To the Penn State board of trustees: You did the right thing. It took a few days, and maybe you did it out of reaction to Joe Paterno’s attempt to paint you into a corner….but you took the appropriate action.
To the Penn State students who staged that embarrassing pep rally at Paterno’s house Tuesday night and then protested last night: You’re young, you have the right to be stupid. Someday you’ll realize that you let your passion for a campus legend overcome your ability to figure out the right priorities.
And to Joe Paterno: Yeah, in hindsight you wish you had done more. In hindsight, I think the parents of the boys who were sexually abused or assaulted wish you had done a lot more. They wish you had done the right thing. And by the way, as you think about your legacy, think about the fact that the words “sex scandal” will join “winningest coach” in THE FIRST SENTENCE OF YOUR OBITUARY.
I still can’t believe the Penn State scandal got this big this fast.
And who knows where it will go from here.
Who knows what will happen when the team plays its last home game of the season Saturday against Nebraska. Of course they’re going to play the game. This scandal is horrific and growing worse every day, but 100,000 fans will cheer Penn State’s football team Saturday….and they have that right. The game should be played.
But at least Paterno won’t be on the sideline. Can you imagine all those people cheering him despite learning what we’ve learned this week? Can you imagine the victims and their families hearing those cheers?
Thank goodness the board of trustees prevented that.
Yesterday, when I heard that Paterno had announced he would retire at the end of the season and basically told the board “I do what I want….you don’t tell me what to do”, it made me angry.
He was trying to go out on his terms. He fired that pre-emptive strike so he could coach his last game at Beaver Stadium, then finish out his final season and coach his final bowl game and go out with the glory he deserved.
And a lot of people think he should have gotten that opportunity. A lot of people are really angry at the board for firing him. How could they treat him this way after everything he’s done for all those years? Did you hear the reaction when they announced it at last night’s news conference? No one cared when they announced they had fired the college president….but when they made the announcement about Paterno, it was as if they had announced he had died. Look at the students who protested last night.
I say good for the board. It was the right decision.
Penn State is in for some very tough times. There could be more criminal charges….we know there will be huge lawsuits….and the college has to do some major rebuilding of its reputation.
It’s going to take time, but I think firing Paterno is a huge step on the road to recovery.
I love college football. And for years I’ve been a huge Joe Paterno fan. I’ve also respected him a lot more than most coaches. I respected the way he ran his program. But not any more. That’s one of the saddest parts of this. This is now as big a part of his legacy as all those wins. And that’s a very big loss.
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