This might be the touchiest subject I could potentially write about aside from Politics and Religion.
*** For the record, I am not a Penn State fan ***
Penn State University has been on the craziest, most institution altering, roller coaster, quite possibly of all time. By now everyone knows the story, Jerry Sandusky committed a crime so heinous, and revolting that apparently, the institution had no choice but to cover it up for the greater good of Joe Paterno's legendary football program. This is the kind of logic that always works, cover something up with dirt and pray it doesn't rain enough to wash it away and expose the dark secrets you hoped would magically disappear. Works every time.
The judiciary system did its job once the facts started rolling in and Sandusky will certainly be incarcerated for the remainder of his measly life. But there is another man that wasn't able to fight for himself because after what was uncovered last fall, and what ultimately transpired with him being fired and ultimately passing away, Joe Paterno's legacy was left to here say, and quick decisions aimed to quickly alleviate the problem at hand. Paterno was found to have been a co-conspirator in the act of covering up Sandusky's crimes, knowing full well what had taken place. We will never know his side of the story, and what he believed to be true. Instead we have to believe that the NCAA's decision to take down his statue, and 111 wins is just, given what was unearthed in the most recent reports.
What I believe happened is the NCAA wanted so badly to get people to stop talking about this black eye on the institution, and the furious public who weren't satisfied with the man who actually committed the crime, and is being locked up for life, that they had no choice but to find a culpable administrator to take the fall. That person ultimately became Paterno. I believe, unnecessarily so. It is easy to pass blame onto someone who isn't able to defend themselves.
My biggest most pertinent question is... Why, if the Judicial System worked so well, and everyone who was seen as part of the conspiracy to keep quiet, is no longer part of the institution, should the NCAA ever get involved? More importantly, why should the football team be punished as if the players were the ones committing the crimes? Isn't that what the court system is there to do? Punish the folks who commit public crimes and uphold the constitutional rights of Americans? The NCAA's responsibility is to, in my opinion, enforce the rules and regulations that ensure college athletics competes on a level playing field. That's it.
What Sandusky did has nothing to do with Penn State gaining a competitive advantage on the football field, yet it is the Football team that bears the brunt of the NCAA sanctions on this issue. I agree, Penn State should have been fined 60 Million Dollars and put on probation and I'm even okay with them losing some scholarships, but what does vacating wins from 1998 to 2011 have to do with anything? The players that won those games weren't recruited illegally, Paterno didn't cheat like Bellichek and the Patriots, or Pete Carroll with USC. No, he just coached football, but made a mistake with not going further to see that Sandusky be put away earlier. That doesn't mean he didn't win those games. He won 409 games, now I am supposed to believe that, because he didn't do his civic duty, he now only won 298?
I'll never understand why Paterno is being held to the same standard as Sandusky in this case. What Paterno did wasn't enough, I agree, but that shouldn't tarnish his accomplishments as a football coach. Yea, maybe he isn't the great man we all thought he was, but he was a great coach. A great coach that wasn't given the opportunity to properly defend himself, as everyone else tears him down everywhere I look.
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