JOE PATERNO DESERVES BETTER
Joe Paterno has been a coach for over forty-five years. I defy anyone to Google up a negative comment on Mr. Paterno prior to the recent Penn State scandal. Forty-five years coaching probably over 2000 kids, dealing with countless students, opposing coaches, reporters, and alumni and I defy anyone to find a negative report or allegation of any sort about The Coach.
His caring and support for his players is legendary. His players graduate. His players go on to be positive influences in the community. He takes time for people, not to promote himself, but because he cares about people.
His legacy will now be forever smudged by the actions of another. Over forty-five years of good deeds, and leadership down the drain because of the actions of a deviant degenerate defective human being.
I understand that The Coach could have taken more proactive action in dealing with the deviant ex-coach. If I was the coach, I would have personally knocked the asshole out and dragged him to the authorities, thus assuring no other young boys would be abused. That is what I’d like to think I would do, it is what Joe Paterno should have done, and it is what every macho holier-than-thou male claims he would have done. But, is it as simple as that? Most situations never are and I don’t know what information Joe Paterno had.
An atrocity was reported to him. Was he given all the details? Were the details so abhorrent to him that perhaps the reporter’s claim was as unlikely to be the truth as the event which was reported?
Exactly what should Joe Paterno have done when told of Sandusky’s behavior? He reported it to his superiors. When he was told of this man’s horrible crime, Joe Paterno was 74 years old. Seventy-four years old and Joe Paterno is suddenly faced with an accusation toward one of his ex-coaches of behavior that I would venture to guess Joe Paterno never contemplated in all his years was behavior that anyone would or could commit.
Joe Pa came from a generation which did not hear of or contemplate such behavior. A grown man sexually molesting a young boy? I am not sure this is something that a man of Joe Paterno’s integrity could wrap his brain around.
I confess to not really knowing the details of this case. Should Joe Paterno have acted differently? Probably; but let’s not lose sight of the fact that Joe Paterno is not a child abuser. Joe Paterno did not cover up the incident; he did report it to his superiors.
A seventy-four year old man should be put into such a situation. A man who has spent his entire life doing from all reports “the right thing”, should not have his legacy destroyed by the actions of a perverted monster.
Jerry Sandusky is probably guilty of being a horrible monster.
Joe Paterno is guilty of being human.
Jerry Sandusky should probably be removed from society for the rest of his life.
Joe Paterno has seen a lifetime of good deeds, good behavior and good intentions destroyed by the actions of Jerry Sandusky.
Maybe Joe Paterno is guilty of a cover-up. Maybe he is guilty of looking the other way along with other Penn State officials. I am just saying that given the totality of his life:
Joe Paterno deserves better.
I don't know all the details to this case, either, but is IS a shame that a life time of good work will be tarnished due to the actions of another. I think years from now, when many people will have forgotten the particulars of the case, the two names will be forever connected to child molestation, and before long it won't even matter who did what - there will just be a shame attached to both names.
ReplyDeleteI followed this enough to be very confused. The man who reported the horrific incident to JoePa was a 28 year old who had the guts to jump in and break up a knife fight...but when he sees an old man molesting a little boy, he does not move forward...he leaves the boy alone with the molester and goes to call his Dad?
ReplyDeleteHow many lives have been ruined because of this accusation? And that's what it is. An accusation. Imagine though if Jerry Sandusky is innocent--remember that concept? Proven guilty in a court of law i/o in the newspaper and by word of mouth.
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i totally agree here. joe pa was 2 people removed from the situation. the graduate assistant who actually witnessed it should've gone straight to the police. do not pass go, do not collect $200. instead, he went home and told his father, who then came back and told paterno? what sense does that even make? i think paterno did his due diligence by reporting to his superiors what he was told--who in turn told him that they were going to look into it. it's out of his hands at that point. but the graduate assistant (who eventually became some sort of assistant coach) should've took his ass straight to the police. and if he was scared to do that, he should've been the one to report it to school officials/authorities/the athletic director himself.
ReplyDeletethe whole thing was very ridiculous, and like you said, i've never heard a negative comment about joe pa. ever. i think the media used his celebrity to give a sense of alleged justice to the victim, and it was displaced justice.
tying your michael jackson post in with this one (i had to get my cranky fix since i haven't been able to read or post this entire week at work), people are just looking for someone to blame. although i feel conrad murray should've taken his oath way more seriously and denied michael jackson of the drugs that ultimately caused his demise, michael HAS to be the first one that we point a finger towards, because he wanted them. like you said, he would've gotten them elsewhere because of the money he has to obtain such things, but if murray had denied michael jackson's request, it would've prolonged his mission to retrieve the drugs.
there's my spill. lol.