Harsh Penalty Sentence Penn State to Death

In the light of an egregious scandal, maybe the worst in NCAA history, we could have seen this coming a long time ago and we could have already known a punishment would have been so severe to basically destroy Penn State. Unfortunately, as we witness the unprecedented scene of punitive sanctions in which PSU may never recover and especially not anytime soon, the university is crippled because of Jerry Sandusky’s horrid crimes of sexually abusing young boys.

Eleven days removed from the damning report by former FBI director Louis Freeh that learned the late Joe Paterno had concealed allegations of child sex abuse against Sandusky, along with three other high-level Penn State officials, the NCAA handed down the harshest penalties to Penn State without the Committee on Infractions having a word.

One day removed from the removal of the larger-than-life bronze statue of Joe Paterno, while the monument was stored in a “secure location,” the NCAA leveled rare penalties to use Penn State as an example. And, in fairness, it was handled responsibly with disciplinary actions that fit the crime as the school must pay for its wrongdoing. Unfair as it is to those who have nothing to do with these heartless and selfish acts, Penn State is punished as a whole. It’s a real shame, but in reality, student athletes, coaches and alumni are guilty by association because they chose to commit or attend a storied university and football program that four men knew about Sandusky’s dirty secrets of sexual child abuse but kept it confidential to protect the school’s brand, reputation, and more importantly, Paterno’s legacy. It’s unfortunate, but it’s something that had to be done.

And so as a way to pay the price, the NCAA pretty much sentenced Penn State to death without handing down the Death Penalty. It’s worse than what SMU, a football program that received the most stringent punishment ever in the late 80s, endured and the NCAA sanctions can paralyze Penn State for months, years and decades. For a moment Monday morning, this stood as one of the most humiliating news conferences in college sports history, and NCAA President Mark Emmert stepped to the lectern and acted as if he was the new sheriff in town.

“In the case of Penn State, the results were perverse and unconscionable,” Emmert said. “No price the NCAA can levy will repair the grievous damage inflected by Jerry Sandusky on his victims. However, we can make clear that the culture, actions and inactions that allowed them to be victimized will not be tolerated in intercollegiate athletics.”

Rather than impose the death penalty and shut down the entire football program, he just handed down a $60 million fine, a four-year postseason ban, including the Big Ten championship game and the playoffs that goes into effect in 2014, a reduction of 40 scholarships over the next four years and 112 vacated wins. That makes Penn State alumni and the student body cringe, as a somber mood spreads on campus with the suffering and desolation from the depravity of sordid allegations and concealment by a dead football coach and three top administrators that percolates through people’s minds for all that has happened over the past months at State College. The historic sanctions against Penn State wasn’t an overreaction or even too harsh, but it was the right thing and a way to send a powerful message to every school that protecting the safety of children is the top priority over shielding a football program from vulnerability.

“There is incredible interest in what will happen to Penn State football,” Ed Ray, the chairman of the NCAA’s executive committee and Oregon State’s president said Monday. “But the fundamental chapter of this horrific story should focus on the innocent children and the powerful people who let them down.”

The NCAA and Emmert dropped the hammer and nailed Penn State football program for its role in shielding and keeping Sandusky’s misconduct of sexual molestation hush hush, refusing to stop suspected sexual abuse of children and report a longtime assistant to authorities for preying on young helpless boys. In other words, Paterno, who was docked 111 wins and stands 8th on the all-time wins from the sanctions, enabled a damn sexual predator and failed to protect the victims. It’s become obvious that Paterno moves onto the back burner, behind Florida State’s Bobby Bowden and Grambling’s Eddie Robinson. As of today, now deceased after dying at the age of 85 to lung cancer earlier in the year, Paterno is not represented as the winningest coach in college football history.

The most stunning upshot of the ordeal – and even for those Penn State folks in State College who cried and lowered their jaws in tremendous shock as Emmert caught us by surprise with his unprecedented decision – was the inconceivable penalties he announced. One of the finest and most prestigious programs, losing money from its wallet and a sense of pride even, was deprived of wins in the record books. With that in mind, Penn State, a shamed football program best known for the ugliest scandal in the history of American sports, will take decades to recover from the destruction if not permanent damage to forever wash away what the university stood for and a well-respected football culture.

