<p>I don’t think this is just an anti-football mentality here. I went to a big football school–UMich. I enjoyed the games and I enjoy rooting for them still. But, first, we don’t have revered statues of coaches there–no one, not Bo Schembechler, not Carr, ever reached anywhere near that mythic worship ( thankfully). And second, if something like this had happened there, I woudn’t hesitate to assent to the death penalty, because in my mind, and in my experience, Michigan wasn’t just football. Wasn’t football first. It’s a great school. It’s not football.</p>
<p>That so many PSU alumni and other supporters can’t/don’t feel that, well that astounds me. I just don’t understand the one dimensional view that this implies.</p>
<p>No I’m talking about the hotels, restaurants, store owners, part-time workers and all the people whose jobs are tied to football weekends…that kind of hurt.</p>
<p>I’ve got no skin in this game…I’m from Michigan so I “get” Big 10 football. I’m trying to look at this objectively and what steps the university can take to fix their employee problem and harm the least amount of people…enough people have been harmed I think.</p>
<p>The defense of paterno is the most tellling of the bizarre culture of football at Penn. It’s warped. Its leader were more powerfull the schools president. </p>
<p>Until the balance of power goes back to what is heathly and balanced and the paterno groupies admit he was a jerk at the bare minimum then nothing will change and no lessons willl have been learned.</p>
<p>I can guarantee more dirt will come out about paternos abuse of power when those with the information feel freer to speak put and honestly.</p>
<p>And make more then a token gift to childrens charities and programs. Fire all staff involved and if they sue,let em. Do a house cleaning and see if paterno influenced profs to fix grades. Give an amnesty tp profs who come forward. Create a culture of paterno and no coach is infallible. </p>
<p>I am still agog at how pateno is still adored and adulate to such a degree. I just don’t get it. And it’s sick to treat him so.</p>
<p>Aannnnndddd…ESPN jumps the gun again. There is a quote from a trustee at the end saying he would leave the statue up. Remember, there are 40?60? trustees.</p>
<p>Also, rumor in town is that the students who manage Paternoville (the annual campout prior to many home games) have decided to change its name.</p>
<p>momofthreeboys, that’s what happens when the people at the top abdicate their responsibilities. That’s why big institutions have Boards and Presidents – so that there’s someone who sees the whole picture, not just one part of it. When they fail to do that, innocent people suffer. </p>
<p>There was no one at the top who wasn’t in thrall to the football program. There was no one at the top who even dreamt of putting the university (much less those poor boys) ahead of football. That was their job, and they didn’t do it. </p>
<p>When talking about victims, let’s be mindful of the people who were hurt first, and hurt worst, by the university’s misplaced priorities and by the preeminence of football at Penn State. A preeminence that still exists today.</p>
<p>momofthreeboys: I still don’t see where you have an alternative to the death penalty. Again, your argument is akin to “too big to fail” despite your denials. You argue that you shouldn’t give Penn State the death penalty because too many people rely on Penn State football for their livelihood. Just think of the collateral damage it will cause. Sorry, but collateral damage has already occurred. Should we pump money into the program to restore its former (purported) glory so that we can undo the collateral damage which has already occurred? Of course not. Again, this is the sort of thinking that caused Joe Pa and the others to cover up these despicable crimes. They were worried about collateral damage. Sorry, hotel workers, etc., but when you tie your fortunes to a flawed product this can be the result. Do the right thing Penn State. Send a clear message that Penn State is about more than football.</p>
<p>Joe Paterno showed up at penn sate around 1966 I think.</p>
<p>The community, the university and the football program all grew together. Paterno raised his family, his 5 kids went to the local schools nd made friends. He and his wife made friends and stayed. They stayed and unlike many other coaches he stayed with the program and chose to raise his kids and keep his family in one spot… His kids grew up and had kids. They are ingrained in the community like any family that stays in one spot. The university kept giving him a coaching contract. </p>
<p>He was liked and successful. He was also like many leaders who have been in their jobs a long time. He was pushy, demanding, impatient and used to getting his own way. He pushed people around. That is not criminal. Not nice but many successful people are not very nice.</p>
<p>Up until last Thursday no one had any proof that Paterno actually lied. </p>
<p>Well, after 50 years of believing someone is basically good I think people should be given a.
