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| 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.
