"My name,"
he told Jay, "I have spent my whole life trying to make that name mean
something. And now it's gone."
An excerpt, taken from Posnanski's biography, Paterno, highlights the only thing on Joe
Paterno’s mind the day after he was fired. Not the kids that were molested, not
the cover-up he and the school’s executive administration tried to conceal, but
his future footprint on college football, Penn State,
and the nation.
It is damning to
see a person of Paterno’s stature and ethics crumble into a self-absorbed cocoon,
wallowing about his tarnished reputation. With the overwhelming evidence
against Paterno, and all those involved in the cover-up, I hold no remorse crucifying
them in word.
For Paterno, a man,
whose reputation was built on educating and coaching young athletes, was tested
on the day he found out about the molestation incidents involving Sandusky. In the end, he failed
not only those kids that were molested, but also the ideals he taught to so
many that pasted through his life.
As a family man,
his family portrayed him as a man with no faults. As a coach, his athletes held
him on a pedestal. Even everyday students attending Penn State
fought and stood by his side.
To reap the rewards
for accomplishments fought hard for, and knowing in the back of your mind a
monstrous crime was being committed, how can you act so humble?
Though justice has
spoken, I hope the nation and universities have learned a lesson; because for
many who suffered under this cover-up, remember what happened at Penn State
until they see their grave.
