At 9 a.m. Monday morning, the NCAA dropped a bomb on State College, Pennsylvania. People are going to needlessly argue for years whether or not the NCAA overstepped their bounds by levying penalties. I’m sure you can go to many different news outlets to support what side of that equation you believe. I’m not here to argue about that today.
Edmund Burke once famously quipped, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” That is what happened at State College in 1998 and 2001 that ultimately led to the NCAA’s verdict today. It had nothing to do with the young men playing football today, but everything to do with those who were chosen to lead them. Because Joe Paterno and others did not speak up and do what was right in 1998 or 2001, Jerry Sandusky was able to continue to prey on children for many more years. He chose to help cover up the crimes to protect the things he held most dear, his prestigious football program and legacy.
In the end, I’m sure he thought these things that had been swept under the rug and would never see the light of day. If it weren’t for outside incidents off the State College campus, they might have stayed hidden. Joe Paterno would have stayed a celebrated man for doing things “the right way” and rode off into the sunset. Instead his legacy is irreparably damaged and all his record setting feats are now vacated. It is as if Joe Paterno became the tragic character Faust; who sold his soul to the devil to achieve greatness only to be undone in the end.
Until November of last year, Joe Paterno stood for everything that was right in college football and college sports for that matter. He was worshiped by his own fan base and greatly admired by everyone else. He already had a statue celebrating everything he did for his beloved program outside Beaver Stadium. In the end, Joe Paterno was really like the rest of us… a flawed individual. In his lifetime he was put upon such a pedestal that I think he truly believed in his own greatness. You don’t have to look any further than his family’s tragically sad efforts to protect and restore his now tarnished legacy to see it extended beyond him. If Joe Paterno was alive to day, he would be facing perjury charges and likely jail time. His estate is likely to disappear in the rash of lawsuits certain to be brought from the abused. In the end the message is simply this… THOU SHALL NOT WORSHIP FALSE IDOLS. I wish his family would take that lesson to heart.
On a softer side…
I’ve decided to bring back JP’s Politically Incorrect Predictions this year as it’s own website. With some help from my friends, it will be up and going in about a week. I’ve set a tentative launch date of August 1st. There is currently a facebook page that you can get to and like by clicking here. You can also find the twitter handle for this new endeavor @jppredicts For those of you who are wondering what are “politically incorrect predictions,” here is a link to last years bowl blowout.
Final Thoughts on a First Impression 