By Douglas V. GibbsJoe Paterno, longtime coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions died this morning. He was forced out when the Sandusky sex scandal erupted, but one could say that this may have very well been his final season as coach anyway... or was it? Paterno lived for football. Coaching the Penn State Nittany Lions was his life. Without it, death progressed quickly. His death may have come now because coaching football was no longer a part of his life. They are telling us he died of cancer, and clinically, that is accurate. But I think he died of a broken heart. Cancer advanced because what JoePa lived for was no longer there to hold death back.
The thing about Paterno is that I don't think he truly understood what he had done, or failed to do. As far as Joe was concerned, when he was told about Sandusky's shower room abuse of young boys he went to his next higher up. He used his chain of command, and his hands were clean. He didn't think he should have done more because he expected the people above him that he told to do what needed to be done.
Paterno "was" the football program at Penn State. The Legend had more responsibilities than the average coach because of his legendary status. It's like when sports stars complain because people look up to them, and they swear that they are not role models - yes they are, like it or not, because people are looking up to them, like it, or not. For Paterno, the same dynamics applied. Because of who he was, he should have done more to make sure Sandusky was brought to justice.
The failure of Paterno to follow up as we think he should have, ultimately, was not criminal. It was wrong, it was a failure to protect children, but it was not illegal. He did the minimum required. Paterno reported to the next level up what had happened. End of story.
His death, I hope, was peaceful. As a football coach I respect the man, and from what I understand, he fought death the same way he coached football - with fervor and class. He was not a person outside Penn State football, because to him there was nothing but Penn State football. He failed to follow through when it came to Sandusky, but I honestly believe he never understood the depth of that. He was football, and nothing but football. All of that other stuff, he felt, was better left up to the suits in the offices.
Fare thee well, Joe Paterno. You are still a football legend.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Fired Penn State coach Joe Paterno dead at 85 - Yahoo! News
2 comments:
So if you were notified that someone under your responsibility was raping children at the job site, you wouldn't call the police?
Doing the "minimum required" is all that's needed to keep one's hands "clean"? I'll bet the kids that were raped after Paterno was notified agree.
Good to know where you stand on that one, Doug.
Absolutely I would notify the police, and I would probably beat the offender to a pulp. This is your typical game. I didn't say I believe the minimum required is good enough. I said that Paterno did that, and being from an entirely different generation, and considering his environment, I think he felt he did what was adequate. Once again, I am not saying he did enough, I am saying that is what I think he thought. See, this kind of crap by you is why I normally don't approve your vitriol.
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