The media have blitzed the Joe Paterno-Penn State scandal. The coverage this story has received has been unreal.But how could it not be?We are talking about the longest- tenured football coach at 46 years with the most Division I wins at 409 in history, at one of the most storied programs in the country.An 84-year-old football legend’s reputation is ruined, not by a cheating or money scandal but by an accused sex pervert who preyed on young boys while the powers-that-be chose to look the other way.
Penn State fired the beloved JoePa, as they should have, instead of letting him retire after this season.His glory days include two national championships and five unbeaten seasons. Now his accolades on the field seem to have disappeared to a shameful person who committed an inexcusable offense of not protecting defenseless children.
Jerry Sandusky was the heir apparent to take over the Penn State program when Paterno threw in the towel.Sandusky coached the linebackers in the ’70s and helped produce 10 first-team All-American linebackers, earning Penn State the nickname ‘Linebacker U.’Sandusky was promoted to defensive coordinator in 1977 and retired in 1999 when he learned he would not be the next Nittany Lion head coach. He then founded The Second Mile, a foundation for troubled boys.Sandusky has now been charged with 40 counts of sexual abuse of underage boys over a 15-year period of time.Some of the incidents took place in the locker room, where he continued to have privileges, and was witnessed by a grad assistant and a janitor.
Were Joe Paterno and Penn State involved in a cover-up to protect their storied program?Were football and the protection of a coach’s reputation put ahead of protecting innocent children?These are some of the questions now being investigated by a panel chosen by the board of regents.This tragedy isn’t about what Paterno knew and when he knew it, it’s about what he didn’t do to protect the kids.It seems that the Penn State football program had to be protected whatever the cost.
Paterno was an old-school coach.He didn’t put his players’ names on the backs of the out-of-date jerseys his team wore. His motto was “Success with Honor.” He was timeless and the most powerful man on the Penn State campus.Paterno had the reputation of sincerely caring not only about his players but protecting the squeaky clean image of his program.This was his downfall.
Paterno’s name was removed from the Big 10 Championship trophy that Penn State was hoping to win. After a 45–7 whipping from Wisconsin, the Nittany Lions won’t have to see the trophy that now bears only the name of Amos Alonzo Stagg, a former University of Chicago coach who won 319 games in 57 years.
How did this happen?I have no idea but if it happened at Penn State, it could happen anywhere.Just ask Syracuse.
