Adam Jacobi, the CBS Sports staffer who falsely reported the death of Penn State football coach Joe Paterno last Saturday night, was let go today, he said on his Twitter feed.



The CBS report, based on a tweet from student-run blog OnwardState.com, spread like wildfire across the Internet before being publicly refuted by a Paterno family spokesman moments later.





It all began with the blog Onward State, which tweeted at 8:45 p.m. last Saturday, "Our sources can now confirm: Joseph Vincent Paterno has passed away tonight at the age of 85."

Minutes later, the blog tweeted again: "Football players received an email minutes ago informing them of Paterno's passing." In other words, an unconfirmed rumor about an anonymous email was taken and reported as fact.

CBS Sports, whose reputation would carry its news far and wide, picked up the Onward State report. But instead of saying that "Onward State is reporting," CBS simply reported as fact -- its own, verified fact -- that Paterno had died.

Moments later, the website Huffington Post also picked up the Onward State "news" and, again without admitting that it was depending on it, reported Paterno's death as "fact."

At 8:57 p.m., family spokesman Dan McGinn issued a statement that the report was "absolutely not true." But by then the report had its own momentum and continued to ricochet around the Web until the truth finally overtook it.

At 9:13 p.m., sources close to the Paterno family told The Patriot-News that Joe Paterno,

. He was also still on a ventilator, contrary to another false report that he had been removed from breathing support.

Later Saturday night, in

, Onward State Managing Editor Devon Edwards wrote on Facebook:

"I take full responsibility for the events that transpired tonight, and for the black mark upon the organization that I have caused. ... I am so very, very, sorry, and we at Onward State continue to pray for coach Paterno."

at the age of 85.