Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Why Penn State's JoePa Must Go Now

The Penn State University board of trustees faces a challenging, though not impossible, conundrum. What do they do with JoePa?

The two administrators to whom Joe Paterno reported a sexual abuse incident in 2002 have been formally charged with crimes (perjury and obstruction of justice) because they failed to notify authorities. Paterno, meanwhile, has been officially charged with nothing. This leaves the university to determine exactly what moral culpability and punishment should befall the legendary football coach. 


If you're a fan of Penn State football, the answer to the JoePa question might be as simple as accepting the end-of-season resignation that Paterno has tendered. In an attempt to serve as his own ethics judge and jury, or perhaps just because he's old, tired, and genuinely disappointed in himself, Paterno has indicated his intent to call it quits after the 2011 season, and some think that may be adequate. After all, Paterno apparently met his obligations under the law, and for the last 46 years, the much beloved coach has brought unmatched money, prestige, and class to the university. Not to mention, he is the winningest coach in college football history.  

For many others though, including the university board of trustees, the question that must now be answered is whether or not Joe Pa's self-imposed sentence is as timely and severe a punishment as he deserves.

If the sexual abuse that Paterno reported in 2002 had been limited to one instance with one boy, maybe his retirement offer would be more palatable. The totality of the damage would have already been done, and the consequences of failing to notify the police would still have been tragic, but less so. But it wasn't a singular incident, and the sexual abuses committed by Jerry Sandusky are alleged to have continued with several other boys for at least three years after being originally reported. The simple fact is more young boys were raped, even after the incident was reported to Paterno, because no one had the gumption or good sense to turn the matter over to the police (as required by law). 

The Paterno conundrum may appear complicated at first to the board of trustees, but by asking themselves a few simple questions, they can reduce the issue to its core and see the crystal clear answer. 

Did all this have to happen? What could have stopped it? What are the mental, spiritual, and physical health of one boy's life worth? What about the well-being of eight boys? 

The lives of those boys are worth a hell of a lot more than the reputation of a college football program, more than the prestige of a university, and certainly more than one man's legacy. Sadly, JoePa must go, and he must go now.

4 comments:

  1. When you put it that way, I couldn't agree more. It's too bad that football has some sort of special place in everyone's mind that dictates different rules.

    If I was working in a job for 46 years, and was good at it, and I escalated harassment to assholes that swept it under the rug. You bet your ass if the shit hit the fan, I would be fired. Why would the corporate world and the football world have such different expectations?

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  2. Graysinger - While I was a big Bill Clinton supporter, I asked myself a similar question about the double standard between the corporate world and government during the Lewinsky scandal. If I publicly confessed to having oral sex in my office (with a subordinate employee, no doubt!) when I worked in business, I am pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to get away with an admission and an apology.

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  3. I agree.

    "This is not a case about football. This is not a case about universities. This is a case about children that have had their innocence stolen and a culture that did nothing to stop it or prevent it from happening to others," said State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan.

    As my father taught me as a young girl, you can lose a job, but you should never lose your integrity.

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  4. Kay - Sounds like your daddy had his integrity fully in tact. I hate to see this for a guy who really has done so much for the school and the sport, but the commish was absolutely right - it's not about football or PSU.

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