I take my hat off to the life which Joe Paterno lived and all the people he helped during his life. I know quite a few people are saying that we shouldn’t give him credit for all the positive things he did in his life because he made a huge mistake in the handling of the Jerry Sandusky situation.
But that doesn’t make sense to me because there are no perfect people. We have all done things wrong. Paterno admitted that he should have done more about the Sandusky molestation accusations. The fact that he admitted that says a lot to me about the kind of person he was.
I think we have to acknowledge both the good and the bad.
“He that is without sin, cast the first stone”. We’ve all made mistakes, but people just don’t know about them. Show me somebody who people think is perfect and I’ll show you that they’re not.
Despite the fact that I’m willing to forgive Paterno doesn’t mean that he should have kept his job.
I can understand why the people running things at Penn State fired him, but they could have done in a fairer way. They should have brought him in and got his side of the story. They didn’t bother doing any investigation of their own to see what had happened. They all made sure they covered their butts. Everybody making plenty of money, so the first thing to do is protect the money.
That’s why I have a problem with college sports, it’s all about the money. They fired Joe Paterno because this scandal and his negligence in it was going to threaten the money. They could care less about the kids, whether they be the kids who were molested or the young men on the football team.
The reason so many people looked the other way was because of the money. I don’t believe it was Paterno’s reason, but it’s the reason everybody in the school hierarchy looked the other way.
These people are making millions of dollars off of the football program. I’ve heard that they gross $100 million a year and make a profit of $50 million a year off of the PSU football program. Are any of them going to jeopardize that? No.
I’ve known tens of players from Penn State and all of them speak very highly of Paterno because they believe he was fair to them and really cared about them as people. That says something to me. Should he have done more in the Sandusky scandal, yes.
But that doesn’t erase the more than 60 years he gave of himself. How many people have you helped? Being a critic is easy to do, that’s why so many do it. Paterno’s mistake doesn’t take away from the integrity which he taught hundreds of thousands of youngsters to try to live by.
If you ask me they should clear out the entire board. All of them need to be fire because from what I hear, everybody in the system knew about the Sandusky scandal.
On another note, somebody tell me why Sandusky is making comments? This man is truly sick.
I was concerned that this scandal and his firing would cost Paterno his life and it did. It had to majorly affect his will to live.
Join me tonight at 10pm on 94WIP and we’ll talk to somebody who was the hospital room in the last few hours with Joe Paterno.
G, Its not even close! Every single one of us made decisions where we now look back n say, i wish i would of done this or not done that, how many times did u write an article about someone and later on wish you didnt say a certain thing? No i dont think it will erase his good deeds, i know the situations are not even close but look at Muhammad Ail, heres a man who is one of the most beloved people in this country today and world for that matter, when he refused to enter the draft he was one of the most dispised people in this country, does that define him today comparied to all his good deeds? Dont think so and neither will it with Paterno.
No matter how many lives he touched and influenced because of his inactions or worse, there are lives of children that have been ruined. So to answer the headline’s question, in my eyes, YES!
very powerful post Mr. Cobb
“From Great Men and Leaders, Great things are Expected..”
Unfortunately, in his biggest moment to protect the lives of innocent children..this Grand Man and Life Long Educator failed to take the necessary action to see that this would never happen again, at least under his watch,in his University… Maybe he just didn’t want to believe that a close associate was capable of doing such haenous acts, but the bottom line is that Joe Paterno failed to act as you would expect a Great Leader and Educator to act as he had demonstrated for so many years in so many areas before..
Maybe this just plain denial that his friend could do such an unthinkable act was somewhow Joe Pa compartmentalized this by having Sandusky announce his resignaton in 1999 amid other molestation and improper behavior charges but that fact that the big story is about the incident occured in 2002 with Sandusky and the Boy at the the Penn State Showers on University Property and witnessed by a Assoicuate Coach (McQueary) is further proof that this “Denial”, “Look the other way” or “Just don’t want to believe it” or whatever you want to call it was still going in for Joe Paterno and the entire University…
This my friends will unfortunately be how he will be remembered ,
As a Great Man who failed to Act in the time of Greatest Need…
Maybe we can ask al the Victims of Sandusky on how they feel about Joe Paterno..
You can’t have it one way & not the other. You can’t say he was a great man & totally turn a blind eye towards his inactions or follow up, what ever you want to call it. Just as you can’t say he was a good man his whole life, & now is a bad man because of the disgraceful cover-up. They will & should go hand & hand. He did many good things, but when the chips were down, he dropped the ball, & turned a blind eye & looked the other way to protect his precious school & his legacy. It happened! Wait for the details to come out with the investigation & trial. Sandusky didn’t retire & get blackballed in his prime, for no reason! The ex-prosecutor didn’t disappear for no reason! The cover-up didn’t happen for no reason! Joe Pa didn’t put his house in his wifes name out of blue for no reason! Be real people, it happened & they all knew. Anyone who thinks otherwise is an excuse making, delusional, cultist, who is in denial.