Should It Stay or Should It Go

JoePa may have made the wrong ethical choice, but should the statue be brought down?

A few years ago, before the Penn State molestation scandal was even heard of, the sentence "Ya know what, I don't really trust or care for Joe Paterno anymore, that man is no saint at all" might have been punishable by law. Today, it is almost the norm.



And rightfully so. Joe Paterno, one of the longest tenured and most successful college football coaches of all time, is probably turning in his grave at the reports and investigations going on these days at his beloved Penn State University. The only problem is, if he had not loved that school, that football program, so much, none of this would be happening. And it is that simple. The investigations and the findings from the latest report show that Paterno knew fully well what was going on, and chose not to report it to police. We may never really know why, but it is more than likely to protect his school. Had it been leaked that his defensive coordinator was molesting children in showers on campus, would anyone want to go to that school? Would recruiting really survive that? The sickening thing is, Paterno knew the answer was no, and that mattered more to him.

Paterno is not the evil one here, that title belongs to Jerry Sandusky, of course. What he did is disgusting and unfathomable beyond belief, and he deserves every year of the hefty jail sentence he is staring at. The entire Penn State staff that had any knowledge of this whatsoever and chose to do nothing is very much so at fault, ethically and morally. The problem with people who want Penn State to recieve the death penalty and lose bowl eligibility is that none of what happened in this immoral scandal is breaking NCAA rules. The other problem is that the death penalty really does not do justice for the failure on Penn State's part to the victims of Sandusky's heinus crimes.

All of this being said, it is perfectly clear that Paterno should have made more of an effort to save these children, even if it meant tarnishing his beloved school and employer and home. I, personally, have lost all respect for Paterno as a human being. The only logical resolution to do in his circumstances is to tell police and save those victims, no matter whose job he cost in doing so, no matter how much money he'd lose Penn State in doing so, no matter how much bad publicity he would bring to his school and himself in doing so. The victims, all young men, being molested by a disgusting joke of a man deserved so much better, and I am truly sorry they did not get that.

However, should Penn State bring the statue down? No.

That statue will be a reminder of these dark days if it is left up, true. But can Penn State really ever clean the slate they now have? Absolutely not, and they should not think to do so. In doing that, in erasing that this ever happened is like erasing those victims lives. Penn State will never be able to erase this and start over, and they have nobody to blame but their own arrogant selves.

But that statue was not raised to honor Joe Paterno as a god, contrary to many beliefs. It was raised to honor Joe Paterno as a football coach, and he was one great football mind. I can not even call him a great coach anymore, because a coach leads, and Paterno was a coward. Cowards do not lead.

That statue represents one of the greatest football minds, if not the greatest, of all time. The man is the longest tenured college football coach in history and has the most wins of any Division 1 coach ever. Those are milestones that are truly incredible and have nothing to do with the integrity or morality of a man. Those have everything to do with the football insight and knowledge of a man. As much as it might seem like the right thing to do, I can not defend bringing the statue of Joe Paterno down. Right now, it seems like a sin to say but time heals all wounds. Years from now, this scandal will not be forgotten but it will not be as fresh.

Paterno's legacy as a man may not deserve a statue, but his legacy on the football field does.