When coaches become as gods

The Penn State report didn’t
just reveal the audacity of Jerry Sandusky’s crime. It
also destroyed the reputation of Coach Joe Paterno because
there is strong evidence that he knew what was going on,
knew it for years, and did nothing.

Former FBI director Louis Freeh said everybody, right
down to the janitors who saw Sandusky emerge naked from
the shower hand in hand with a 12-year-old, knew that
under Joe Paterno, what happened in the shower stayed in
the shower:

“They were afriad to take on the football program,”
said Freeh. “They said it was like going against the
President of the United States.”

Oh if only! We go after our presidents, but we worship
our winning coaches.

As for what should happen to the Penn State football
program? I hear a lot of calls for the so-called “Death
Penalty,” suspend the football program, ban it from bowl
games, even void its victories.

That sounds a little like punishing Al Qaeda by
invading Iraq.

Sandusky is in jail, probably for life; the president
of the university is gone, and Joe Paterno is dead.

Suspending the program, or nullifying victories
penalizes players who had nothing to do with this!

And if the idea is to punish Penn State for its toxic
football culture? Tell me: What Division I school doesn’t
treat football like a religion?

Penn State will pay a price. The victims and their
lawyers will see to that.

And its football program has already paid a price.
There are even calls to pull down Joe Paterno’s statue.
Although keeping it might be weirdly appropriate. It did
about as much to stop the abuse as he did.

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