<p>Joe Paterno has been the face of the program for years, and I don’t like what that program stands for right now. Even though everything is overhauled, this is the PSU football legacy right now. This whole issue will still be a raw wound when the season starts, and I think if there aren’t major overhauls, I’d feel a bit like I was supporting the administration’s terrible handling of this.</p>
<p>I grew up very close to Uconn and am a basketball fan. I lost interest in being a fan of the men’s team when they kept doing things – stealing laptops, selling pot – and it was clear that the university and Jim Calhoun both cared more about basketball wins and let the offenders get away with a slap on the wrist. I wasn’t interested in supporting that. This is exponentially worse.</p>
Well, I don’t know how good a player your youngest is, but he probably has a better chance now of getting on the Penn State team than he did a year ago. :)</p>
<p>“Form a committee? Sure. Set up a victims’ fund? No problem. Have a moment of silence at a game? Count us in. But cancel even one football game much less a whole season? Absolutely NOT!”</p>
<p>Or take down the statue? No way! PSU STILL does not get it!</p>
<p>“Well, I don’t know how good a player your youngest is, but he probably has a better chance now of getting on the Penn State team than he did a year ago.”</p>
<p>But, don’t count on any aid because it may not be there.</p>
<p>Goingmyway…ROTFL…I secretly hate that he plays football…I can tell you guys but my lips are zipped and sealed at home. He’s actually pretty good and believe it or not a 6’4" 210 lb “defense” i think they call him the “left tackle guy” but he’s kind of in the middle of the field more than the left and an AP scholar and a 3.8uw GPA and probably a future gasp engineer. But I would be infinitely sad if he were going to Penn State this fall for football…infinitely sad.</p>
<p>The similarities to the Catholic church abuse scandal get more and more acute. Bad enough that the abuse occurred and that nobody did anything to stop it but, when it was finally out in the open, PSU, like the Catholic Church made insincere, half hearted attempts to appear as if they cared about their part in it.</p>
<p>The church didn’t get it and still doesn’t get it.</p>
<p>PSU, or at least a large part of PSU doesn’t get it either. </p>
<p>Whoever thinks that football isn’t religion there, is wrong.</p>
<p>Yesterday’s New York Times article about Paterno’s final salary negotiations may give some insight into the Board of Trustee’s mindset right now. They’re divided, for one, but the trustees who DO want to respond more strongly are frightened and intimidated (getting hate mail, threatened by a lawsuit, etc.).</p>
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<p>I guess the NYT has a mole on or close to the Board.</p>
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<p>Paterno was shameless, we knew that. Looks like his family are as well.</p>
<p>TITLE OF THE ARTICLE: IN THE WORLD OF COLLEGE ATHLETICS . . . : HE’S NOT AN AVERAGE JOE : Paterno Wants to Win–and Usually Does–but What Sets Him Apart From Many Football Coaches Is That He Won’t Put Game Ahead of Academics, Integrity</p>
<p>Paterno has plenty to say on a variety of topics. –RE: SMU: “It’s unbelievable to think that kind of corruption came right from the top of the power structure. The NCAA did what it had to do” in canceling SMU’s 1988 football season.</p>
<p>I was interested to hear that the administrator who opposed Paterno had her house vandalized. Vandalism, rioting…nice pattern of behavior the Church of Football encourages among its adherents there in Happy Valley. Obviously there are those who don’t buy into it, but their voices have been drowned out by the JoePa Cult.</p>
<p>If I had a kid going to college, NO WAY would I allow him or her to apply there. Not until there is some evidence that the university as a whole gets it, and wants to change its culture. </p>
<p>As for the marching band and the cheerleaders: give me a break. Sure, performing in front of a big crowd may be fun and hard to replace, but…doesn’t Penn State have a soccer team? Be innovative: go support them. Maybe the crowds will follow. The rest of the world is just as crazy about it as you are about American-style football. How about rugby? Go cheer for the cross country runners. Create a top quality concert band or even join–gasp!–the orchestra if you are good enough and play an appropriate instrument. I’ve seen marching band competitions on TV among independent groups that are quite amazing, and completely blow away any half time effort I’ve seen by a college band. There are cheer-leading competitions, are there not? Try that.</p>
<p>I freely admit that my views are colored by a strong dislike of big time college football and at best indifference to all of the things that go with it, including cheer-leading and marching bands. I oh-so-strongly rue the day that some misguided administration brought football back to the U of C. </p>
