This week, one of the nation's most revered college football programs became embroiled in arguably the largest sports scandal of the decade. In the course of a week, Pennsylvania State University went from a football powerhouse with a squeaky clean reputation to a shattered program that shielded a dangerous pedophile from legal ramifications.
Joe Paterno, the school's iconic head coach of 46 years, stressed the importance of winning the right way. During his tenure, the Nittany Lions escaped the recruiting violations and academic scandals that plague most athletic-focused universities.
Now, Paterno's legacy has been dismantled by the heinous actions of former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. After 548 games, 409 wins, 24 bowl wins and two national championships, Joe Paterno will be known as the coach who allowed one man to sexually assault eight young boys.
First, I want you to understand that I have the utmost respect for Paterno. As a football player, I am in awe of his continued success as a coach and the way he improved his student-athletes on and off the field. Paterno is a great coach and a great person (and he did nothing legally wrong in handling the Sandusky allegations). In 2002, graduate assistant Mike McQueary informed Paterno that he encountered Sandusky sodomizing a 10-year-old boy in the football team's showers. Although I personally would have beat the hell out of anyone I found assaulting a young boy in a shower, McQueary was right to immediately tell Paterno about the crime. Because Sandusky was retired at the time, Paterno relayed the incident to Athletic Director Tim Curley and Penn State Vice President Gary Schultz.
Instead of informing the police, Curley and Schultz elected to perform an internal investigation. The two concluded that Sandusky would not be able to host youth football camps on the Penn State campus and banned him from bringing children to the university's football facilities.
Clearly, the administration realized that Sandusky should not be trusted around young boys you don't ban an innocent man from associating with children so I find it appalling that they did not turn this monster over to the police as soon as the allegations arose. This lack of accountability is the driving factor behind Paterno's dismissal. Instead of facing trial back in 2002 when the allegations first arose, the silence of those key administrators allowed Sandusky to abuse children for the next seven years.
Over the past two days, I have argued with friends and family over Paterno's fate. Many have told me that Paterno deserved to go out on his own terms. The coach announced on Tuesday that he planned to retire at the end of this season, and many of my peers believe that Paterno's legendary reputation grants him the privilege to do so.
Although I normally side with athletes and coaches, I completely understand the Penn State Board of Trustees' decision to immediately fire Paterno.
Sexual assault of a child is one of the most heinous crimes known to man. Assault by a trusted football coach is even worse. Coaches are supposed to spread joy and happiness to children, not doom them to a lifetime's worth of nightmares. When a person of power takes away a child's innocence, all involved must pay for the injustice.
Our culture has a terrible habit of forgiving misdeeds because of athletic prowess or celebrity status. While it is easy to forgive the occasional DUI or adultery scandal, we need to set guidelines for what can and cannot be swept under the rug.
Wins do not excuse negligence. As a coach, Paterno acted according to the laws that govern his position. However, simply abiding by the law is not enough. A short phone call could have prevented seven years of crime and pain for Sandusky's victims. Sometimes moral obligations call for us to rise above the normal job description.
The Sandusky issue does not reflect the overall moral reputation of Joe Paterno, however. He made one huge mistake. Despite Sandusky's transgressions, Happy Valley will always support the Hall of Fame coach student riots after the announcement of his dismissal prove this. But even with the fame and legacy surrounding the Penn State program, anyone involved in allegations like these does not deserve to keep his or her job.
