Football is a sport, not a venue for heroism.
And that is certainly the case at Penn State, where famed football coach Joe Paterno did nothing short of punt when disturbing reports surfaced of former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky's brutal and abusive attacks on young boys.
There is no excuse, none whatsoever, that will paper over the rampant perversion which was permitted to continued subtly yet pervasively for fifteen years at Penn State.
JoePa did not measure up as a father. No legacy, no matter how measured or fantastic, can ever push away over this wilful moral insanity.
Let the lesson be learned — no one deserves to be remembered in stature, statue, or statute until their passing. JoePa received his exalted status long before his sudden and disgraceful retirement. Why has the world seemed so content to rush forth with praise and honor for those still living? The legacy of men and women must be vetted long before statues get erected, yet the rush to lionize anyone has caused more consternation and embarrassment than anything else.
A serious delusion covered the Penn State community, one which draped nothing but hero-worship on a small man who coached a big team — and a bigger let-down which followed.
The whole thing just reeks from beginning to end.
I do believe that an extended Death Penalty of the football program at Penn State is in order.
Money, power, and prestige have all been compromised. The well-being of our youth, or ourselves, demands that we take seriously the trauma inflicted on our youth.
Some soul-renewing, not just searching, is very much in order. The program must let fall and remain fallow for a period of time. The community needs to reorient its priorities.
Another set of questions must also be considered — why is it so difficult, if not impossible, for leaders to come forward about suspected abuse? Why has the reticence to report remained so strong?
The moral implications of these matters requires a greater degree of attention than has been previously offered.