Should Paterno's Statue at Penn State University Be Allowed to Remain Standing?

            An ongoing topic of conversation now for many months has been the situation that has come to light at Penn State. Unless you have been living in a cave for the past six or so months (how long has this story been in the news, again?), you probably have heard about it by now, because although this relates specifically to some football coaches and their actions, or rather, inactions, the issue at hand, and the questions that have been raised, far transcend football, or sports in general.

            Of course, I am referring to the Sandusky case and, by now, almost everyone is familiar with the case.  Sandusky was apparently molesting boys, and a few people within the Penn State organization, most notably Joe Paterno, were aware of the situation and probably could have done something to prevent further suffering. Yet, it was allowed to continue, when it should have been stopped.

            It was thought that Joe Paterno did not know full details, even though he did acknowledge, in retrospect, that he should have done more to interfere, and put a stop to unnecessary suffering.

            The big news to have just come out in the case, however, is a bit more damning than that.

            Ultimately, the Penn State iconic coach of four decades knew about it for years and years, yet let it go on, apparently because he wanted to protect the name and reputation of Penn State, as well as protecting himself and Sandusky.

            Former FBI director Louis Freeh led the investigation, and did not take an apologetic tone, nor hold back any.

            "The facts are the facts," he said. Paterno "was an integral part of the act to conceal."

            Paterno is not the one who actually did the abusing, nor is he the only party that is blamed. Yet, as the head coach at Penn State, he was in charge of the operation there, and all of this happened under his watch. He knew about what was going on, of that there can be no more doubts.

            He was aware of what was going on, and he did nothing. He made no moves, other than to apparently sweep it under the rug and hope it went away. He continued to work with Sandusky, knowing what the man was, knowing what he was doing, the pain he was causing. At any point, he could have ended it, and let the authorities aware of the situation. It could have prevented suffering, and although it would have not cast a positive spotlight for Penn State, I would assume that it would have been seen as the actions of one man, albeit a famous man, in Sandusky. Paterno would have done the right thing and, although it is an obviously uncomfortable topic, nobody would have blamed him, or Penn State, for that matter, for the unfortunate events.

            Now, things obviously are too far gone for any of that. The question no longer is how much did Paterno know, and how much of the responsibility then falls on his shoulder.

            The question now is more one of his legacy, and just how tarnished it will be. Perhaps, to put it more succinctly, did Paterno essentially ruin his reputation. He was raised almost to the level of a divinity at Penn State (yes, I realize just how high such praise is, and no, I do not take that word back).

            Now, he becomes a symbol of something entirely different, and a lot less flattering, at that.

            Paterno knew of the activities that Sandusky was accused of, and from several sources.

At one point, Mike McQueary, a former quarterback and graduate assistant, had walked in on Sandusky in the Penn State locker room showers with a young boy, and McQueary had informed Paterno about it. That was in January of 2011, and the locker room was supposed to have been closed then. Paterno was told that there had been fondling and other sexual activity. But nothing happened after Paterno was told. Nothing changed, and Sandusky was not seriously reprimanded. No authorities were notified. It was allowed to slide.

Now, according to this latest report, Paterno had been informed of allegations against Sandusky in a similar incident back in 1998, thirteen years before that latest incident. That was apparently verified by emails, and it means that Paterno was apparently lying in court, as he claimed that he was unaware of any prior incidents.

"I do not know of anything else that Jerry would be involved in of that nature, no." Paterno said under oath.

This report suggests otherwise.

Suddenly, Paterno will be more likely remembered for an entirely different legacy than the much more positive one he had built for himself over the course of four decades as head coach of the successful Penn State football program.

If any doubts remained about Paterno's awareness of Sandusky's behavior lingered, then a handwritten response to Sandusky's request for access into Penn State's locker room and facilities following his 1999 retirement proves Paterno's culpability. In reference to Sandusky's charity "2^nd Miles Kids", Paterno wrote: "Is this for personal use or 2^nd Mile kids? Liability problem."

That suggests an obvious knowledge not only of Sandusky's activities, but the possibility of the damage it would do for the reputation of Penn State University and it's highly esteemed football program.

Ironically, even though the utmost effort was made by Paterno and his crew to cover this whole episode up in hopes of protecting the reputation of everyone at Penn State, the damage now is far more permanent, precisely because of the cover up. Paterno will never manage to clear his name, since he died within a couple of months of this whole controversy blowing up. I will admit that the thought that he might have died of shame, quite literally, entered my brain, and seems like a distinct possibility. Paterno was the active head coach of the Nittany Lions until late last season.

According to this FBI report, which is now popularly known as "The Freeh Report", Paterno played the critical role in not allowing news to spread to the proper authorities, which would have put an end to the whole thing. The cover up speaks poorly for all parties involved, and the Freeh Report blames Paterno as the main reason that it was allowed to continue.

As I was driving last night, there was a bit of talk on the radio about (what else?) the whole situation at Penn State. Specifically, the question was whether or not the statue of Joe Paterno on the campus should be taken down, or if perhaps it should be allowed to remain standing.

