Ex-Penn State coaches sue for $1M

Former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno died on January 22. He was 85. The legendary coach, seen here in 1988, was fired in November 2011 during his 46th season at the helm of the Nittany Lions program.

The statue of Paterno outside Beaver Stadium is among many vestiges of Paterno's years as head coach.

Paterno sprints off the field with his team at halftime in a 1996 game.

Paterno celebrates after winning the Fiesta Bowl against Texas in 1997. Paterno was diagnosed with a treatable form of lung cancer, his son announced in November.

In October 2001, Paterno is honored before a game for having won the most games in Division 1-A. He continued to vie with Florida State's Bobby Bowden for the most all-time major college wins until Bowden retired in 2009.

Paterno and his Nittany Lions look on before facing Iowa at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania, in October 2004.

Paterno shakes hands with Lloyd Carr of Michigan before their game in 2005 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Paterno celebrates a triple-overtime Orange Bowl win over Florida State in Miami on January 3, 2006. Paterno has guided his teams to more bowl victories than any other college coach.

Paterno speaks at a post-game press conference after winning the Outback Bowl on January 1, 2007, in Tampa, Florida.

Paterno walks the field as his players warm up before their game against the Syracuse Orangemen at Beaver Stadium in September 2009 in Pennsylvania. The coach was fired in November amid the outcry over the handling of accusations against former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.

Paterno gives direction to his players before playing the Crimson Tide in Alabama in 2010.

Paterno walks the sidelines in October 2009 in Evanston, Illinois. In December 2011, he was admitted to a hospital after fracturing his pelvis when he slipped and fell at his home in State College.

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• Jay Paterno and Bill Kenney say they were unfairly linked to the Sandusky scandal


• Head coach Joe Paterno was fired amid the Sandusky child molestation scandal


• The new head coach did not keep Jay Paterno and Kinney on his staff


• Lawsuit: The plaintiffs "have been denied lucrative employment opportunities"

(CNN) -- A pair of former Penn State assistant football coaches, including the son of the late head football coach Joe Paterno, have filed a federal lawsuit seeking $1 million in damages from the university.

The suit claims that plaintiffs Jay Paterno and Bill Kenney were unfairly linked to the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal, which eventually led to the firing of Joe Paterno. Jay Paterno and Kenney were also dismissed from their coaching positions.

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"Penn State reacted in mid-January 2012 with rashness and without basis by prematurely releasing from Penn State's employment the majority of the Penn State football coaching staff, including the employment of (Jay) Paterno and Kenney," the complaint states.

After Joe Paterno's firing in November 2011, new head coach Bill O'Brien decided not to retain Jay Paterno and Kenney on his staff.

Since their dismissal in January 2012, the lawsuit claims, Jay Paterno and Kenney "have been denied lucrative employment opportunities based upon the false light and association by innuendo."

The two are seeking $1 million in damages "in compensation for their emotional distress, humiliation, loss of reputation and status in the community of their respective peers, and the loss of their ability to provide for themselves," the complaint states.

They also want Penn State "to issue a public statement confirming that neither of plaintiffs committed any wrongdoing or impropriety of any kind in connection with the crimes and misconduct of Sandusky, and/or Penn State's handling of Sandusky's crimes and misconduct in any way, shape or form."

Penn State issued a statement Tuesday saying "it is common practice for incoming head coaches to select their own coaching staff," according to PennLive.com.

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