Wednesday, September 10, 2003

By Ray Fittipaldo, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Penn State coach Joe Paterno said he would gather more information on the incident involving freshman punter Jeremy Kapinos, who was cited for underage drinking and disorderly conduct early Sunday morning, before making a decision concerning his playing status for Saturday at Nebraska and beyond.

Kapinos is one of several Penn State players who have been cited for underage drinking in the past six months.

"I am trying to be fair," Paterno said. "You want me to say something now that I don't know what I can say about it. I have heard one side of the story. I have to hear the other side of the story.

"You guys only have one side. I knew more than you guys knew. I knew more about Rashard Casey than you guys knew. I went through this with Anwar Phillips.

"It wouldn't do me any good to get into a long explanation of what I knew or didn't know. I am getting all kinds of things in my ears. I am getting calls from people who know people saying, 'This is what happened and this isn't what happened.' I have to sift it all out.

"So when you ask me, 'What are you going to do?' I tell you, 'I haven't got the slightest idea of what I am going to do.' I am not trying to play games with you or evade the issue. ... I have heard a different story than you guys have heard. As soon as I am comfortable and know what the truth is, I will make a decision not based on what you think or the fans think, but I am going to base it on what I think is right. Period."

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