[Scoutmaster]

Paterno is also not the most powerful man in Happy Valley. If he was, he’d be retiring at the end of the season on his own terms.

He was the most powerful man in Pennsylvania when he turned 78. The Board of Trustees asked him to resign and he simply said "no." Did you notice he was still around at 84, when this Hidden Monster finally outgrew Joe Paterno?

[WPaCon]

The Board of Trustees asked him to resign and he simply said "no."

The fact that he said no doesn't mean that he had more power than the Board of Trustees. It means the Board of Trustees just decided not to use their power.