How many children need to be raped before a University does something? Who could watch a child be raped and do nothing? Nothing at all?
I see something like that? I'm getting a baseball bat or the heaviest object near me and I'm stopping it. Then, I'm going to the police. But I do not wait and go to my boss.
If someone was murdered, would you wait to tell your boss? Or do you call 9-1-1?
What football program is more important than reporting directly to the police a crime?
My god, what is wrong with this country? Full disclosure: I am a football fan. Love watching, playing, and I've been a Penn State fan for years. My grandfather went there, left a large donation and there's some plaque by a pond on campus with his name on it. I have always respected the graduation rates of football players from Penn State.
Paterno knew for years.
Years. Not a week, or a month, but long enough to have stopped the pain for many more victims. He could have stopped a predator.
But he didn't.
I'm suppose to sit here and shed a tear for him? I don't care what he did for how many years. He made a choice. Did any of the kids make the choice to be raped? To have their whole lives shattered? Their trust and innocence taken away forever?
Students rioting over Paterno's firing can go visit a rape trauma center for children and decide if their precious football coach is more important. The football season at Penn State should be over. And over forever.
The purpose of a University is to teach and develop young minds to enhance and further our society. There was a time when football was a fun diversion, a source of pride. Now it's about big time dollars, contracts and televised glory. It has no place on any college campus anywhere in this country.
Because when the loss of a coach who broke the law causes outrage, a coach who did more than break the law, who ignored a heinous, disgusting crime, we have lost our way. Power dynamics around money in college sports have warped people's sense of morality.
But it's deeper than that. It's about the culture of football that has become larger than life. It's about a game that has become much more than a game. I can only wonder why McQuery didn't immediately call the police or stop the crime. Why? Was Sandusky that precious?
I doubt it. It was about the program.
The Trustees of Penn State did the right thing. I love football. I've been a Penn State fan for a long time. I'm not sure I can ever watch a game again without thinking of this crime.
To those protesting? Get a grip. Get a goddamn grip.
