Joe Paterno, the legendary footbal coach of Penn State University has died at the age of 85 after being relieved of his duties under the wake of the Jerry Sandusky sex scandal involving young boys. Let's put this aside for the moment and understand just who JoePa was in the grand scheme of things. Joe was the NCAA all-time winningest football coach with 409 career victories in 46 years as a head coach. He coached at Penn St. for 61 years altogether and built a monumental program that will most likely never be seen again in any lifetime. Paterno took his team to 39 bowl games and saw over 250 players from his program move on to the NFL. Joe lived on campus, donated millions of dollars back to Penn St. in many facets, and indelibly touched the lives of many individuals throughout his life in a positive and personal level. JoePa WAS Penn St. He lived for Penn St. He was probably one of the most influential and powerful men who the collegiate sports world has ever seen.
Paterno, on a political level could sway votes within the state, and was responsible for most, if not all of the hirings from president of Penn St. on down to the coaching staff. To say the least, JoePa should be lauded for all that he had done for the Penn St. football program, as well as the university itself. Yet for all of the good that he had done, for all that he had accomplished, there was one moment in his life where Joe could've been a true hero. There was that one moment where Joe could've saved the Penn St. "brand" from a monumental failing. It was all about the "brand" for Paterno and the insular community that he had built. Nothing more, nothing less. If JoePa had come out in 1998 and confronted the allegations of Jerry Sandusky and taken control, that very "brand" would've been saved because Joe would've been looked at as a hero for stopping the monstrous abusing of innocent children.
Joe Paterno would have been lauded by the community and the sports world as a hero that would not allow innocent children to be hurt and molested under his watch. Instead, JoePa decided to bury the paperwork, force the retirement of Sandusky and hope that it would never resurface under his watch. Joe decided to allow that monster to roam the very campus that he was supposedly banned from WITH children, even as recently as 2007 in a closed practice. Joe decided to ignore McQueary and his claim of walking in on Sandusky and a boy in the shower in the Penn St. locker room in 2002. Joe Paterno had not one chance to stop this evil man, but several. Yet, the great hero, the wonderful man, the monument that was Penn St.decided to let evil walk amongst his university. That hero turned into a goat and faltered because of the "brand" that he was trying to protect.
So, in these final thoughts of Joe Paterno, it is human to feel sorry for the loss that his family has now incurred. It is natural to remember the good that he had done for so long as a leader in the Penn St. community at Happy Valley. It may also be easy for all of us to say our goodbyes to a man that many looked to as a mentor and friend. Yet, for all of this, it is also not easy to feel sorry for a man that would not protect our most valuable resource as a country--our children. JoePa might have been many things to many people over the course of his 85 years, but one thing he was not, was a hero to the boys that needed him most. Only Joe Paterno knows if he could've done more for those battered and abused boys. Only Joe Paterno knows if he, himself, will rest in peace.
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