Penn State drops ‘Sweet Caroline’ song from football game playlist

Penn State will no longer play “Sweet Caroline” at games, and reports say some of the lyrics in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal could have been a factor. (Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

Penn State said Monday it would no longer use the popular Neil Diamond song “Sweet Caroline” in its gameday playlist this football season, but some confusion remains over why the university dropped the song.

The Altoona Mirror’s Steve Sampsell and Walt Frank reported Monday that the school cut the song because of the way some of its lyrics could be construed in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Sandusky, a former Penn State assistant coach, was convicted in June on 45 of 48 counts of sexually assaulting young boys.

From the report:

Some concerns by university officials about its lyrics – “touching you touching me” – and the perception of people singing along to them in light of the recent scandal have been expressed.

But university spokesman David La Torre and another university official told ESPN.com’s Josh Moyer later Monday that the elimination of “Sweet Caroline” has nothing to do with the lyrics.

“While wholesale changes to what happens on game day are not in store, some ‘updating’ is going to occur, including to our playlist,” associate athletic director Greg Myford wrote in an email to ESPN. “Something that happens every year for both recorded music and Blue Band tunes.”