One of Joe Paternos favorite sayings -- and he has a million of em -- is that its a shame youth is wasted on the young.
That was apparent again Wednesday night, when there were reports from State College that a number of Penn State students were rallying to protest the firing of their legendary football coach, if not rioting.
Really? Its just about football? Thats it? Thats all a certain segment of the student body can see here?
I would urge them to put down their Natty Lights and read the grand jury presentment in the sexual assault case of Jerry Sandusky, the school's former defensive coordinator. Or have somebody read it to them, to help them with the big words. Something. Anything.
Their anger seems so misplaced, their values so skewed.
Before we go any further, it should be noted that another group of students plans to hold a candlelight vigil in support of Sanduskys alleged victims Friday night. There is also talk of a blue-out (in contrast to the usual big-game white-out) Saturday, when Penn State faces Nebraska in its final home game of the season.
It was nonetheless troubling that the knee-jerk reaction was to take to the streets. I can only hope that this was the work of the lunatic fringe, or another example of folks ceaseless desire to get on TV.
News
If not, you have to wonder: Where was the outrage about the victims? Where was the anger about Paterno failing to do more to stop Sanduskys years-long depravity, a failing to which Paterno himself admitted in the retirement statement he issued earlier in the day?
He had planned to coach out the season before departing, but the schools board of trustees instead pulled the plug late Wednesday night. No argument here; ditto for the dismissal of Graham Spanier, the university president. Its just that the trustees didnt go far enough.
Assistant coach Mike McQueary needs to go. So too does athletic director Tim Curley, who is only on administrative leave while charges that he perjured himself before the grand jury are resolved. (Senior vice president Gary Schultz, also up on perjury charges, merely went back into retirement, which seems kinda cozy.)
And while were on the subject of outrage, nobodys the least bit upset that the school is footing the legal bill for Curley and Schultz?
McQueary, then a graduate assistant, witnessed Sanduskys rape of a young boy in a shower room of the football facility in 2002. And not only did he not stop it, he left. Just skedaddled. Think about that for a minute. A kid is getting assaulted, and with a hopeful heart he sees someone who might be able to help him. And the guy leaves. Thats despicable, indefensible and much more worthy of outrage than Paternos firing.
Especially since Paterno himself took the information presented to him by McQueary the next day and merely passed it up the administrative chain, as opposed to notifying authorities. And then, as we all know by now, everybody seemed to hope everything might just go away. (Perhaps Im just a cynic, but if they tried to hide something as heinous as this, doesnt it make you wonder what else might have been swept under the rug on Paternos 46-year watch?)
There are those who will argue that Paterno might not have known the severity of the situation, even though he admitted in a statement Sunday that he was at least aware that something inappropriate occurred. And a former player, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told me Wednesday that Paterno knows such minutiae as who skips class on any given day. You really think he didnt know what happened here?
And at that point, he simply dropped the ball. The overwhelming impression with which you are left is that everyone in the chain of command was thinking only of the programs formerly pristine reputation, as opposed to the welfare of a child. Or children, since the grand jury alleges that Sandusky abused again for years after that.
Again, outrageous.
There are also those who say Paterno deserved a sendoff, that he deserved one last chance to coach in Beaver Stadium. After all, the argument goes, he was so much more than a great coach, and has meant so much to the university.
That cannot be argued in the least. But he forfeited his right to a going-away party when he failed to pick up the phone and help a child in need.
And that, more than anything else, is something to get angry about.
Gordie Jones covered Penn State from 1984-2003 for the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal.