What I Think Now

With the recent events surrounding the Penn State Football Program people ask me what I think about the sanctions the NCAA handed out on Monday. (7/23/12) For me it will be a day that lives in infamy! For the record I do believe the big four: Paterno, Curley, Schultz and Spanair did not do enough to investigate the allegations regarding convicted pedophile, Jerry Sandusky. Clearly the authorities should have been contacted. I hate what happened to the victims of Sandusky. To me he is the villain in this ugly, messy narrative. I will continue to pray for the victims and their families. May God grant them peace, healing and a full recovery from the sins of a very disturbed and evil man.

I am not convinced that all of the conclusions and opinions within the Freeh Report are the final word. The media and much of the public will see the report as gospel. To imagine Joe Paterno or any of the others would knowingly endanger children by "protecting" Sandusky is beyond comprehension. I am not buying everything Free said about these men. Watching Joe Paterno for over 40 years has given me a perspective that I think the critics and judges have overlooked. If Paterno was guilty of anything it might have been denial. He just couldn't believe his long-time assistant coach could be preying upon young boys. This is completely foreign to the way he approached life. Even after McQueary reported the incident in the shower Joe did not want to believe his ears. At this point we simply do not have all the facts. Therefore, we don't know the entire story! My hope is we will one day know the whole story, if that is possible. I am disappointed in Joe Paterno and the others. But that does not diminish his accomplishments as a coach, teacher, husband, father, philanthropist and humanitarian.

As far as NCAA is concerned I am not sure according to their own by-laws they had the authority to sanction the football team. A week before the sanctions in the Centre Daily Times Guy Cipriano wrote a piece that people shouldn't expect much in terms of sanctions because the program had not violated any by-laws. How exactly did the alleged cover-up extend an advantage to the football team? It is not like they paid players or fudged grades or formed a slush fund. The rules are in place to maintain the integrity of the game. In my view the media unleashed such a flood of judgment upon the football program coupled with the egregious nature of what Sandusky had done to at least one young boy in the football building led the NCAA to hammer the football program. They wanted to send a message. It was actually more about revenge than justice. They accepted the Freeh Report without due process given to the accused and reacted. Or should I say overreacted? The NCAA got this one wrong! I can live with the fine but the loss of scholarships and the removal of wins was way over the top. In fact, taking away the wins demonstrates how petty the NCAA really is!

I sent an email to the president of the NCAA to let him know I felt. It was brief, negative and to the point. I have no respect for those folks. I really hope that the organization would go away but that is not likely to happen. It does need major reforms. But with the present leadership I don't imagine that will happen. They slap some teams and schools on the wrist for major violations. In the case of Cam Newton they completely dropped the ball. I understand why they believed the sanctions were necessary. I simply don't agree with them.

I have learned that people we hold up as role models do fail. Maybe I have been too invested in the PSU football program. That is something I am presently in the process of looking at. But I also have observed what happens when a major sports figure falls and how the world transforms into sharks with blood in the water. I am not naive. The world is a vicious place. Taking down the statue was symbolism over substance. I tend to believe Mr. Freeh had a job to do and that was to justify the actions of the board, namely, firing Joe. There is no way I can ever prove that theory. But there are some things about the report I don't get. Why was McQueary not interviewed? How do you not include the key witness for the prosecution in the case that convicted Sandusky? The Paterno family was never interviewed. Why? Then there is the leaking of one email that implies Joe talked Curley into waiting to take the allegation to the police. But what did Joe actually say? Do we know?

We simply do not know all the facts. I am waiting...