Penn State Article

I recently wrote an article about what is transpiring at Penn State. I thought I'd share:

"One eye smaller than the other. A single hair leaping from his ear. Wrinkles aplenty. A yellow ear. These are the haunting images of Jerry Sandusky. While there are some questions on what the legacy of Joe Paterno will be, there are no questions on the legacy of Sandusky. It all began in 1994 and hopefully, it is all over now. However, it will remain etched into the mind of everyone, not just sports fans, forever.
At least eight boys suffered from the malicious acts of the terrible former Penn State coach that is Jerry Sandusky. Sandusky is sixty-eight years old and on June 22, 2012, he was convicted of forty-five out of forty-eight charges against him. He will die in prison due to the fact that he will be in jail for either the minimum amount of years on his sentencing, sixty, or the maximum, four hundred and forty-two.
If you search for Jerry Sandusky on Google, Joe Paterno's name is suggested to also be searched for, and for good reason. On the ninth of November in 2011, Joe Paterno, considered by some to be the greatest coach, if not, the greatest college football coach, of all time, was fired by Pennsylvania State University. He was fired for not doing enough to help the victims of Sandusky's sexual abuse acts. Paterno said that "with the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more." Why didn't he?
The firing of Paterno proved how uninformed so many people were on this sexual abuse scandal at Penn State. On the eighth of November, a large amount of Penn State students protested outside of the Paterno household. Joe Paterno responded to the students outside by requesting that they send a prayer to the victims of Sandusky. The crowd chanted "Let Joe Stay" and then Paterno made a mistake in chanting "We Are Penn State."
No criminal charges were filed against Joe Paterno like they were against Sandusky because he is dead. Joe Paterno is dead. He died on January 22, 2012. That's it. Paterno is dead. Many thought that would be his legacy. That his place in Penn State and sports history were cemented with a small blemish. That would not be the case.
The Freeh Report pushed Joe Paterno's legacy to the brink of negativity when his words echoed -- and will continue to echo -- throughout the world for years to come. "The most powerful man at Penn State failed to take any steps for fourteen years to protect children whom Sandusky victimized."
Immediately, ideas were circling around Penn State about what to do and what not to do with Joe Paterno's impact on the university. Should they remove the Paterno name from the library? Should his statue be taken down? What do you do in an unprecedented situation? How do you respond? The statue of Paterno was removed on July 22, 2012. A blue tarp went up around the area and by the end of the day, it was gone. The players behind him, the words inscribed were all gone. Educator. Coach. Humanitarian. No longer.
Now Penn State has to face the aftermath. They are on five year probation with a four year ban from the postseason. 112 wins from 1998 to 2011 are gone, like they never even happened. A sixty million dollar fine was implemented. Forty scholarships were taken away from the Nittany Lions. There's more to it, though. Joe Paterno, the school's once larger-than-life figure, will be looked at in disgust. Sandusky even more so. The reputation of Penn State is as bad as it can get. How does a school regroup after they just changed the shape of the sports landscape for the worse and forever?"


What do you think?