The Paterno scapegoating disgrace

Joe Paterno was the number one class act in sports. No one has ever indicated that Mr. Paterno was not genuine or a liar. There was not a phony bone in his body. He was there for his players and their families whenever they needed him and they loved him for it.

Faculty, students and more than 800 former players came from the four corners of our country. His memorial service at State College had a capacity crowd of 12,000 and many more thousands lined the streets for his funeral to pay tribute to him.

A former Penn State and NFL player, Mark Robinson, related two stories that show why his college coach was so beloved. While he was a student at Penn State during the 1980s Robinson's father died. Paterno attended the father's funeral to give him support, which surprised Robinson who thought it above and beyond the call of duty. Last January Robinson attended Paterno's final bowl game practice. He introduced his daughter to Mr. Paterno. Even after 30 years, Mr. Paterno asked Mark Robinson how his mother was doing using her first name, Jean.

Paterno was totally dedicated to his family and his teaching. He was so intent on his job that players remarked he was able to critique players on the other side of the playing field. He was a teacher of honor more than just a coach. He maintained one of the top GPA and graduate rates of any university and produced 47 All American football players. Joe Pa impacted people on the playing field, the campus and throughout the country.

In the last two months Mr. Paterno was hounded by the media to comment publicly on the shameful way he was dismissed. His usual gentlemanly response was given even during this cruel experience. He said he was thankful for the opportunity he had to touch so many lives. He never lowered himself to complaining like most of us would have done.

The Sandusky scandal would have been a blip on the media scene like the recent one at Syracuse University's basketball program. Once Paterno's name was cynically injected into the case it was no longer about Sandusky, the sexual predator. It was about a famous and honorable man's fall from grace. This criminal sex case went from local to an international story.

The sexual abuse by Sandusky became the story of Joe Pa's callous self-promoting of his program at the cost of not protecting innocent children in the Penn State community and his unworthiness to any longer be viewed as a noble person. According to the media and political hacks, he did not do anything illegal but he did not meet "their" moral responsibilities.

Yet the Board of Trustees, employees at the Second Mile Foundation; the head of the State Police, Kevin Harley who knew the allegations against Sandusky for years; inside sports personnel who heard rumors of sexual misconduct; and especially Gov. Corbett, the most knowledgeable hypocrite of this travesty were not held to that same standard. Instead only Mr. Paterno was selected to be crucified.

Tom Corbett, the governor of Pennsylvania, went on television immediately after Paterno's firing to righteously defend the Board of Trustees, of which he is a member, and to justify the disgusting manner of dismissing Mr. Paterno without dignity or due process.

The media failed to highlight the fact that Gov. Corbett was the attorney general who headed the two-year investigation of Mr. Sandusky before winning his governorship. He chose to do nothing to protect innocent children by putting Mr. Sandusky behind bars. Just before the scandal broke the governor awarded Mr. Sandusky's organization "Second Mile," a $3 million grant.

The media's hand in this debacle is equally stained. Many in the media knew of the Sandusky rumors for 16 years and did not push for a major investigation. The press had to have learned of Gov. Corbett's self-protection angle but self-righteously continued down the Paterno narrative. This self-serving dereliction of duty continues to protect their previous actions. The media commentators say over and over again that Paterno said he wished he had done more. They did this as if they were attempting to convince us that Mr. Paterno was making an admission of guilt.

In fact in his resignation statement Paterno actually said the following: "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 addition of the word hindsight changes the entire meaning. Mr. Paterno, like all of us would change many of our actions if we could see the future.

Joe Paterno's resignation statement was again him being his usual humble self. He did not defend or blame anyone else for the despicable way he was treated. He politely refused to play prosecutor and law enforcer in the Sandusky saga but noted the abuse of children was a horrific act.

Mr. Paterno did everything he should have done in this situation. He reported the allegation he received second hand to school officials and to the campus police. He never eye-witnessed any act on a child. All his knowledge and that of a multitude of others were hearsay rumors.

Mr. Paterno was selected as the fall guy in the Penn State scandal because his legendary status cast a big shadow for irresponsible and incompetent public servants to hide behind. The fall from the mountaintop of his incredible accomplishments and honorable behavior made a better storyline for the media to captivate a large audience for the media to take down another national hero.

Time passing and the facts of the case surfacing will change the narrative. Joe Pa will rightfully be exonerated and restored to his earned status as a kind, honorable role model and father figure to many.