(CNN) - Penn State's new interim football head coach replaced Joe Paterno with a heavy and conflicted heart overnight, carrying a blunt message of solidarity for the alleged victims of sex abuse, firm confidence in his embattled players, and a paean for the departed sporting icon.
Tom Bradley, the longtime defensive coordinator for the team, faced roomful of relentless reporters Thursday working to glean more details about a case rocking the sports world - allegations of child sex abuse against former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky and apparent failure of authorities to report the crimes to police.
Bradley didn't discuss the investigation, but he said he and his players were thinking about and grieving for the victims of the abuse and their families.
"We all have a responsibility to take care of our children," said Bradley, a Johnstown, Pennsylvania, native who played for the Nittany Lions in the 1970s and served on the team's coaching staff for 33 seasons.
The university's board of trustees on Wednesday night fired Paterno, the winningest coach in major college football, and Penn State President Graham Spanier, effective immediately, a bombshell announcement that punctuated the gravity of the scandal.