A Long Look in the Mirror

If I were Joe Paterno right now, I would take a long look at myself in the mirror and question my integrity as a human being. I would forget about my 400 wins, my tenured reputation, and my success, and concede that these all mean nothing in the face of cowardice. I would forget about the glory that comes with coaching for over 30 years and try to feel the hurt and anguish that at least one man (and presumably more) feels now and felt several years ago as his innocence was robbed. I would then give up all efforts of trying to get my job back, I’d fire my powerful Washington attorney and immediately schedule a press conference where I apologize to Sandusky’s victim, Penn State and all its fans, and the entire world for my failure to act. I would finally turn to my six children, get down on my knees, and admit to them that I have failed them as a father.

There’s only one problem: Paterno’s got no balls. He isn’t even a shred of a man.

Sandusky himself is a slimy animal that has no hope of redemption. This man got away with raping young boys under the guise of helping them for decades, and now he doesn’t have himself to look at but God. And his cellmate Bubba once he reaches jail, and I’m sure Bubba’s gonna have a whole lotta fun with him. Oh well. Poetic justice, I guess.

Penn State as an institution and all the enablers that allowed Sandusky to get away with his lasciviousness don’t just have a damage control problem to deal with, but an asterisk that will forever brand their rich legacy. Might as well. Winning for them was more important than human lives, so an asterisk is the perfect symbol to define their legacy of shame.

Let this serve as an example for all institutions, schools and otherwise. There’s nothing wrong with success, but a moral imperative always comes first. You can choose to ignore it, but sooner or later it will come back with sound and fury. And by then all your success would have meant nothing. It’ll just be another scrap of useless trivia.


Note: Joe Paterno died today at 85, roughly two months after writing this. My impressions on him haven't changed at all. He wasn't an evil or malicious man, but his lapse in judgment in remaining a friend and colleague of Jeff Sandusky, even after knowing that he'd raped young boys, and never reporting the event to authorities, is epic. I can only hope that he at least learned something before dying. His final verdict rests with God.