“It’s important to know we are entering a new chapter at Penn State and making necessary changes,” said Penn State president Rodney Erickson. “We must create a culture in which people are not afraid to speak up, management is not compartmentalized, all are expected to demonstrate the highest ethical standards, and the operating philosophy is open, collegial, and collaborative.”

The corruption of Penn State’s despicable outrage and disgrace, though not everybody at the institution is culpable or responsible for the actions of four men who are either dead, unemployed or going to prison, warranted an unprecedented reaction to discipline a school after enabling a pedophile. It’s one thing for an athlete to receive improper benefits from a slimy agent that is commonplace in this era of college athletics. But it’s quite another thing for a football program, along with three top Penn State officials, to ignore a child predator and not stop him from sexually abusing children on campus for at least over a decade.

Tough as it is, newly hired football coach Bill O’Brien arrived at a time when it all remained in much uncertainty. But he also knew what was likely to happen when he accepted the coaching job to replace the fired Paterno. After the NCAA enforced a punishment that was harsher than the death penalty, sabotaging an entire program for decades and years — an investigation that didn’t take months — decided Penn State’s fate. For a long time now, recruiting will become greatly difficult for O’Brien and his staff. What’s uncertain is, Christian Hackenberg, the No. 1 rated quarterback prospect who is cautious and holding back as to whether he should decommit and verbally commit to another top football program with advice from his father. The bad thing is, Greg Webb, a four-star recruit in class of 2013, has rescinded his verbal commitment to Penn State and instead has chosen to attend North Carolina.

“Today we receive a very harsh penalty from the NCAA and as head coach of the Nittany Lions football program, I will do everything in my power to not only comply, but help guide the University forward to become a national leader in ethics, compliance and operational excellence,” said O’Brien. I knew when I accepted the position that there would be tough times ahead. But I am committed for the long term to Penn State and our student athletes.”

There’s no doubt the university is in a quandary, and sadly, this may be the end of Penn State. Indeed it is, and the school is paying for its sins. With a lack of institutional control, which involved sexual child abuse, NCAA enforcers and overseers had not conducted or launched into its normal investigation but relied heavily on the scathing Freeh Report. It concluded that Paterno, among three others, shielded the sexual child abuse allegations against Sandusky as it was more important to protect a football program and school from embarrassment.

“An argument can be made that the egregiousness in the behavior in this case is greater than any other seen in NCAA history,” Emmert said.

True, it’s the most heinous crime we’ve seen in NCAA history.

It Will Take Years Until Penn State Repairs Image

This wasn’t a friendly farewell, but an ugly divorce for the university’s most lovable icon, a town ambassador portrayed as the symbol of Penn State– and nonetheless – was fired for not doing enough to protect the school’s identity.

There are assumptions behind this, assumptions that commenced alleged crimes of sexual assaults involving underage victims, and sadly the non-supporters have pointed their fingers at Joe Paterno, the moral compass of college football – the father-figure of Penn State for 46 years. He was embarrassed in the end, left the game emotionally and became aloof to the game he coached for half a century amid a horrendous sex scandal that has tarnished his legacy.

It’s a tragedy, an unprecedented tragedy that stunned the nation, a horrifying scandal that will always overshadow the old man’s feats and longevity as the winningest coach in Division I history. It’s not about football; it’s about the victims, which is the explanation for Paterno’s firing.

The board of trustees dismissed Paterno shortly after 10 p.m. Wednesday night for not reporting Jerry Sandusky, his former defensive coordinator and pedophile arrested on 40 counts of molesting eight boys.

His firing impetuously triggered a State College riot in the community, where raging protesters gathered in anguish on the streets serenading loudly, angry and saddened Paterno had been fired over the phone – not even given an ultimatum to resign or announce an early retirement.

In reference to Paterno’s cessation, which was grotesque and destructive toward a 46-year affair with a regal football program that crumbled under his decree of bad judgment by refusing to report a crime as the scandal was unreported, Penn State students mobbed the streets and tipped over a news van.

The other night, while the scurrilous, angry Penn State supporters by the thousands waved phones and roared for nearly three to four hours with bullhorns and a series of chants, many raised candles in a candlelight vigil honoring the victims of sexual abuse. It was about the victims, not football, to some. It was about solidarity for the victims, not rioting a community because the legend wasn’t given an opportunity to save his job.

