Joe Paterno's coaching career at Penn State will end after this season.

Paterno issued a statement Wednesday announcing his decision to retire as the school is immersed in the sex abuse scandal involving former assistant Jerry Sandusky.

Here is the text of the statement:

"I am absolutely devastated by the developments in this case. I grieve for the children and their families, and I pray for their comfort and relief. "I have come to work every day for the last 61 years with one clear goal in mind: To serve the best interests of this university and the young men who have been entrusted to my care. I have the same goal today. "That's why I have decided to announce my retirement effective at the end of this season. At this moment the Board of Trustees should not spend a single minute discussing my status. They have far more important matters to address. I want to make this as easy for them as I possibly can. This is a tragedy. It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more. "My goals now are to keep my commitments to my players and staff and finish the season with dignity and determination. And then I will spend the rest of my life doing everything I can to help this University."

PHOTO GALLERY: Images of Paterno's career

The No. 12 Nittany Lions will face No. 17 Nebraska on Saturday in what will be Paterno's final home game.

The news caught players off guard. Running back Silas Redd posted on his Twitter account that nobody was informed before the news broke.

"crazy how twitter knew before the squad did.... my focus is nebraska"

Later, linebacker Nathan Stupar expressed support for his coach and said the team, which leads the Big Ten Leaders division by two games, is focused on winning the conference championship.

He posted the following on Twitter in separate items: