Oh, JoePa ...

"Coach Joe Paterno is fighting for his job amid 'eroding' support from Penn State's board of trustees and a widening sex-abuse scandal and possible cover-up centered on former assistant and one-time heir apparent Jerry Sandusky," the Associated Press reported on Tuesday.

Looking back at Paterno's seemingly eternal career, most folks might have presumed his job would end on a sideline in a fiery, stunning yet brilliantly executed grand football player crash -- you know, JoePa style.

A few months or even decades ago, who would have dreamed his career would fall prey to a horrific nightmare?

While folks disagree on his role in the scandal, many use the same word to describe the end of the Paterno era:

"Sad."

Paterno "did what he was supposed to do," said Pottstown resident Charles Kropp on Tuesday.

"I feel sorry for (Paterno)," Kropp said. "It's sad ... He always put his players first ... It's sad for a man of his coaching career to go out this way."

On the Pottstown Patch Facebook page -- below a post that features the aol.sportingnews.com story Report: Paterno out within weeks or days at Penn State -- self-described Penn Stater, Nick Berardi, wrote, "Sad to end an era like this."

Andrew Kefer of Pottstown said Paterno appears to have fulfilled a legal duty in the case, but questioned his ethics and possible abuse of power.

"Coach Paterno is an icon," Kefer said. "He can basically do whatever he wants ... There was a moral obligation that was missed by him."

Kefer said he read details of the case.

"I feel very bad for (Paterno) that this may be what he's remembered by," Kefer said. "Most of all I'm sad for those kids."