Some were vandals, while others were peacemakers at a somber moment, a time to heal and mourn after the allegations were publicly revealed that stunned the people in the most unprecedented week in college sports, if not the most infamous episode to poison a university in need now of a recovery.

It’s now the time to clean house, purge all the traces of corruption, from a rogue crime that will take years to rid when Penn State is beyond repair after educators enabled a child molester to stain the imagery of an institution suddenly marked by the messes.

There were many, such as the other night cheering happily and were satisfied to see Paterno relieved of his duties, outraged by the incident of sexual activities that involved minors. For many years, it will take time, as many suspect Paterno had much to hide covering up the truth and protecting his longtime friend, to repair from a horrible scandal that ruined Penn State’s program.

Many of whom are mad of the recent allegations, grasp a bad vibe that he condoned the series of sexual assaults happening during his tenure. For what it was, at least for what it seemed, he had been accused as if he was the sexual predator more than Sandusky himself, only for representing everything Penn State symbolizes.

Though he’s still the most beloved senior citizen in a small community that sent much thanks to Paterno for all he has done in his reign as head coach, whether it was serving as a mentor or father figure for children or enriching one of the winningest programs in school history, he is also not taken to kindly by few.

He’s marked forever, not only for not reporting the alleged molestation but for possibly protecting the university’s brand name, or even protecting the university’s revenue and the plethora of scholarships or even his legacy as the teacher grooming young players, all while depicted as a moral compass.

It’s an unhappy ending to a tragic story in Happy Valley, also known as Unhappy Valley in just the past week when the board of trustees was forced to make an immediate culture transition, relinquishing on their longtime football coach and cutting ties with even Penn State president Graham Spanier.

This is much larger than a football program of excellence and an elderly man’s legacy, but it is apparent the Penn State kids don’t understand. The students are simply more concerned with football, than they are in sending their thoughts and prayers to those victims. When the Penn State students rioted at the campus on Horror Night, the irascible people acting like soulless, insensitive protesters in support of Paterno, we saw them dismissing an alleged scandal of madness and humiliation.

Rumor has it that Sandusky “pimped out” young boys from his Second Mile charity. What is unfortunate – and perhaps egregious in all of this – is that Sandusky cost his good friend, Paterno, his job now unemployed for Sandusky’s actions as Paterno ignored the allegations by not calling the police.

The blame falls in the lap of Sandusky in State College, an eerily region of poignant fans emotional in the aftermath of Paterno’s termination. As insanity had grown on that night, blinded by the scandal and overly in love with Paterno, not willing to end the marriage of downfalls, the crowd went insane and yelled, “F— Sandusky! “F— Sandusky!”

Shortly after, they blamed the media, “F— the media!”

Shortly after, they blamed the trustees.

They blamed anyone but Paterno, a beloved figure on Penn State campus. Thousands of kids poured onto the streets, crowding his house to send their thanks and reporters swarmed around his front porch to ask questions. The board of trustees failed to fire Mike McQueary, a Penn State assistant in the center of this scandal as well, but placed him on administrative leave. This was mishandled – and in many ways, it doesn’t make sense if Paterno was fired and McQueary wasn’t when he said he had seen a young boy being molested by Sandusky in the locker room’s shower in 2002.

His reaction was running from the problem instead of resolving the incident, waiting until the next day to call Paterno and meet him at his home. If McQueary refused to call the police and report a sexual assault, then why is he still employed?

Why isn’t he jobless? The favoritism really shows the true colors of Penn State, it really shows that they desire keeping McQueary even though he never called the police. He is, mind you, just as bad as Paterno or even athletic director Tim Curley.

Don’t you agree?

But he is worth credit for reporting an alleged crime to Paterno nine years ago. The saddest thing about it is, he wasn’t fired but salvaged his job. The fact is, Penn State is leery and too worried to fire him in the event he files a lawsuit. This alone, protects McQueary from losing his job, though he was afraid and stayed quiet too long regarding sexual activity at the university’s facilities.

