Joe Paterno: The Facts

Joe Paterno passed away at the ripe old age of 85 from complications stemming from lung cancer. That's a fact. To say that he died of a broken heart or any other romanticized drivel is just pure crap. That's the type of wording used by hack journalists to get YOU to read their overly sensationalized stories.

I'm not a college football fan. I never have been. I think that far too much emphasis is placed on sports in this country. I, for one, would much rather go to a school known for academics rather than football. But ok...for some schools, sports help pay the bills, so I'll have to deal with it.

I have never been a Penn State fan. I could give a rat's ass about it. I've done a lot of shows at Penn State and I can tell you, the kids there love their school and have always loved their "Joe Pa". I will most definitely give the man credit for bolstering that level of school spirit.

Since the Sandusky story broke last year, a lot of bad things have come to light. One of the big questions was what did Joe Paterno know about the allegations against Sandusky and what did he do or not do about it. The media has made all sorts of wild speculations and public opinion, in large part, turned against Joe Paterno because of this. The man lost his job after 46 years as head coach. That's longer than I have been alive!

Shortly after losing his job, and his career, Paterno was diagnosed with lung cancer. Any man in his mid 80s who receives a diagnosis like this has been pretty much given a death sentence. At that age, the body just (usually) isn't strong enough to fight back. In the end, Paterno lost the battle.

Now, not even 24 hours after the man's death, I'm reading all sorts of, what I consider tasteless and disgusting, posts about the man. Calling him all sorts of nasty names. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. For Pete's sake people, the man has a family.

What troubles me the most is that a large number of the people calling names and posting all of this crap know little about the cases aside from the headlines. That said, here is the PENNSYLVANIA STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S REPORT on the case. If you take the time to read it, you'll see very little mention of Joe Paterno, and in a minute I'll explain why not.

For those too lazy to read the entire report, here is the only mention of the man in the report:

One of the most compelling and disturbing pieces of testimony in this investigation came from an eyewitness to a late-night sexual assault that allegedly occurred in March of 2002, in the locker room of the Lasch Football Building on the University Park Campus,? Kelly said. ?Hearing what sounded like sexual activity in the showers of a building that was supposed to be empty, a graduate assistant reportedly observed Sandusky sexually assaulting a naked boy who appeared to be about 10 years old.?

According to the grand jury, the graduate assistant had returned to the football building that evening to put a new pair of sneakers in his locker and to retrieve some recruiting films, only to be surprised that the lights were on in the locker room and showers were running. The assistant immediately recognized Sandusky.

Kelly said the assistant, who was extremely upset about what he had seen, immediately called his father to relate what he had discovered. Together, the two decided that the assistant should promptly report the incident to head football coach Joe Paterno.

The next morning, the assistant telephoned Paterno and then went to Paterno?s home to explain what he had seen. Paterno testified that he then called Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley and met with Curley the following day, explaining that a graduate assistant had reported seeing Sandusky involved in sexual activity with a young boy in the showers at the Lasch Building.

Yes. Some absolutely horrible things happened. My heart goes out to the victims and their families. This is something that NO ONE should ever have to endure. I can only pray that they will all find some peace.

That said, Joe Paterno did his job. Period. Joe Paterno was a football coach, and from what I understand, a damned good one. He was not a social worker. Or a cop. It was not his place to play detective. He was informed of what happened and he reported it immediately to Penn State Athletic Director Curley and then met with the man the next day. Paterno followed official university protocol. No where in the official report does it say otherwise.

If you've never been in a position of authority (I have), then allow me to explain this to you: One rarely, if ever, gets the chance to just discipline or terminate someone unilaterally. It just doesn't happen. Especially not in Pennsylvania!

Paterno did what he was supposed to do. He reported it, met with those he needed to meet with and then resumed his life. If that sounds cold, it's not. It was professional and ethical. For Paterno to have done anything else would have been wrong. No, he did not meet with the victims or their families. Why would he? It was not his place to do so. The man cannot be held accountable for the actions of another, regardless of how heinous they are. Paterno did not make a spectacle of himself, as many would have. The man kept his dignity and did what he felt in his heart was the proper way to handle the situation. I'm sorry if this made him seem cold or distant or didn't enable the media to make a circus of his life.

Joe Paterno was fired after 46 years. His career ended in scandal. All because another man has serious issues. Paterno did not cause Sandusky's issues. Paterno never condoned them. Paterno never swept anything under the rug. He merely did what he was supposed to do. Quietly and with self-dignity. No, it wasn't like a TV show. Real life rarely is. No matter how much the media tries to turn life into a circus.

I don't know anything about Joe Paterno's private life except this: he left behind a wife and five kids. According to Wikipedia Paterno was also a philanthropist. "In addition to his legacy as a coach, Paterno is highly regarded for his contributions to academic life at Penn State. After the announcement of his hiring in 1966, Paterno set out to conduct what he called a "Grand Experiment" in melding athletics and academics in the collegiate environment, an idea that he had learned during his years at Brown.[64] As a result, Penn State's players have consistently demonstrated above-average academic success compared to Division I-A schools nationwide. According to the NCAA's 2008 Graduation Rates Report, Penn State's four-year Graduation Success Rate of 78% easily exceeds the 67% Division I average, second to only Northwestern among Big Ten institutions.[65]

Paterno is also renowned for his charitable contributions to academics at Penn State. He and his wife Sue have contributed over $4 million towards various departments and colleges, including support for the Penn State All-Sports Museum, which opened in 2002, and the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, which opened in 2003.[66] After helping raise over $13.5 million in funds for the 1997 expansion of Pattee Library, the University named the expansion Paterno Library in their honor.[67]

In 2007, former player Franco Harris and his company R Super Foods honored Paterno for his contributions to Penn State by featuring his story and picture on boxes of Super Donuts and Super Buns in Central PA. A portion of the sales will be donated to an endowment fund for the university library that bears his name

He was also a Republican. No one's perfect.

All in all, Paterno sounds like he was an exemplary man. One to be respected. Sadly, all of his good will probably be forgotten and he will forever be attached to this scandal. A scandal which he was not really a part of. A very sad end to what should be a wonderful legacy.

To those vilifying the man; you should be ashamed of yourselves. Get your facts straight before you point fingers and call names.

My deepest sympathies go out to the family, friends, and fans of Joe Paterno. Your loss is shared by many. It appears that the world has lost a good man, regardless of what the small-minded lemmings of the world say.

Farewell Joe Pa!