Penn State picked Bill O'Brien as its head football coach because they felt he was the right guy to lead them through tough times (plus he actually said yes). He probably didn't realize the times would be this tough, but he will indeed be that man to the bitter end. O'Brien, who has yet to coach a game, received a 4-year contract extension that will keep him in Happy Valley through the year 2020.
↵It was reported earlier that while O'Brien did not have an "out" clause in his contract, his deal did have a provision that would trigger an extension in the case of major sanctions against this school stemming from the whole Sandusky affair. So this extension should come as no surprise.
↵So far O'Brien has performed as well as can be expected in the wake of the unprecedented sanctions levied against the Nittany Lions. He has retained the vast majority of his players despite NCAA rules allowing them to transfer without penalty and gave a highly regarded interview to ESPN's Mike and Mike today.
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