By: Julio Olmo
“This program was not just built by one man, and this program sure as Hell! is not going to be torn down by one man…this program was built by the Alumni and every single player that came before us…it was built on their backs…(and we’re going to save it!)”, Penn State Senior, Michael Mautin – 2012
Imagine you’ve schedule a job interview. You’re enormously qualified for the position and your resume speaks for itself. The person that’s interviewing you has to be impressed, right?, then…while you sitting there ready to ask
“…When can I start?”
…you get slap on the face with the following question,
“…I see in your resume that you’re a Penn State Alumni…So, what’s the latest on that Sandusky thing?”
Great! You said to yourself…freaking Jerry Sandusky, Again!
That’s what Sandusky’s name has done to Penn State University. It has destroyed it’s reputation.
Make no mistake, Joe Paterno died of a broken heart.
He was like an architect who designed and built beautiful buildings his entire life, but will always be remembered for the one building which collapsed.
The child molesting scandal affected everybody involved with Penn State University and it will continue to do so for years to come. The stain of it will follow the victims, the alumni, current and future students alike for a long, long time.
It doesn’t matter who finally burdens the blame because at the end of the day, the scandal affected everyone.
Paterno spend his entire life building and nurturing a Division I program which was second to none in the nation and Sandusky kicked dirt on his life’s work.
Penn State University said it all in a statement when they removed Paterno’s statue,
“ (It) has become a source of division and an obstacle to healing.”
“ (We) believe that, were it ( Joe Paterno’s Statute ) to remain, the statute will be a recurring wound to the multitude of individuals across the nation and beyond who have been the victims of child abuse,”
The University was determined to fix the huge public black eye the scandal had become.
Endowments, buildings, statues and awards were all being rename or remove, Penn State was really trying to distance itself as far as it could from the name Joe Paterno at the time.
The Man who Protected a Predator!
Former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Louis Freeh laid it all out on a detailed criminal report for the entire nation to see and astronomical sanctions were handed down by the NCAA afterwards, as it became 2012’s Biggest Scandal…Complete & Total Institutional Failure!
Joe Paterno and others conspired to hide evidences of the crimes and they also allowed the criminal – Jerry Sandusky – to continue his despicable pedophile behavior for years without any fear of punishment, while they and Penn State University financially prospered.
Current students and Alumni were equally outraged…human beings had been brutalize for years! but, Joe Paterno and his Football Program just ignore it all..in order to continue to benefit financially.
Paterno thought generating revenue from winning games, going to a Bowl or playing on Television were far more important than to protect the rights of innocent human beings.
Joe Paterno even tried to justify his non-actions just about the time the scandal started to break out with the lamest excuse ever,
‘’I have decided to announce my retirement effective at the end of this season. At this moment the Board of Trustees should not spend a single minute discussing my status. They have far more important matters to address. I want to make this as easy for them as I possibly can,’’ ‘’This is a tragedy. It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.’’
The old man was way in over his head, he was under the impression that the “Media Army” camping out in front of his house was going to throw softball questions at him and just give him a pass.
The Board of Directors of Penn State University should had whisked the whole Paterno family away from media the army and out respect for all the things he’d done for the school, privately ask him for his resignation.
Instead!…The Board Directors fired the legendary Coach immediately and left him twisting in the wind to fend for himself.
A telephone call and it was over, just like that…a reputation in ashes and a legacy in ruins.
Joe Pop shortly after die of a broken heart…
Freaking Jerry Sandusky!