Every day families turn on the news and hear horror stories of deranged individuals committing acts of sexual misconduct on people younger than they are. Sexual misconducts are unholy taboos in our country today. Even if a person were to be charged with sexual assault and found not guilty, the black cloud that would hang over that person's reputation would engulf their reputation in scorn for the rest of their days.
People do not want to hear these horror stories, so they turn to the world of sports to provide them with a sense of escapism. The fierce competition, captivating plays, and gratuitous strategy surrounding these games offer an alternative to the harsh realities that exist in our everyday lives.
And then this happened.
The knee jerk reactions to the Penn State scandal were understandable. A seemingly stable football community was torn apart at the seams by allegations that had been strict taboo in this country. Nobody knew how these acts took place for the better part of a decade. But everyone was shocked and furious.
Sandunsky became a demon, Joe Paterno became a scapegoat, and the higher UPS at Penn State were questioned from every angle as to how a coach sexually assaulting young men had gone on unreported.
And somehow Joe Paterno became a victim.
The omnipresent icon of Nitnay Lions football had the support of the appalled community after he had been fired. Students took to the streets drunk and furious that their father of football had been divorced by their school. street posts were knocked down, a television news van was flipped over, and distraught students cried desperately for the return of their beloved Jo Pa.
And why wouldn't they cry?
Paterno had won more college football games in his career than any other head coach in history. Paterno guided his team to three Big Ten championships and two national championships. But most importantly, Paterno had snapped the minds of students who did not turn pro to better their lives after football. But now everything Paterno accomplished in his supreme court justice long run at Penn State had been covered by an inescapable black cloud bigger than any game he ever coached in.
Joe Paterno may not have been the one to commit the deeds, but he did not report his findings to the police. Paterno was not and should have been punished by law for his failure, but the school had to fire him. As a representative to Penn State, Paterno had an obligation report a crime that occurred repeatedly on his watch. Why he did not report see despicable acts is unknown, the consequences for not doing so were made abundantly clear.
With the fire extinguished, the riots over, and Penn State's loss to Nebraska on Saturday, the community now must pick up the pieces. This scandal will not leave the memories of the victims, and will take a while for the rest of the country to forgive those who let this happen. It is hard to imagine that Penn State will return to its prior glory after these events. Paterno's successor will have to take up the daunting task of explaining to parents why their child should attend a school where children were taken advantage of? The answer to that all important question is another question: would you have stopped Jeff Sandunsky if you knew what was going on?
