October, but as a result of the sanctions he officially now falls to fifth on the all-time wins list with 298.
"The decision announced this morning completely resolves the request that we made to the NCAA on behalf of the City of Grambling and hope that college football and all athletic programs at all levels will learn from this tragedy and never allow anything like this to ever happen again," Breedlove said.
Follow Yahoo!Sports Kristian R. Dyer @KristianRDyer