My Thoughts on The Penn State/Joe Paterno Situation

Ever since the news broke of former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, I have wanted to write on here about it. I held off on it for awhile as not be swayed by the opinions of others. After I have had time to think over the whole situation on whether Joe Paterno should be fired or not, I can only come to one conclusion and that is Paterno had to be let go.

I can’t remember a scandal in sports that is this sickening. We had Tiger Woods cheating with a bunch of women, and steroids in baseball, but never did I think I would be putting child molestation and sports in the same sentence. What Jerry Sandusky “allegedly” did is just one of the worst things you could do to a person. If he did commit these heinous crimes, he should be in jail for the rest of his life. I think most of us can agree on that. What seems to be dividing people is whether or not Joe Paterno should have been let go. My answer is yes.

Penn State did what it had to. In a sensitive subject like this, every single person involved had to go. If Joe Paterno was told by Mike Mcqueary about Jerry Sandusky showering with a child, and he did not let the police know, he is at fault. He might have told the person he was supposed to, but as a man, and as a human being, he did not do enough. I want to believe Joe Paterno is a better person that that, and he somehow made a lapse in judgement, but I can’t.

Joe Paterno is what made Penn State one of the most storied college football teams around. He generated millions of dollars, sent many players to the NFL, and helped Penn State become a school that people wanted to go to.  In the end I’m afraid, we wont remember him for what he did do, but what he did not do.