I like major college football, though I have no particular interest in Joe Paterno.
There is a media-driven attempt to make this scandal “about” the PSU football program in general and about coach Paterno in particular.
This is because education in general and PSU in particular “celebrate diversity”, and they especially are Gleeful about one particular diversity, which is of course the central element of this case.
Joe P. and the PSU football program have been perceived as “conservative” for years. Joe P. was used as a stage prop by Nixon during his time of troubles. Joe P. has been a loud and public voice for “values” and “honor” in his players, and this has not endeared him to the forces of the zeitgeist.
Now, coach Paterno made a bad mistake in 2002, and he may have made a lot of them in dealing with his friend Sandusky. At best, he was a self-deluded and foolish old man. At worst, he’s known for years and failed to protect little children because he was a greedy SOB making $$ off of PSU football. Perhaps the truth is somewhere in between. (As an aside, I observe that men born in the 1920s often have difficulty dealing with homosexual perversions because they just literally can’t believe that these things occur).
Anyway, the big story here is not Joe Paterno and is not PSU Football, except insofar as candyman Sandusky perverted and used it as candy. This is a story about a multistate multiyear homosexual pedophile ring disguised as a charity, which evaded by one means or another law enforcement at many levels. The DA who had the case may have been murdered. There are suggestions, some of which are credible, that extremely wealthy and extremely powerful people are involved.
Coach Paterno is ashamed and has confessed publicly that he failed, is ashamed, and will retire at the end of the season. Because this reveals a man of honor, we must understand that the idea of voluntarily abandoning his team in midseason was incomprehensible.
The trustees acted hastily, in a panic, and perhaps some of them have reasons for panic. We shall see.
while your post has many excellant points the following one is highly inaccurate....
“Coach Paterno is ashamed and has confessed publicly that he failed, is ashamed, and will retire at the end of the season. Because this reveals a man of honor, we must understand that the idea of voluntarily abandoning his team in midseason was incomprehensible.”
He should have resigned immediately, held a press conference expressing his apology and taking ownership to this nightmare. Instead, he wanted to “finish out the season”...WHAT? Finish out what season, the glory of PSU football? the glory of Paterno’s legacy?
He still has not gotten it. He says hi to the rioting students out side his house and tells them, “thank you, now go home and study.”
but go ahead, and keep apologizing for the great Paterno...blame everyone and everything else ( who all deserve it)...but leave good ole JoePa alone.
“Now, coach Paterno made a bad mistake in 2002, and he may have made a lot of them in dealing with his friend Sandusky.”
Wrong. Coach Paterno made a mistake in 2002, and every day thereafter that he did not confront Sandusky about what happened, and every time he saw Sandusky with a child on his sidelines and never put a stop to it. Paterno is absolutely complicit in this.