<p>How the NCAA can overlook this and maintain any shred of credibility is beyond me. On the upside, maybe that plus the emerging head-injury information will help put the kibosh on college football. Frankly, in light of the head injury information that is increasing every day, I question whether football can ethically be pursued at any institution of learning.</p>
<p>Well are those who are in favor of shutting down Penn State football also in favor of shutting down the entire university? From what I was reading a minute ago, it goes beyond “protecting the football program.”</p>
<p>Cut football at Penn State and you lose all athletics… Either than or plan to start spending A LOT of state money on athletics. Somehow I don’t see that one flying…</p>
<p>I agree Janesmith–it would seem that the BOT is incapable of managing this given their own history in the morass itself. they are looking at the Paterno issue with the old consciousness, that he was a revered coach, and that they are beholden to his family and to that image. They were obviously bullied by Paterno and seem to be unable to simply accept who he really was. </p>
<p>I am reminded of Einstein’s quote;
“You cannot solve a problem from the same consciousness that created it. You must learn to see the world anew.”</p>
<p>hops_scout, the vast majority of colleges and universities in the nation do NOT have football or basketball programs that bring in millions, or even one thin dime, for that matter. Nevertheless, they manage to field all sorts of teams. How is this done?</p>
<p>No, I don’t think they need to shut down the whole university. They need to clean house in the administration and get rid of football for some period of time…like 4 years. Then the other voices on campus will be able to emerge.</p>
<p>Thursday’s report leaves no doubt that the four men knew about the 98 investigation and that 3 of those men lied about it to the grand jury.</p>
<p>It also leaves no doubt that all four men were aware something inappropriate and sexual happened in the shower in 2001. They did not report it to child welfare.</p>
<p>These are facts based on their own emails and notes at the time. Although none of the notes were from Paterno himself it seems unlikely that at the time the other 3 men would collude to include Paterno.</p>
<p>This really was the first time that it could be proven that they knew beyond a doubt that this was behavior that should have been reported.</p>
<p>Again since these facts came out on thursday I believe the board should be given the time it needs to respond correctly. </p>
<p>The time to rush and make quick judgements was every day Sandusky was free from 2001 until he went to jail.</p>
<p>Now rushing does nothing except to appease the frenzied masses. </p>
<p>Personally I can’t see them playing football this season. I can’t imagine the statue standing when school begins.</p>
<p>I support PSU. I give yearly to scholarships for honors and engineering students. I will increase those monies this year.</p>
<p>Name one that does it successfully and at the DI level. And how is it done? With taxpayer and tuition money which so many think should be off limits to athletics.</p>
<p>The trustees remind me of that one Far Side cartoon–the one where three people lost in the desert have miraculously found a drinking fountain. But as two of them stare in disbelief, the third guy holds a hand up, saying, “Now just hold your horses, everyone . . . Let’s let it run for a minute or so and see if it gets any colder.”</p>
<p>I agree Sax,there’s no need to rush, if they were at least being forthright about making change. ( And I feel for you, it must be disheartening to have this proof of just how sick this all was, it’s a lot simpler for those of us who are not part of the PSU community ) </p>
<p>What disturbs me is that the language the BOT is using does appear to be softening what has come to light. Talking about honoring Coach Paterno as a sensitive issue, and maintaining his contract is not the first language or steps one would hope to hear. I would have expected, a board unable to even speak, unable to find words. Imploring their alums to give them time to even begin to take it all in. But to speak with the same “humane” approach towards Paterno. No. </p>
<p>Seems to be similar to Spanier, Curley, Schultz and Paterno taking a humane approach towards Sandusky, which translated to, aw we don’t want poor ol’ Jer to have any real consequences for his crimes. Well I would think the BOT would not be so worried about the consequences of Paterno’s actions now either. Consequences to his family, for instance is simply the logical outcome of his own behavior, and acting like those consequences should be avoided because of others being upset is leading by avoiding conflict rather than leading by what is right.</p>
<p>ITA. It’s like they’re in some kind of bubble or alternate reality. With the report just coming out Thursday, how would they have all had enough time to read it, much less absorb what it meant. Meeting and making decisions the following day wasn’t very smart. No way they had time to thinks things through, listen to people’s reactions; they probably just implemented a pre-decided strategy.</p>
<p>How Spanier has not been indicted yet is a total mystery to me.</p>