Mike McQueary's Future at Penn State

Mike McQueary (red hair) alongside Joe Paterno.

Citing threats against Mike McQueary, Penn State has wisely announced that the team's wide receiver coach will not be on the sidelines for the Nittany Lions home game on Saturday against Nebraska. I agree with this decision, and I believe it is in the best interests of everyone involved that McQueary not be a visible presence in the Penn State football program for the rest of 2011.

Part of me can't help but feel sorry for McQueary who seems to be increasingly swirling alone at the center of the Penn State sex abuse scandal. His life has been utterly derailed, and it's likely that his conscience was forever scarred from the moment he left that shower room, all because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or more correctly, all because of what he didn't do when he found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time.

As far as what happens next, I'm torn. Mike McQueary did not sexually abuse kids; he witnessed the molestation of a young boy by a 58 year-old man. Mike McQueary didn't commit the horrific act, nor did he even choose the circumstances of its discovery. In the face of an unimaginably hellish moment, Mike McQueary didn't do the right thing, but he did do something. Still, I can't get past the fact that he was there. And he didn't stop it.

In his Slate magazine article about McQueary, Josh Levin has perhaps best captured the feelings of so many of us. "In the end, it's possible to comprehend Mike McQueary's actions, but it is impossible to rationalize them."

McQueary's long-term future at Penn State has not yet been announced, and there are reasonable arguments to be made in favor of not punishing the original whistleblower, beyond the likely internal anguish and awful public rebuke he is suffering now. Though he had the opportunity to unlock an escape hatch out of this nightmare, a luxury that was certainly not afforded to the boys who were so brutally molested, Mike McQueary is in some way a secondary victim of the awful crimes committed by Jerry Sandusky. Whatever is decided by the university or by McQueary himself, the road ahead will no doubt be long and difficult for him.

UPDATED: Why JoePa Had To Go Now

Legendary Penn State coach Joe "JoePa" Paterno

The Penn State University Board of Trustees faced a nearly impossible no-win conundrum as they considered what to do with Joe Paterno. In the end, they fired the legendary coach, and that was exactly the right thing to do.

The two administrators to whom 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, was officially charged with nothing. This left the university to determine exactly what moral culpability and punishment should befall the much beloved coach, who led one of the most storied programs in college football for nearly half a century.

If you're a fan of Penn State football, the answer to the JoePa question might have been as simple as accepting the end-of-season resignation that Paterno 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 had indicated his intent to call it quits after the 2011 season, and some think that decision held JoePa adequately accountable. After all, Paterno had apparently met his obligations under the law, and for the last 46 years, the 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 had to be asked and answered next is whether or not Joe Pa's self-imposed sentence was as timely and severe a punishment as he deserved.

If the sexual abuse that Paterno reported to his bosses in 2002 had been limited to one instance with one boy, maybe his retirement offer would have been sufficient. 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, but by considering a few simple questions, the issue is reduced to its core, and the only possible answer to the question "what do we do with JoePa" becomes crystal clear. 

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? 

Because of the failure of Paterno and others to act responsibly, more young boys were raped by Jerry Sandusky. 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 had to go, and he had to go now. 

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.