By Chad HollisThe Dartmouth Staff
Legendary Pennsylvania State University football coach Joe Paterno passed away due to complications from lung cancer earlier this week. If Paterno had passed away six months earlier, the conversations about his legacy would have taken a different tone. Fans and journalists would have told sentimental tales of the charismatic head coach. They would have remarked on the coach's outstanding character and his uncanny knack for keeping the Nittany Lions in the national spotlight throughout his 46 seasons at the university. They would have honored his NCAA record of 409 victories as well as his two national championships.
The funeral would have been a testament to the fundamental values of hard work, determination and loyalty. Before this season, Joe Paterno personified everything that was good and pure about collegiate sports. You couldn't help but root for him whenever you saw his passion and energy for the game.
The events of the 2011 season changed the tone of Paterno's death. Although millions still honor the coach's amazing legacy on the football field, no individual can ignore the giant elephant in the room named Jerry Sandusky. Instead of experiencing a time of mourning and nostalgic reflection, we are all forced to discuss the all-too-real indictment of Sandusky, the former Penn State assistant football coach, for 40 counts of child sex abuse.
Don't get me wrong, I adamantly believe that Paterno is the greatest college football coach of our generation. In today's modern college football environment, it's next to impossible for a coach to stay at a single university for as long as Paterno stayed at Penn State. For starters, it's very hard to field a competitive team season after season. If a coach is good enough to maintain a winning tradition, he is usually poached by a larger college program or a struggling NFL team. Paterno's records will not be broken.
Despite my reverence for the late coach Paterno, I strongly believe that his legacy is forever tarnished. I fully believe in respecting the dead and allowing a period of mourning, but ignoring the Sandusky issue is both negligent and irresponsible. In order for our society to advance and improve itself, we must acknowledge and learn from both our past triumphs and mistakes. If we only pay attention to the positives and ignore the faults of our predecessors, we will continue to blunder in critical situations.
Simply put, Paterno f*cked up. Excuse my language, but I feel as this is the only phrase that accurately describes Paterno's monumental lapse in judgment. Paterno's mistake is the most colossal since O.J. Simpson decided that a white Bronco could outrun an entire squad of police cars and a helicopter.
The Penn State Board of Trustees had every right to fire Paterno as well as everyone else who unintentionally enabled Sandusky to continue his reign of terror. In nearly every job on this planet, you will get fired if you mess up. Some mistakes are tolerable, but any slip-up that threatens the safety and security of individuals will result in the termination of the responsible parties' employment. Being a nice guy or winning football games does not excuse you from judgment. We are all accountable for our actions.
I believe there needs to be dialogue about Sandusky when remembering Paterno; however, this dialog should never lead to judgments about Paterno's character. Paterno was a human, and like all human beings, he made mistakes. The villain of this story is Jerry Sandusky. It's unfortunate that his actions sullied the reputation of a legendary coach.
Paterno positively influenced the lives of thousands of young men over the past 50 years, and he gave the entire state of Pennsylvania something to believe in. After watching the funeral and memorial services, I've been able to observe the impact that Paterno had. Former players brought their sons and grandsons to Happy Valley to pay their respects to the man who helped mold their lives.
I hate to sound cliche, but true love is all about supporting those you care about in spite of their flaws and mistakes. The thousands of mourning students, faculty and alumni of Penn State University showed this love for Paterno over the past week. We all make mistakes some bigger than others but we should never let an isolated and unintended mistake destroy the memory of years of positive community service.
Rest in peace JoePa, you will be missed. Your legacy won't be perfect, but I know that your character, passion and dedication will never be forgotten.
