Alright, everybody is still talking. All they are doing right now on ESPN is talking about Penn State. The national news led with talking about Penn State. People are praising the NCAA and applauding them for leveling unprecedented penalties on an out-of control program that committed unprecedented crimes. People are still defending JoePa and being outraged that their once proud coach's legacy has been tarnished, and that Penn State will suffer greatly in football over the next decade. The NCAA has been kind of a joke with punishment, a goofball deputy cop that hasn't stopped any of the real problems associated with college football. Hell, just ask the Paterno family. They have been talking to anyone that will listen, saying this entire situation is unfair.
But I am positive any argument you have about how the NCAA overstepped their power or whatever: 1- doesn't matter cause the new president signed a consent form, meaning that if any rich trustee or alum feels like suing and taking this to court, he or she is just wasting his money and time; and 2- can be immediately shouted down by the phrase "They knowingly covered up sexual abuse of children". Barney Fife saw some real criminals, was given an uzi and some RPGs, and unloaded the clip.
The NCAA needed to act. The school needed to bite the bullet and take it. They needed to be punished and they knew it. In the long run, this is good for Penn State. While Joe Paterno was the most powerful and revered figure in Pennsylvania history behind William Penn and Benjamin Franklin, the fact is that he and his "superiors" (I use that in quotes because we know who actually ran that program) did nothing to stop heinous acts by Jerry Sandusky, and went so far as to cover them up to preserve the reputation of Paterno and his program. The university, an excellent ACADEMIC INSTITUTION (in case what we forgot what a university actually is), needed to distance itself from these men and the culture of indifference over justice in which they actively took part.
The school will still be an excellent public university. The other sports will still get a chance to play. Hell, the football team gets to play for the next four years, which considering the offered alternative of a death penalty should make all those who love whiting out Beaver Stadium thrilled. So, if those who insist on shouting how unfair the NCAA was to do this to their beloved football team actually stepped back and put the punishment in context, they wouldn't be upset.
I tend to agree with those that said they got off fairly easily. I think the NCAA could have not only given them the death penalty, but forced the entire program out of the NCAA for a period of time. This would then mean that the school would have to apply for readmission in order to being playing again. The Big Ten (12) could have voted them out of the conference, leaving them as an independent without any conference revenue, which would have an amazingly difficult time negotiating an independent TV deal coming off of such a public and terrible scandal. Again, the fans should be thanking the NCAA for leniency.
Now, more specifically, let us look at the legacy of Joe Paterno. As I said, he covered up abominable acts by his friend for the good of his name and his program. Were he still alive, there is no doubt in my mind that the former coach would be facing serious criminal charges. I am aware that, in his life, he also did some wonderful things. He donated money, he helped the men that played for him gain a valuable education. But the acquiescence and indifference of a good man towards such an abhorrent crime over repeated occurrences is more than enough to overshadow any good that man did.
The statue needed to come down. His name needs to come off of buildings. If it didn't, it would just be a constant reminder of what Paterno and his associates did. It would be shown on TV before every game. They would have to address it every Saturday afternoon until it came down. Now, they can begin to move on. Bill O'Brian can recruit those diehard kids that have wanted to come to Penn State all their lives. They can begin a new tradition of excellence both on and off the field. It will take a while, obviously. It should take a while after what happened. The 10 years of athletic ineptitude that could follow these punishments is only a small beginning in healing the years of torment, torture and shame which the victims of Jerry Sandusky have had to live through.
The punishment is fair. The punishment was right. The punishment of Penn State was necessary.
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