During the Q&A following the dismissal announcement yesterday evening, at least one reporter was incredibly strident in his demands to know about the justification of the university board of directors in reaching their unanimous decision to terminate Joe Paterno as football coach.
News reports this morning talk about "rioting" by students on the PSU campus and show an overturned television transmission truck.
The morning sportstalkers are again picking on PSU alum/TV personality Matt Millen.
You can google the grand jury report on Jerry Sandusky if you're interested. It's a detailed list of depraved behavior; more accurately: allegations of such. As the storm has gained power, Sandusky has remained silent and out of sight.
The reporter last night was angry because he perceived that the iconic football coach wasn't treated with appropriate deference by his employer. Students threw a tantrum because of the same. An old football player is grieving publicly about the alma mater.
The sexual predator who started this has gone underground.
As have you, I have been watching this story unfold, watching as the crime has become less the story than the cover up, though I use cover up very imprecisely, as we don't know with certainty that it was a cover up or criminal neglect or somewhere in between. Everywhere, people are outraged, though in reading and listening I am seeing their outrage vacillating between the crime, the coverup, and the response of those in charge.
A sexual predator exploited his notoriety from the football program and defiled children. The people responsible for his employment didn't respond appropriately. The story came to light and they've all been sacked, including one who was a treasured national icon. The result is great anger on multiple issues.
The anger has a common grounding point. The grounding point is an old man who's been painted for many years as representative of what can be good about big time college sports. All of us who follow these games and who channel some vicarious thrills from the games have had our fantasy deflated by the revelations and the actions of the past week at Penn State University. An ugly part of the real world overtook our storybook world and the acclaimed old warrior who is one of its heroes. People have responded in different ways, like the angry reporter at the press conference challenging the university board of directors, like the kids who ran around the PSU campus in the night venting their unhappiness, and like the media celebrity who felt compelled to offer up his muddled thoughts for everyone to share.
There will be more revelations, and more public outcry and grief, most to no purpose. The victims of the assaults will eventually be offered help, though the tragedy cannot be undone. The men who responded inadequately will live out their days with the taint of the scandal always upon them. The name of the university will not be mentioned for a generation without invoking thoughts of these repulsive events, a stain upon countless people who identify themselves in some way with the school.
The stories will drop from the front page soon; they inevitably do so as the next nugget of news demands headlines. The games will go on. The more than 400,000 living graduates of PSU will get on with their lives.
Good-bye, Joe.
News reports this morning talk about "rioting" by students on the PSU campus and show an overturned television transmission truck.
The morning sportstalkers are again picking on PSU alum/TV personality Matt Millen.
You can google the grand jury report on Jerry Sandusky if you're interested. It's a detailed list of depraved behavior; more accurately: allegations of such. As the storm has gained power, Sandusky has remained silent and out of sight.
The reporter last night was angry because he perceived that the iconic football coach wasn't treated with appropriate deference by his employer. Students threw a tantrum because of the same. An old football player is grieving publicly about the alma mater.
The sexual predator who started this has gone underground.
As have you, I have been watching this story unfold, watching as the crime has become less the story than the cover up, though I use cover up very imprecisely, as we don't know with certainty that it was a cover up or criminal neglect or somewhere in between. Everywhere, people are outraged, though in reading and listening I am seeing their outrage vacillating between the crime, the coverup, and the response of those in charge.
A sexual predator exploited his notoriety from the football program and defiled children. The people responsible for his employment didn't respond appropriately. The story came to light and they've all been sacked, including one who was a treasured national icon. The result is great anger on multiple issues.
The anger has a common grounding point. The grounding point is an old man who's been painted for many years as representative of what can be good about big time college sports. All of us who follow these games and who channel some vicarious thrills from the games have had our fantasy deflated by the revelations and the actions of the past week at Penn State University. An ugly part of the real world overtook our storybook world and the acclaimed old warrior who is one of its heroes. People have responded in different ways, like the angry reporter at the press conference challenging the university board of directors, like the kids who ran around the PSU campus in the night venting their unhappiness, and like the media celebrity who felt compelled to offer up his muddled thoughts for everyone to share.
There will be more revelations, and more public outcry and grief, most to no purpose. The victims of the assaults will eventually be offered help, though the tragedy cannot be undone. The men who responded inadequately will live out their days with the taint of the scandal always upon them. The name of the university will not be mentioned for a generation without invoking thoughts of these repulsive events, a stain upon countless people who identify themselves in some way with the school.
The stories will drop from the front page soon; they inevitably do so as the next nugget of news demands headlines. The games will go on. The more than 400,000 living graduates of PSU will get on with their lives.
Good-bye, Joe.
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