Moment to wrap there heads around the fact that he lied and did a horrible horrible thing by protecting Sandusky.</p>
<p>So this is different from other schools and coaches because of the history of the town and program. It was not a abad situation just different. </p>
<p>No excuses here but the history can help you understand how the community has grown to care about this family.</p>
<p>I’m sorry, Sax–I have loads of respect for you, but I don’t get that. It seems odd, to me anyway, that prior to the Freeh report, no one expected or at least suspected that Paterno had more connection. Even the original McQ testimony suggested that. It just shouldn’t come as a shocking surprise. The hyprocrisy was evident everywhere outside of Happy Valley.</p>
<p>I guess I do see, typing the above, that inside the Valley, that was unthinkable. that is why to many of us, this sounds like a cult.</p>
<p>Edit: And to add–I don’t understand the idea of mourning, or needing to wrap their heads around, or processing time. I’d expect righteous anger at being duped.</p>
<p>I would even be angrier if I found out that someone I trusted had been lying to me for a long time. Happened to me in high school - I hardly ever saw my previously good friend again.</p>
<p>When you believe someone is a good person and you have 50 years of proof that he is a good person you just don’t automatically say oh he’s a horrible horrible man at the drop of a hat.</p>
<p>Heck, I never even liked the guy…ever… But I really wanted to see proof that he did something so bad.</p>
<p>That proof came Thursday. I didn’t know him or his family or his kids or his friends. I don’ t live there. I’m not an alumni. I’m not financially be holding to a town that has 6 huge football weekends a year.</p>
<p>htkt, It’s because i don’t believe that the sins of a few should be validated by punishing everyone. I believe there are better solutions than the short-cut route of wacking the entire program. It will be many years before “the program” has it’s previous luster and it will never be the same program ever…by the very nature of the administrators and the coach the program has been damaged so cutting it out is not going to “save” this situation. It is a knee jerk reaction to make some people feel better but not the best solution. I’m not sure how you can equate that to ‘too big to fail’ they can certainly cut it but that doesn’t fix the problem and just creates more problems and more loss to people who had nothing to do with the problem…the Big 10 isn’t going to fall apart if Penn State doesn’t play football so I’m not sure what your comment about ‘too big to fail’ has to do with this. </p>
<p>I agree with Lasma and have said over and over it’s an administration problem. They were asleep at the switch at the very minimum and ignorant at the best and clearly they didn’t follow common sense or procedure or have any kinds of checks and balances in place.</p>
<p>Finally the ‘product’ if you can call college kids a product which I would not are not flawed – the administration was flawed so really the town was on the backs of those kids…something the administration should have protected which I assume in their ignorance and perhaps some criminality knew they weren’t protecting and turned a blind eye. Even worse was the indirect involvement of kids from a non-profit probably with the knowledge of administration and athletic department. But product…no I wouldn’t call it a product.</p>
<p>Well actually I am financially beholding as PSU educated my son for free on a merit scholarship. </p>
<p>Of course he in turn is making PSU look great because he is one smart cookie and well respected already in his occupation. </p>
<p>He had the best 4 years ever and played in the blue band and had a blast following football like students in all big football schools. He also aced his GRE 's’s so they must be doing something right?</p>
<p>Funny thing…I have visited PSU many times and gone to two football games but I have NEVER even seen the statue.<br>
Really… I can’ t even tell you where it is.</p>
<p>^^ it’s about the kids. Sure they will “survive” without football, but I don’t see why they have to because of the sins of administration. Hopefully someone will have enough common sense to sit down with these intelligent young adults and see what they have to say and what they think should happen over the next years and perhaps that is what administration was “thinking” when they decided not to be reactive this weekend. It would certainly be an inclusive move as opposed to the darkness of closely guarded protectionism.</p>
<p>momofthreeboys: Too big to fail refers to your argument about the economic damage that will be caused if PSU football is shut down. Essentially you are saying that we can’t allow PSU football to fail because too much economic damage will result (to hotel workers and other innocent victims). I say that that is the sort of thinking that got PSU into its current mess - we can’t expose Jerry Sandusky’s crimes because it will damage PSU football. Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do - consequences be damned.</p>
<p>The “flawed product” I was referring to was PSU football. It remains flawed and it is up to Penn State to correct the flaws. This was more than an administrative problem. I am open to a viable alternative to the death penalty - but treating this as merely an administrative problem is not a viable alternative. That does not clearly send the message that needs to be sent - that Penn State is about more than football.</p>
<p>Because the administration showed itself incapable of making any choice that had the potential to harm the football program. They put football first and foremost. And the reaction by the fans and others in PSU-Land in the media, on campus, and on this thread have abundantly shown that football-first thinking is still widespread and is not confined to a few in the administration. </p>
<p>“Football-First” permeates the place. It has induced a blindness that won’t be cured until football goes away, or at least takes a long vacation. Maybe then the Penn State community will regain its perspective and common sense.</p>
<p>" they are bad therefore everyone is bad so we’ll just punish everyone then we can feel better about ourselves. "</p>
<p>This isn’t about anyone feeling better about themselves</p>
<p>I really don’t think that measuring the disappointment of football players , cheerleaders , marching band members or all of the football fans who flock to Beaver Stadium against the victim’s is even remotely fair comparison.</p>
<p>Sexual abuse survivors will suffer for the rest of their lives , even if they are lucky enought to have access to therapy…so really I couldn’t give a **** about the disappointment and suffering about people who want to play a game, watch a game , spin cartwheels at a game, drink beer at a game, or whatever else they get out of it…</p>
<p>It’s time for PSU to focus on their academics and let go of the fantasy for the sake of those innocent boys</p>
<p>Yeah the happy valley thing is not rolling off anyone’s tongue anytime soon. </p>
<p>The people I know that went to pem state are angry that this has happened. I don’t know anyone who is not shocked by the deeds of the top administrators and the athletic dept.they want to make it right and move forward. It is embarrassing that people in power were this heinous and that the board was this inept.</p>
<p>I hope someone investigates corbitt. He is just as guilty.</p>