With the Penn State team in "lockdown mode" currently, the staff's motivation is to remove all unnecessary surrounding distractions in an effort to keep the players squarely focused on their roles and the upcoming clash with Ohio State.
As Paterno said, "I said to everybody this week, Tuesday is the end of the line."
Though seven players were available to the media on Tuesday for interviews, Wednesday the situation shifted. Reporters who called in to interview Deon Butler were told by Penn State that the players would not be available today, per Paterno's orders. Tamba Hali and Alan Zemaitis were also supposed to be available.
Observers indicated that Paterno had also considered cancelling all player press conference calls this week, saying, "With the hype swirling around this game, he really wants filter out the distractions and help the guys to maintain a laser focus on the game."
Paterno has also run light practices this week to "keep the players rested and fresh," focusing on the areas that need improvement like punt coverage, kickoffs and returns.
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