When I started this blog, I promised myself that I would not shy away from any issue that may be difficult to touch on; and that I would stay true to myself and word and give my honest opinion.
Much has and is being said and reported regarding the on-going alleged scandal and cover up that has rocked Penn State University, Penn State Football, college football, the sports world, and the Nation. I will refrain from going into graphic details, as I’m sure most of you have either seen, read, or heard them; and I want to only offer my opinion on the situation, not report the facts.
First, I want to say that my heart goes out to the victims involved and their family affiliated with what has occurred. Many lives have been tarnish and ruined because of this, and that is unfortunate and incomprehensible. I'm not going to try to describe how they are feeling, as I will never know. All I can do is sympathize and grieve for them.
This is undoubtedly the biggest scandal in college football history, maybe even in all of sports; and the fall out that will come about from this will be harsh and cruel for the major players involved, and rightfully so. Emotions are running high, and there is a lot of hate, angry, sadness, and disappointment that is being felt. This is an unfortunately and incomprehensible situation, and it pains me to think that no one had the wherewithal to report the alleged incident to the proper authorities. We can assign blame all around. Already, two top officials affiliated with Penn State University, Tom Curly, the Athletic Director, and Gary Schultz, Vice President for the University, have either stepped down and resigned or are on administrative leave from their positions; and have turned themselves into the authorities on charges of perjury and failing to report the incident to authorities. Last night, Penn State University President, Graham Spanier, was also fired and charges against him may soon be coming. But the main shocker of last night was the dismissal of Penn State football head coach Joe Paterno. And while there are multiple players being talked about and assigned blame, he is the one receiving the most media attention and scrutiny.
JoePa, what most refer him to as, is a coach that I think very highly of and hold in the highest regard. Before the alleged scandal came to life, how can one not be in admiration of JoePa? At 84 years old, he still roams the sidelines, recruiting players, knowing every one of his player’s names, teaching and coaching his players on how to be great football players, and even better men. He holds college football’s all-time wins record for head coaches, posting an overall record of 409-136-3. He has won two national championships, three Big-Ten Conference championships (most recently in 2008), and has sent countless number of players to the NFL. He started his coaching career at Penn State in 1950 as an assistant, and eventually was named head coach in 1966, and position he held till yesterday. All in all, 62 seasons JoePa has spent on the campus of Penn State University. And unfortunately, it will all come crashing down.
While I won’t argue with the fact that many feel that since this happened under his watch as head football coach, and because of who he is and the power he possesses, that he is morally responsible for the actions of others, and in fact just as guilty of this despicable crime as the accused. If you do in fact feel that way, and if it comes to be that he did in fact know what was going on, did nothing about it, and helped bury this along with others; you will be rightfully justified. But with the facts that are out there now, I’m not quite ready to slander his name, demonize him, tarnish his legacy, and morally judge the actions of Joe Paterno. In no way does that statement mean that I am here to defend the actions or be sympathetic of Joe Paterno and others. But before I can label Joe Paterno as a despicable human being and piece of "you know what" like the masses outside Happy Valley are, I need more concrete evidence of Joe Paterno's involvement or lack thereof. I'm still just too conflicted on this.
The masses outside Happy Valley are ready to soil the name of Joe Paterno, and I am just saying that there is still too much we don’t know, and there are too many questions that have yet to be unanswered. Is he legally responsible for what happened? From what is reported, no. He notified his superiors of the allegations and entrusted them to handle the situation properly. However, is he morally responsible for what happen? He may be. I would like to think that what occurred with the mis-handling of information and lack of due diligence was an honest mistake on Joe Paterno's part, and that he didn't purposely or maliciously withhold critical information that could have ended this debacle. If it does turn out that Joe Paterno did know, and was made aware of the action of his assistant coach being charged in this case, and he did nothing about it, then yes we should bury and tarnished the legacy of Joe Paterno. Mainly for me, before I can formulate a moral judgment on Joe Paterno, I want to hear from Joe Paterno himself. The man deserves the right to speak out, tell his side of the story, and defend himself on this matter.
I understand where the anger is coming from. He is Joe Freaking Paterno. The de facto Governor of the State, he is beloved and thought to do no wrong. But not doing his due diligence and fulfilling the legal and bare minimum requirement may not only tarnish his legacy, but more important ruined lives. The Athletic Director, Vice President and President of the University may be above him in titles, but it’s widely known that Joe Paterno runs that University. What Joe Paterno says goes, and all he needed to do was make one phone to his superiors and ask if this situation is being taken care of in an orderly fashion and with the proper authorities. If it wasn’t, then he should have taken matters into his own hands. According to reports, he didn’t; and it has us in the situation that we are in now.
Sadly, the ultimate blame may reside with head coach Joe Paterno. But lets remember that there were more people involved that could have stopped this. Obviously we know that the Athletic Director, Vice President and President of the University, and Joe Paterno dropped the ball. But what about Mike McQueary, the graduate assistant who witnessed and first reported the alleged incident? Why isn’t his name being tarnished? Why does he still getting to coach football? According to reports, he witnessed the alleged incident and left the scene to call his father to ask him what he should do. It wasn't until after talking to his father, a day after the incident that he reported to Joe Paterno. At the time in 2002 when this all occurred, he was a 28 year old graduate assistant who was an ex-football player and team captain. Why didn’t he intervene and fight to save the victim? You are going to tell me that a 28 year old ex-football player couldn’t fight off a 58 year old man? His initial reaction was to leave the scene and call his father. His father would later say that his son did the right thing by notifying his superiors of what he say. If you are going to use that reasoning, then didn't Joe Paterno do the right thing by notifying his superiors?
Should he have been fired yesterday? He probably should have. For the sake of the victims and the circumstances that surround this situation, he shouldn’t be coaching on the sidelines anymore. And I strongly disagree with what the students of Penn State did last night in invoking riots and causing the scene they did. There are better ways and outlets to get your message across, and that wasn’t an effective way. I understand their frustration, but it doesn't make it right. However, I do agree with the anger stemming from the way he was fired; being notified over the phone that he was relieved of his duties as head coach after receiving a telegram to call a phone number. After 62 years, 409 victories, and being an ambassador for the University, he deserved better.
Joe Paterno said in his statement yesterday, "With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.” For the sake of the victims and thier families, Penn State University, and your legacy and career, we all agree. This is not how we should be remembering you. I wish you would have done more JoePa.
Mr. Armchair Speaking
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