UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Bill O'Brien, Penn State's new football coach, has moved into the office once occupied by the late Joe Paterno at the Lasch Football Building.

Tuesday morning, after an early morning team workout, O'Brien accompanied his players to Paterno's private, closed-casket viewing at the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center on campus. Paterno, 85, died Sunday of complications from lung cancer.

"I went to the viewing with our team [Tuesday] morning, and that was special," O'Brien told a handful of Penn State beat writers Tuesday during a wide-ranging, 45-minute interview in his new office. "I got to pay my respects to the family and talked to Mrs. [Sue] Paterno briefly. She's a special lady and having a tough day.

"I don't personally know them, but you could tell there was a lot of warmth in that family, and they were very nice to me in accepting my condolences to them.

"I shared something with her that I will keep between her and I. It was a nice moment."

O'Brien, who had a brief telephone conversation with the Hall of Fame coach three days after he was hired Jan. 6 as Paterno's successor, also addressed the Penn State Football Letterman's Club Tuesday during a luncheon at Beaver Stadium.

"I was just thrilled to see that there were over 800 guys in the room," O'Brien said. "It seemed like every guy [Paterno] coached was back here today. It's a sad day for Penn State. It's a sad day for the coaching profession."

O'Brien, 42, said he has a plan for dealing with the child sex abuse scandal involving former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, which cost Paterno his job Nov. 9.

"I'm to attack it this way -- we were not here then, we're here now," O'Brien said. "There are special, important people here at the university who are in charge of that issue and that investigation. It has nothing to do with us.