Joe Paterno, the legendary Penn State University football coach, the winningest coach in the history of college football, is all but gone for his role in an explosive abuse scandal involving one of his former coaches.
Jerry Sandusky, who served as an assistant coach under Joe Paterno for over two decades, was indicted this week, charged with sexually assaulting over 40 young boys dating back to 1994. Sandusky, who suddenly retired in 1999, continued to office at Penn State while running a not for profit called The Second Mile, which benefited at risk youth.
And, prosecutors say, he continued to molest young boys.
In 2002, Mike McQueary, a graduate assistant to Joe Paterno, allegedly witnessed Sandusky raping a boy in the football locker room showers. The assistant told his father about the incident immediately, then Paterno the next day.
Paterno then reported the incident to his boss, Athletic Director Tim Curley, who resigned earlier this week.
The consequence for Sandusky? No legal action, no police intervention. He lost his locker room keys.
I am sickened on two levels.
First, how does McQueary witness a rape and not intervene? How does he fail to call the police himself?
When McQueary tells his father, how does the father not call police?
And when McQueary tells Paterno, how does Paterno not inform the police?
Life in Happy Valley won't be the same for a long, long time. Not for the victims, for Sandusky, for the administrators, for Paterno.
If the allegations are true, then at a minimum Joe Paterno looked the other way while a predator on his staff raped children as young as ten.
I am especially sickened, as a Catholic, with the parallels between the Penn State abuse story and the Catholic priest abuse stories.
In both cases, given the opportunity to protect our children, those in charge looked the other way.
Maybe it's pure coincidence that Sandusky's arrest comes weeks after Paterno won his 409th game, making him the winningest coach in the history of college football.
In the end, Joe Paterno will be remembered as a man who lacked courage, who failed to protect children from a monster. A man who appeared to stand for so much, a "molder of men," in the end stands for nothing. Except winning games.
Legally, Paterno is in the clear. Morally, he's on an island.
It's time to go, Joe. Now please.
Showing posts with label college football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label college football. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Money Can't Buy Me Love, or Wins
Dateline Miami.
Nevin Shapiro, a University of Miami booster, came forward this week alleging he paid thousands, and thousands, of dollars to Miami Hurricane jocks for the past eight years. 72 athletes are named as recipients of Shapiro's alleged largess.
What's not "alleged" is that Shapiro is squealing from the federal pen, where he is serving a 20-year sentence for running a billion dollar ponzi scheme. He's got an ax to grind since all of his newly bought friends bailed on him when he was sent away.
Shapiro says he paid cash to jocks, took them on his yacht, gave them NBA tickets and threw wild parties with women who weren't brownie scouts.
Yada yada yada.
One of the athletes named is former Cane and current Chicago Bear Devin Hester, who when initally asked about Shapiro said he never met him, then when shown pictures of him and Shapiro frollicking around town clammed up faster than a frog in a bee hive.
The NCAA can't touch Hester, or any other athletes no longer in school. But it's serious stuff, especially if coaches were in the know.
It's not the first time Miami has been in the penalty box. In the 80s Miami Hurricanes footballers were brash, dominant and well paid.
They won three national champinships.
Which is what struck me most about the Shapiro story.
Boosters waving cash is here to stay, but the money tossed around in this scandal went to bad teams. The Canes were mediocre in the years Shapiro alleges he paid players, which means either he continued with bad investments or other schools were paying more.
It's not the worlds oldest profession, but using money to buy influence is nothing new. The roll call of busted schools this year alone is extensive: Ohio State, USC, LSU, Georgia Tech.
And probably Miami.
I'm proposing yet another bowl game. The Lawyers.com Probation Bowl will pair the two ineligible teams with the highest year end rankings. Pay per view of course, with the money going directly towards sports cars for the winners.
Tickets are available, but only on street corners from men in dark shades and rain coats.
Nevin Shapiro, a University of Miami booster, came forward this week alleging he paid thousands, and thousands, of dollars to Miami Hurricane jocks for the past eight years. 72 athletes are named as recipients of Shapiro's alleged largess.
What's not "alleged" is that Shapiro is squealing from the federal pen, where he is serving a 20-year sentence for running a billion dollar ponzi scheme. He's got an ax to grind since all of his newly bought friends bailed on him when he was sent away.
Shapiro says he paid cash to jocks, took them on his yacht, gave them NBA tickets and threw wild parties with women who weren't brownie scouts.
Yada yada yada.
One of the athletes named is former Cane and current Chicago Bear Devin Hester, who when initally asked about Shapiro said he never met him, then when shown pictures of him and Shapiro frollicking around town clammed up faster than a frog in a bee hive.
The NCAA can't touch Hester, or any other athletes no longer in school. But it's serious stuff, especially if coaches were in the know.
It's not the first time Miami has been in the penalty box. In the 80s Miami Hurricanes footballers were brash, dominant and well paid.
They won three national champinships.
Which is what struck me most about the Shapiro story.
Boosters waving cash is here to stay, but the money tossed around in this scandal went to bad teams. The Canes were mediocre in the years Shapiro alleges he paid players, which means either he continued with bad investments or other schools were paying more.
It's not the worlds oldest profession, but using money to buy influence is nothing new. The roll call of busted schools this year alone is extensive: Ohio State, USC, LSU, Georgia Tech.
And probably Miami.
I'm proposing yet another bowl game. The Lawyers.com Probation Bowl will pair the two ineligible teams with the highest year end rankings. Pay per view of course, with the money going directly towards sports cars for the winners.
Tickets are available, but only on street corners from men in dark shades and rain coats.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