People are horrified, on campus and off campus, over alleged crimes that tragically damaged Paterno’s untouched legacy. People are simultaneously cheering in glee as if he’s the hero, gathering outside of his house and raising honorable signs that read, “We Love You, Joe!!”

This, in hindsight, is all too bad for Penn State and absolutely devastating and, by now, JoePa wish he “had done more.” Surely, he does but it is much too late, now sitting on his couch at home jobless like many other unemployed Americans in our fragile economy. The position of overseeing the athletic department, assigned to Curley who has taken a leave of absence, should not be given to him. When he’s no longer on leave of absence, he should not return to his office.

The leverage was given to Paterno, demanding to keep his coaching gig for decades, until now. He refused to retire, until now. He wanted his way, until now. He had planned to retire at the end of the year, not now.

But he had no choice. It was time to leave, but it’s just too bad it had to end so sadly, so tragically and so ugly with a ruined legacy. As of recently, it was impossible to send Paterno home, away from football, something he loved truly but just allowed his job to slip away from him without taking full control of his program.

Even when the program was perpetuating along in inferiority before finally returning to splendor, he was the lone senior citizen standing on the sideline as a head coach in college football. It was all lost when the allegations came to light that a child molester was roaming Penn State.

This was one way to change the culture in State College, a way to finally get rid of Paterno, an elderly man who can now live the rest of his life, unfortunately with the memories of a sex scandal and his murky legacy.

If he could do it all over again, he would have done more. That’s not an opinion. That’s a fact. As of now, Paterno is done with a crippled reputation, four games before the end of his 46th season at Penn State. This institution, a flagship school, is mired in disarray.

In this case, the university is under much scrutiny, marked for an infamous sex scandal that will always leave behind a stain as it will take years for Penn State to repair its image. This school no longer has power, the cleanest tradition and its meaning. As the school deteriorates slowly, none of the goodness exist – and is another episode of hypocrisy and conspiracy.

Winning won’t cure humanity, not even a sudden upgrade within the problematic institution. Even if Spanier and Curley are gone, the program still needs to relocate a spate of trust. Even if Gary Schultz and Paterno are gone, the school needs to find a spate of hope.

Get used to it. This will take years to repair.

Paterno’s Once Faultless Legacy Turns Rotten

The perception we have of influential figures, especially in sports, too often wheedle the folks to believe athletes and coaches are beyond spotless in situations. Whatever the assumptions we have of Joe Paterno, a legendary head coach who is the winningest coach in Division I football history, he is stuck in the middle of a predicament.

These days, many of whom are dampened and saddened by the allegations of the infamous sex crimes at Penn State, he is in the center of a scandal that seems surreal. A statue stands tall outside of Beaver Stadium that exhibits the iconic figure, mostly deemed as the ambassador of the university and community ever since he arrived to coach Penn State in 1966. That iconic figure, in a culture that has suddenly crippled under his tutelage, is Paterno.

All week heavy talk has surrounded a sex abuse scandal that has incredibly demolished the university and its image, and as much as we’d hate to see Paterno exit with an obscure legacy, it would be very surprising if he survives the rest of the season as head coach. The notion that Paterno’s legacy will be sullied and smeared, when he cemented a feat that seemed untarnished and unprecedented after coaching Penn State for half a century, is conceivable with what’s happening — he rose as a motivational figure and drastically had fallen as a polarizing self.

It’s too sad — upon hearing that Jerry Sandusky, a longtime assistant, was charged with sexually abusing eight boys over a 15-year span – that Paterno is unfairly blamed for the incident of sex crimes. The state of the university, as in any developing scandal that emerges in the public’s view, is leaving folks gathering facts on what really happened, on what he knew, on what more he could have done to stop the sex involvements by the then-assistant.

With all the hysteria, Paterno is betrayed for seemingly keeping the truth veiling and covering the sexual activities that took place under his tenure. He always has a coat and tie, cuffs rolled up and white socks with thick glasses, a trademark that has defined the stylish custodian in Happy Valley.

Just when we were beginning to forecast his place in history – a career built with distinction, remarkable accomplishments and exploits no other coach can replicate in years – the revelations of the horrendous scandal tattered his legacy.

He is older now, and wiser, but he’s been criticized harshly when others are involved in this incident as well, just not being polarized simply because they are not the symbol of what Penn State represents. He is, no matter what the naysayers or cynics believe, the most accomplished coach in the history of college football, yet his place in history is battered by the recent allegations.

