Ashton Kutcher abandons Twitter over Joe Paterno controversy

Los Angeles: Hollywood actor Ashton Kutcher has decided to stop using his Twitter account after sparking outrage by defending ousted college football coach Joe Paterno.

Paterno was fired from his role as head coach of the Pennsylvania State University football team on Wednesday amid the growing sex abuse scandal surrounding his former assistant Jerry Sandusky.

Paterno has come under fire for failing to take more action against Sandusky, who has been charged with molesting eight boys over a 15-year period.

Ashton Kutcher has decided to stop using his Twitter account after sparking outrage by defending Joe Paterno.

Kutcher took to his Twitter page to question the board of trustees' decision to fire Paterno, writing, "How do you fire Jo Pa? insult. no class. as a hawkeye (University of Iowa) fan I find it in poor taste."

His comment prompted a flurry of angry messages from offended followers, with several criticising Kutcher for his response in light of the charity he co-founded to end child sex slavery.

The 'Two and a Half Men' star quickly deleted the post and closed his page, admitting he felt "awful" about his comment.

"As an advocate in the fight against child sexual exploitation, I could not be more remorseful for all involved in the Penn St. case. As of immediately I will stop tweeting until I find a way to properly manage this feed. I feel awful about this error. Won't happen again," he tweeted.

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