A man. A coach. A living legend.
Single-handedly this man had coached the Penn State Nittany Lions for the past 45 years. He's broken almost every college coaching record that ever existed. He was slated to go down in history as one of the most beloved coaches of all time. Penn State was JoePa. Joe Pa was Penn State.
On Wednesday Joe Paterno's reign as head coach came to an end with a swift call from the Penn State Board of Trustees. He was three games short of finishing his 46th season. This national icon and local hero has been swept up into allegations of child abuse and sexual assault. Not his own though.
The allegations are against Paterno's old defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky. To date, eight boys have come forward with allegations against Sandusky who claim that he sexually molested them between 1994 and 2009. How is Paterno involved?
In 2005 a coaching assistant approached Paterno with information that he had caught Sandusky in the Penn State locker room molesting a 12 year-old boy. Paterno alerted his superior, Penn State's Athletic Director, and did not report the incident to authorities.
Legally, Paterno's lawyers say, he fulfilled his obligation. Ethically, he clearly did not. While most everyone would agree that a rational person would have contacted authorities immediately, I tend to give JoePa the benefit of the doubt.
Joe Paterno is responsible for one thing and one thing only, making sure his football team is a unit. They practice together, step onto the field together, and (usually) win together. To find out that a member of your team - worse, a coaching assistant - has committed one of the most vile acts known to man - I cannot even begin to think of the things running through Paterno's head. In my opinion, he did the right thing by turning the issue over to his superior. He didn't betray his team, he didn't betray his obligation, and most importantly he certainly did not betray the victim.
By turning the issue over, Paterno demonstrated his interest in bringing a just end to the issue. Any inaction beyond that was the fault of the Athletic Director, not of Paterno. This is a controversial issue and I know that many will think that I am insensitive to the victims of Sandusky's crimes. This couldn't be further from the truth. I think that Sandusky should be locked up for life. He committed the most heinous crime that a person could commit - he literally preyed on defenseless children - worse, if allegations are true, he made a hobby out of it.
I defend Paterno because some part of me is determined to see him in a positive light. I grew up watching him and admiring his tireless work ethic. Thinking of JoePa as a villain hurts. I don't want to, and I think that he deserves the benefit of the doubt - especially after all that he has done for Penn State, and it's dedicated family.
Paterno's statement, released hours after receiving news of being let go by the Board of Trustees:
How can anybody hate this man?I am disappointed with the Board of Trustees' decision, but I have to accept it.A tragedy occurred, and we all have to have patience to let the legal process proceed. I appreciate the outpouring of support but want to emphasize that everyone should remain calm and please respect the university, its property and all that we value.I have been incredibly blessed to spend my entire career working with people I love. I am grateful beyond words to all of the coaches, players and staff who have been a part of this program. And to all of our fans and supporters, my family and I will be forever in your debt.
Although what happened was a terrible thing, regardless Joe Pa is a legend. I completely agree that he is Penn State and without him, that community would not be the way it is today. I was too deeply saddened to hear they would not like Joe finish his last 4 games as head coach. It is quite a shame that Joe Pa is in the middle of all this scandal and he did not even commit the actual crime. Sandusky has barely been in the media or what it seems like blamed for the case at all. It breaks my heart to see Penn State without Joe Pa. It is like a country without its president.
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