What more could he have done to protect the university’s identity? Why didn’t he report the alleged child molestation to police? What does he know??

As much as Paterno is the focal point — becoming the greatest curiosity in a small town that idolizes him — as much as we’d like to know the truth, we may never know if he had knowledge of what had happened. The scandal took another twist on Wednesday for which Paterno, 84, announced he will retire at the end of the season and said that he was devastated.

“This is a tragedy,” Paterno said in the statement while announcing his retirement, which was released Wednesday morning. “It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.”

It’s too late.

It’s been a half of century and Paterno has preached achievements, but his legend was damaged sadly by the poor judgment from trustees, the coaching staff and the university’s president. What is still uncertain is whether the school’s board of trustees will force Paterno out the door or allow him to coach Saturday’s game against Nebraska. While few people reserve judgment, others vilify Paterno and graduate/assistant coach Mike McQueary for allowing the sexual assault without reporting it.

The grand jury, regarding this case, said McQueary witnessed Sandusky naked and molesting a 10-year old in the shower in the university’s facilities. He saw him shove his penis into the boy’s butt, and refused to stop it and decided to walk out without coming to the kid’s aid.

By the next day, McQueary took it upon himself and told Paterno, and then Paterno told them, but they ignored it. In fairness, it is essential to hold everyone accountable for acting inappropriately and mishandling a sex crime that went unreported. The other night, while Paterno rested peacefully in his home, students demonstrated their support of the senior citizen and crowded his house at dusk.

Of all the hearsay, Paterno is lambasted strongly by the media, scrutinized and betrayed for not doing enough to resolve the sex issues. The media circus interrogated him and his son, Scott, on Tuesday as Paterno tried to leave his home in peace for an afternoon practice with his players. There’s even been criticism from the Philadelphia Daily News when the headline read “SHAME” with Paterno featuring on the front page.

The university must come forth and dismiss McQueary, and for everyone else associated with Penn State, they should all step down except Paterno. But for the sake of the university, Paterno should not be walking the sideline on Saturday to coach on senior day at Beaver Stadium as it will draw too much of a ruckus with swarms of reporters pontificating and seeking answers at a press conference that will turn into a circus to steal the senior’s moment.

Although this seems silly and Paterno did what he was supposed to do, only not informing the president or authorities, he should take time off and then come back. When he told athletic director Tim Curley, who ignored the allegations and failed to react seriously, he then needed to tell the vice president Gary Schultz and Penn State president Graham Spanier.

This case is agonizing, and now that the culture is distrusted and blameworthy, Spanier needs to have a sense of pride and courtesy and resign. It’s an absolute shame that the general public urges Paterno to carry himself with honor and graciousness and resign by the end of the week, though he’s guilty by association and for actions from his former defensive coordinator. There is no way, in our insane, tangled society, no way will parents send their children to Penn State if this current staff is still directing the football program.

It’s devastating that a fine football program in America, a recognized university has fallen from grace all because Penn State officials mishandled a situation involving children being sexually abused. These allegations are sickening to our stomachs, perturbing our senses, sadly burning our hearts and souls as we are disheartened, stunned and mad to learn that children were molested at an institution.

“I’m so upset,” said the mother of a now 24-year-old identified as Victim Six by the grand jury. “My son is extremely distraught, and now to see how we were betrayed, words cannot tell you.”

Now, I’m getting infuriated over this senseless act.

It would now, in hindsight, be a good time for Penn State to change the culture immediately. The disgraced Curley was shamed by all of this that he chose to take a leave of absence to prepare for his defense. If anyone deserves much of the blame, it’s Curley – which is why he stepped down Monday after being charged with perjury and he also failed to report an alleged incident of child sex abuse. Just as recently, Curley and Schultz were arraigned Monday in a South Paxson, Pa. District Court and each were released after posting a $75,000 bail bond.

Meanwhile, Paterno’s 46-year reign is nearing its end as Happy Valley is renamed Infamy Valley. In the wake of the sex scandal, it has raised questions on campus but away from campus people are devastated, requesting for JoePa’s resignation, roughly asking him to make the respectable decision by stepping down from his duties. The moral standard in 2002 would have been to contact the police, but nobody – not one Penn State official called to report the incident.

