Villans, Victims & the Media

Those of you who read my blog know that I am a Penn State Football fan. So what I am writing about needs to be taken into consideration in that light. I grew up twenty five miles from State College. After all sports is often associated with geography. Joe Paterno has been a hero of mine. I have his book Paterno by the Book with his autograph in it. So when the news exploded onto the pages of the headlines about the sexual abuse scandal involving former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky I was shocked, angry & deeply grieved. It is a sad, disturbing time for all of those who followed PSU football. A friend of mine sent me a text last week saying, "This is surreal!" We struggle to know what to think & feel. It seems so unbelievable!

First, I don't know all the facts. At first there seem to be a rush to judgment about Paterno and others named in the grand jury presentment. Even now I don't think we know everything that happened. The experts in the media paint the picture of secrecy and cover-up at Penn State. JoePa being swept up in this storm of controversy. Paterno reported to the Athletic Director about the one incident that was brought to his attention. Many have suggested that he should have done more. He was quoted as saying that in hind sight he should have done more. So it is hard to argue with that suggestion. People will discuss and debate for years about the board's decision to fire Paterno. I definitely have an opinion. Franco Harris disagreed with the board as I do. It would have been better if Paterno had finished the season and then retired as he had previously announced. Instead a firestorm erupted on campus and the scandal deepened.

The victims in the sordid, ugly mess are the ones the media and sports experts overlook. Child sexual abuse is the real storyline here. I don't discount the role administrators and coaches may have played in allowing Sandusky to prey on these kids. If this is true it sickens me! More of us need to do more to fight this insidious disease that blights our culture. I will continue to pray for the victims and their families as they attempt to find healing and peace for their lives. The victims need all the support and love we can give them. If you have ever counseled or talked with a person who has been sexually abused then you have some idea how devastated these people are. The pain, confusion, hurt and loss of innocence can be overwhelming for the victims.

The villan in the scandal is Jerry Sandusky. While there is presumption of innocence in our legal system the evidence in the grand jury presentment is substantial. Most of the discussion on the sports networks, talk shows and in sports media print was directed at Coach Paterno. After listening and watching these experts it became clear that Paterno is the culprit. The media needs to sell advertising and make money so many acted like sharks with blood in the water. I believe there have been a number of people out to rid the college ranks of Paterno. "He is too old. The game has passed him by. He is a figure head." I have heard most of the arguments for "Joe must go." The board now had a good reason to fire Paterno. Maybe they did the right thing. Perhaps I am too loyal to JoePa. But let's keep in mind who the real villan is in this mess. The villan is Jerry Sandusky, not Joe Paterno.

So many faces in the sports media have lost my respect. While JoePa has his faults I see the experts in the world of sports as revealing their true identity. Jesus said, "Out of the abundance the heart the mouth speaks." (Matthew 12:34) It is my view that I learned much more about the sports media from what they said than I did about Joe Paterno. Referring to Paterno as a "dirty old man in a trench coat" does not say much for the sports writer. Calling State College a cult and Joe Paterno a cult leader is no place in sports journalism. The sort of sensational sports journalism hit the airwaves and print media in tsunami proportion last week. It is time for folks to report the facts and let the National Enquirer do the gossip journalism.