DATELINE: IN THE BLEACHERS AT PENN STATE – After false reports of his death last night and denials this morning that he was still alive, it has been announced, and confirmed, that Joe Paterno has died. Sadly, some hope that the issue regarding his friend and colleague Jerry Sandusky will die with him. For that to happen would be an even greater injustice to the many victims who suffered at Sandusky's hand.
As I read reaction to his death, it is truly revolting to hear the praise stacked on this man, for the sake of a game. The fact that he was an active enabler seems to be irrelevant. I wonder if it would be so unimportant if it had been your child who had been sexually assaulted in the Penn State locker rooms. Let me state, first and foremost, that I understand the grief of losing a parent. Been there, done that; but it’s a pain that unites the vast majority of us, one thing in life that, regardless of class or position, we share. As hard as it is, the death of a parent, though,is a natural process; the way it is supposed to be, as opposed to a parent experiencing the death of their child.
I know it’s natural to not want to speak ill of the dead,that in death people become bigger than they were in life, but come on. To wish that his legacy is based on his successes on the playing field as opposed to that little blip at the end of his life, that little secret that we would all rather be shoved under the carpet so we can praise and adulate before the great coach of a fucking game, is stomach-churning. At what point does it sink in that he spent his life playing a game, and when does it ever become even remotely possible to consider a game to be more important than protecting the lives of innocent,vulnerable children.
Joe Paterno, more than anyone else in this whole Sandusky clusterfuck, was the one person who could have… and should have… made a difference. He could have set the standard in moral and ethicals in spite of the immediate fallour. He could have proven that the right thing to do is always preferable, and that the hit that comes from doing it would be short-lived, nothing more than farts from the lips of idiots, but he chose not to. He KNEW what was happening, yet he chose to not do a damned thing about it. I wonder if he would have been so ineffective if it had been his child in the shower being taught how to soap and lather? JoPa claimed that he did report it to campus authorities, but he wasn’t sure what to do. He wasn’t sure? Holy crap. He delivered this lame-ass explanation, but wasn’t pressed on it – more’s the shame for the interviewer. He didn’t know what to do… because he didn’t want his assistant coach who helped win games to be in trouble, and he didn’t want his precious fucking football team or the university to be held accountable and perhaps have to get a different assistant coach, which could have cost them a game or two. Holy fuck! Well then, of COURSE it’s okay to keep your mouth shut about vulnerable children being horribly, irreparably abused right there under your nose. What were we thinking? Where are our priorities? We were talking about losing some games here! That could never be allowed to happen.
Sarcasm aside, what absolutely enrages me about this whole thing is that here was a man who was in a perfect place to make a difference… a real difference, a significant difference, in LIVES, not in a fucking game. He dedicated his life to working with young men, preparing them, undoubtedly giving them some life lessons, some counseling, some guidance to navigate the waters that lie ahead, and that’s all good. But he absolutely destroys that good by turning a blind eye to kids who were not his problem, but were being abused by someone he knew, in heinous ways, right on the worksite. He COULD have stood up. Imagine the lessons he could have taught, the example he could have set for others. Imagine the difference Joe Paterno could have made if he had stood up and fought for children desperately needed someone to fight for them. He reported it to the campus then didn’t know what else he could do? What? Was he prepped for questioning by some catholic bishop?
Joe Paterno is dead, his family rightly grieves for the loss of their loved one, and my sympathy goes out to them. Too bad so few have no sympathy for the children who are abused. It's too bad no one considered stopping it before more children were hurt, no one stood up, like a man, and did what needed to be done. A game was more important than the lives of innocent children in the hands of a monster. Shame on you, Joe Paterno. The one person who could have made a difference, and you took the selfish coward’s way out. Your family’s pain will be real. I won’t pretend though; there will be no crocodile tears from me. Those are reserved for the true victims. They’ve been slapped in the face enough times over this; I won’t participate in further abuse against them by idolizing this man, not even in death.Joe Paterno's legacy SHOULD be about that which he chose not to do; God knows, that's what it will be for Sandusky's victims and their families.
