Penn State president blames scandal on Sandusky January 13, 2012 -- Updated 0737 GMT (1537 HKT) "It grieves me very much when I hear people say 'the Penn State scandal,'" Rodney Erickson said. This is the Sandusky scandal. This is not Penn State. This is the Sandusky scandal," university president says The renowned football coach was removed from his job in November Paterno's dismissal came amid a sex abuse scandal involving a former assistant (CNN) -- Penn State University President Rodney Erickson tried to distance the school from the sexual abuse scandal that has rocked the campus as he spoke to angry alumni Thursday night. It grieves me very much when I hear people say 'the Penn State scandal.' This is the (Jerry) Sandusky scandal," Erickson said. The town hall meeting in a hotel in suburban Philadelphia comes the same day Penn State revealed it is paying long-time coach Joe Paterno as if he retired at the end of the season, even though the university relieved him of his coaching duties on November 9. During the meeting, most of the questions revolved around the firing of Paterno. Crowds booed Erickson several times. In a statement earlier Thursday, the chairman and vice chairman of the board of trustees said Paterno was removed as head football coach because he "could not be expected to continue to effectively perform his duties" amid sexual abuse allegations involving Sandusky, a former defensive coordinator. After Paterno's dismissal was announced in November, student protesters overturned a news van and vandalized streets around the campus before police dispersed them. Penn State was rocked by accusations that Sandusky had sexually abused young boys over 14 years and that school officials failed to take the complaints to police. University trustees dismissed Paterno and school President Graham Spanier after a grand jury report accused Sandusky of more than 50 counts of sexually abusing boys. Journalist Sara Ganim contributed to this report