Jay Paterno has to laugh when asked what his next venture might be. It could be anything. It could be everything. Paterno is as open as ever to new and interesting projects but admits he is still hopeful for a return to coaching.



Since parting ways with Penn State in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky scandal, Paterno has worked as a consultant, author, politician, unofficial media critic and beer connoisseur. He is also involved in ongoing litigation and vigorously defends his father's legacy. They could all be full-time jobs.



On the topic of Joe Paterno's legacy, Jay said the statue that once sat outside Beaver Stadium has stirred passion because it represented more than just his father. The statue is a divisive topic that has its share of theories about its whereabouts and whether it might or might not be restored.



Paterno said he spends little time thinking about the statue and has "no idea" where it is.



"That statue didn't represent one human being," Jay Paterno said. "It really represented an era. It represented all the guys that played for him. It represented all the people that went to school here and professors, administrators, team doctors and trainers and coaches and student-athletes who did things the right way. It has a much bigger meaning than just the image of one human being. People feel part ownership of that statue. They're invested in that statue being where it was.



"I don't spend a lot of time thinking about it. I have no idea where it is. I have no idea if and when it will ever come back, but my suspicion is that it will at some point. But I'd rather it come back two years too late than one day too early."



Joe Paterno's legacy will also be remembered at tailgates and cookouts again this summer and fall.



A light version of the Paterno Legacy Series beer that flew off the shelves last summer was released last week. Paterno and his family are involved in that project with Duquesne Brewing Company in a licensing role, but with a say in the product, Paterno said. His contribution is more than just a name.



"It's interesting because I've learned an entirely different set of skills in my 40s," Paterno said. "When you're coaching ... it was very regimented and very orderly. You knew what you were going Monday of game week and Tuesday and Wednesday. ... Now, you're constantly reevaluating.



"If I do get back into coaching, that will be the development of a very, very unique and diverse set of skills that would be a real positive."

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A former quarterbacks coach for the Nittany Lions, Paterno was not retained by Bill O'Brien when he was hired in January 2012. He later filed a lawsuit against Penn State, claiming his reputation had been unfairly tarnished. A federal judge

in March.

Paterno's desire to coach isn't going away. It's clear that, between his talk about current and future projects, Paterno very much wants to return to the sideline. He said he talks regularly with former Penn State assistant Tom Bradley, now the defensive coordinator at UCLA, about the game and how it has evolved over the last four-plus years.

"If something happens with coaching, I'd love to get back into it more than anything else," Paterno said. "But we'll see what happens."

College football has evolved quickly with new offensive and defensive trends, a different cultural landscape and an approach to coaching that, for better or worse, is more recruiting-centric than ever.

"There's two approaches: you have coaches that are very much old school much like Coach Bryant at Alabama was or Joe Paterno or Woody Hayes or Bo Schembechler," Paterno said. "When guys got to their campus, they were going to elevate those people. They were going to make them better. They were going to ask them to grow up and act like men.

"There's a whole group of people now that seem intent on acting like 18-year-olds as coaches. I don't mean that in a derogatory way, per se, but they're catering to kids because it's all about recruiting. It's all about the next guys."

Old-school thinking hasn't disappeared from the coaching game entirely, but fundamentals are starting to fall down the list of priorities, Paterno said.

"You look at some of the best teams in the country and they're not playing music at practice like other people are," Paterno said. "They're very focused in on, 'Hey, here's how we're going to coach fundamentals. Here's how we're going to get details.' That kind of thing.

"Then you have other schools where they just go out and practice. They run plays, and they have music playing and they can't get the fundamentals and stuff taught. And that's why they end up 8-5 or 9-4 rather than 12-1 or conference champions, because the margin between being an 8 or 9 or 10 win team and a team that could compete for a national championship is really small."

Paterno also penned a book about his father in 2014 and briefly ran for lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania. Paterno entered the lieutenant governor race and hit a snag with signature requirements, prompting him to withdraw his bid to avoid being a "distraction" in the race.

Another political bid could be in his future, Paterno said, but not until his court cases are resolved.

"As far as politics go, I certainly would like to get all this litigation stuff behind me before I would do anything in that regard," Paterno said. "There's too much going on to go full bore into a campaign. That's going to be down the road if it ever happens. It's certainly something I think about."