Blue ribbon to go on Penn State helmets

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Penn State football players will have a blue ribbon on the back of their helmets to show support for child abuse victims.

Acting athletic director Dave Joyner made the announcement on a Penn State football radio show Thursday night. The team had announced earlier this month the addition of the ribbon, but it was not clear exactly where on the uniform it would be placed.

Players’ names are also being added to football jerseys — what amounts to a drastic change at Penn State, where the team has long been associated with plain, blue-and-white, no-name jerseys. The generic look was associated with the buttoned-down style of the late Joe Paterno, who was fired as coach last year after retired defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was arrested on child molestation charges.