The arguments for keeping it seemed to be in the majority, although it was not a wide majority (around 60-40). That said, many of the people in favor of keeping the statue seemed to respond angrily.

            I can understand that argument on both sides, and can sympathize with people who feel that the statue should be allowed to stand. Mostly, they were saying that Paterno's accomplishments and contributions were so great, that Penn State would not be where it is and what it is without him.

            That may be true.

What is also true and undeniable is that Paterno lied at some point, and all of the evidence suggests that Paterno knew about what was going on for many years, yet did nothing to stop abusive behavior by Sandusky. As a result of his actions (or inactions, if you will), children were allowed to suffer. Paterno was prepared to let them suffer, these helpless victims, in order that the Penn State University football program, and the university as a whole, could continue to thrive, which it did.

At least, until now. Because things are very different with Penn State now. This was an ugly, ugly incidence, and the reputation of Penn State not only has suffered, but will continue to suffer for a long time to come. No matter what the people in charge of such decisions ultimately choose, either to keep the statue up, or tear it down, it ultimately will not likely change the tarnished reputation that the school now suffers from.

Personally, I think that the school would likely do best to take the statue down. Given the scale of these crimes (I do not use this word "crime" lightly here), Paterno does not deserve to continue to be idolized as a symbol of excellence and success at Penn State. Moreover, continuing to idolize him, given the nature and scale of these abuses that he allowed to happen in a very real sense, will ultimately do far more damage to the school than anything else. I think people are understandable shocked and angry because this story blew up so quickly and publicly, and caught like a wildfire. Before too long, it was out of anyone's control. These people have a right to voice their opinions, and they are not wrong to be shocked and angry. However, claiming that the statue should continue to stand is, I believe, wrong for several reasons, and not least of which is the very reason that Paterno continued to do what he did to tarnish his legacy forever: namely, to sweep it all under the rug and pretend that it does not exist.

That is the reason specifically why Paterno's statue should be taken down, in my opinion. But furthermore, just the principle of this iconization of celebrities, particularly of sports figures. It just seems to go too far, and people lose sight of any humanity behind the image.

For far too long, people indulged in the notion that Paterno was like a God at penn State. He was a larger than life figure, and could do no wrong. The statue was very famous, a local landmark. It stood for something that Penn State students, alumni, and faculty, as well as simply Penn State fans, could be proud of. But that meaning has been taken from them. Some might blame the media, or Sandusky, or whoever else they choose to blame. But if Paterno were still alive today, he likely would have nobody to blame but himself.

Paterno is not infallible. Neither are any of the other celebrities that have, at one time or another, and for one reason or another, suddenly become larger than life figures. Sometimes, a celebrity falls, starts doing some questionable things, perhaps even some stupid or self-destructive things, and the public gobbles the story up, seemingly taking joy in the pain of another human being. We seem to like building people up, and then seeing them crash and burn back down to Earth, just like the rest of us. Perhaps even lower than the rest of us. Look at the examples of Mike Tyson, or Michael Jackson, or Whitney Houston, or Britney Spears, just to name a few off the top of my head. Look at the how much news actor Robert Downey, Jr. generated with his very public drug problems. Look at some prominent politicians, too numerous to mention, frankly. The most recent such public disgrace of a very prominent politician was that of Dominique Strauss Kahn. They have all been deified, and so many have fallen, never to fully recover again. But none of them had statues standing in their honor, but they had been highly regarded, in their day, at their peak, and made to look more than human. Somehow or other, they were more perfect. Maybe they were gifted athletes,

But, of course, they are just human beings, capable of making mistakes. We all make mistakes, after all. Joe Paterno made a mistake – a huge one. And when you really think about it, he probably did it precisely to preserve his own deification and continued success. Innocent children were allowed to suffer in order to feed the monster of a good public image, like sacrificial victims given to a hungry, devouring god. These children were allowed to suffer so that this public image could continue to thrive. Now, that the bottom has fallen out from underneath, the images of those involved are left to hang in the gallows.

If that is the case, how could that statue possibly be left to stand, when such deification and idol worship was likely the cause of this problem and now very public shame to begin with? Was the reputation of Paterno or Penn State unfairly diminished? Some things are bigger than sports, such as true human suffering and cruelty. When such things wake up the public conscience, perhaps we should not fight it, but yield to it, and allow it as an opportunity to gain perspective on life, and the things that truly matter. Was Coach Paterno's reputation, or even Penn State's reputation, so important that this crime should have been allowed to continue? That is a question that we might ask the true victims in this case, the abused children. Maybe they have something to say about it now, since their suffering was in silence for so long. 

Below is a link to a very fascinating article that really makes you think, and which I borrowed the quotes in this piece from:

Joe Paterno's New Legacy: Coach Turned His Back on Helpless Boys to Protect Himself and Sandusky by Dan Wetzel

            http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ncaaf--joe-paterno-blame-freeh-report-jerry-sandusky-penn-state-tarnished-legacy.html