The Paterno era is nearing its terminal, all because the situation was handled cowardly. Nobody had morals — everyone was apathetic and negligent about the sex crimes. Nobody had respect or admiration for the program. Nobody. They all failed as a university, from the trustees to the athletic department and now they can only blame themselves for such failure and humiliation.

When a child is molested, common sense tells you to call the police. Paterno told and nothing was done. It would be interesting to see, if he is cleared to coach Saturday, how the partisan crowd in Happy Valley will react when he emerges from the tunnel onto the field. As we should expect, he’ll be given a standing ovation and cheered like a town hero, and he is worthy of warm receptions.

The question is, will his legacy ever remain intact and will there be a celebration for his departure after his longevity and distinguished coaching career? Who would have thought that the end was near?

It is only fair to hold everyone accountable. So far, no one is pushing him out the door for partly sabotaging Penn State’s football program. But sadly, he won’t leave on his own terms.

If he is dismissed real soon, he’ll be remembered for the ruination of a well-established football program, but will he be remembered as the most successful coach?

Joe Paterno: A Seemingly Ageless Lion of a Man; Penn State Head Coach Forges Ahead and Continues to Inspire

During the Big Ten Conference Football Coaches’ Media Day this past Monday, Joe Paterno was asked numerous questions about his health and age. The questions about his health mainly stemmed from his recent bout with intestinal flu that forced him to cut back on some of his summer travel and public appearances, while the questions about his age were simply the usual.

Despite his still sharp wit and great sense of humor, the venerable 83-year-old grandfather still faces such questions with regularity, and seems to use such subtle attempts at painting him as “over-the-hill” as opportunities to display his sharp wit, as when he recently said, “What did Mark Twain say? The rumor of my death has been over-exaggerated.”

The questions, though, are rather valid to many, as Paterno will be enjoying his 45th year in coaching this coming season. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never heard of anyone coaching that long, ever.

JoePa has no intention of retiring, either; None, nada, and that actually amazes me.

One woman asked Paterno at a recent press conference I watched (and I’m paraphrasing here), “So, are you going to be coaching Penn State until the day you die?”

JoePa simply treated the question as if it were rhetorical. In his mind I believe he wonders why anyone would believe anything different. Of course he’s going to coach the Nittany Lions till he dies. At this point, he is the Nittany Lions.

Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald believes he’s even more. As he told ESPN’s Gene Wojceichowski, “Joe Paterno is football…I couldn’t think of it without him. I think every coach in this profession aspires to be Joe Paterno”

He’s had more influence over the Penn State program than most people have had over anything in their lives. He’s also greatly influenced college football as a whole, including numerous coaches. His influence is likely felt even outside the college football ranks. I’m sure there are coaches all over the world from a myriad of sports who have been influenced by his coaching style and his attitude of never, ever giving up.

If I had to list all the accomplishments of Joe Paterno in his time with Penn State, this article would literally be ten pages long. Instead, I’ll simply note that they are nearly unequalled in college sports. Few have done as much as JoePa.

Since he became Penn State’s head coach in 1966 there have been 860 coaching changes among all FBS programs. Not for the Nittany Lions, though. They’ve had no coaching changes whatsoever, and that consistency has helped them become a perennial contender.

Hopefully JoePa’s 45th year at the helm will help guide Penn State to another great season in the tough Big Ten Conference, which also features one the nation’s best teams in the Ohio State Buckeyes. He’ll have his work cut out for him, but I’m sure he’ll relish the challenge.

Simply put, Joe Paterno is one of the most dedicated people you could ever meet. He is well-thought of by all for good reason. He is a good man. He has over 117 children under his care at some time or another. Seventeen of them are his grandchildren. The other hundred?

Why, of course, the Nittany Lions players.

Paterno may be 83, but he acts like he’s only getting younger every day.

A recent film starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson titled The Bucket List dealt with the idea that those who are nearing the end of their lives should have a “Bucket List” on which they list all of the things they’d like to accomplish before they pass. In reference to that film, JoePa had only this to say:

“I’m not looking around for a bucket, I know that.”

You gotta love that. You go, JoePa!