If you have been following the situation at Penn State then you should be aware that Head Football coach Joe Paterno was fired last night in the most humiliating way possible. Today seems to be full of boot licking sports reporters going on and on about how Penn State "got it right". It is sad to see so many professional sports writers assisting Penn State in damage control by compounding bad decisions by upper management with another stupid and self-serving attempt to avoid the obvious truth that someone seriously dropped the ball in this sad situation.
Could Joe Paterno have done more? There is no doubt with the advantage of hind sight the answer is yes. However did Joe Paterno follow the rules that were in place for handling a situation like this and the only answer possible is YES He did. As is painfully obvious to any observer Joe Paterno followed the correct procedure that was set in place by the very institution that later turned on him in the most cowardly way possible.
Joe Paterno did in fact report this allegation to his proper chain of command and further up the ladder of responsibility the criminal actions of his superiors failed to carry things to the next and proper step. Those who were responsible for that failure have been properly fired and are now facing criminal charges for their failure to act.
This failure to act stands in stark contrast to the proper actions of coach Paterno. It is the height of cowardice and stupidity to blame the person who actually did follow the procedure He was supposed to follow for the subsequent failure of others who had a responsibility to act and did not.
The actions of the board of Regents in this matter is nothing but a shallow and obvious attempt to deflect blame back on the more popular name and best nationally known person in this entire sad series of events. I for one hope this dastardly action by the board costs them heavily when it comes to support of the alumni, boosters and fans of the Penn State football program for years to come.
I know this much if I had a son who was considering multiple options for a college football program I would strongly advise He avoid Penn State and choose another more worthy and honorable option. Quite frankly I find the actions of the Penn State upper management disgusting and cowardly and lacking in any moral courage or conviction. This self serving action announced last night is just another example of how wrong Penn States highest leadership is and I am forced to wonder now at this moment if that storied institution of higher learning is even capable of teaching even the basic idea of following the procedures that are set in place to report and resolve situations that arise from time to time.
I am not now nor have I ever been a big fan of the entire college football system as it is now structured. Don't get me wrong I love the game and I love the joy of competition one sees in college level sports that is sadly missing at the professional level. However the hypocrisy that is rampant in the management of the entire national system is simply too wide spread and ingrained for me to do much more than lament the missed opportunity for true greatness the college football and other sports programs is capable of but seems to miss with intentional purpose.
As it is obvious to anyone who observes almost any big college football program that the colleges and universities are simply using the system as a cash cow and have little to no concern for anyone involved in the system unless they can find some way to profit for their involvement. This current situation is just another example of cowardly pandering to the perceived bottom line that I for one hopes will come back and prove extremely costly to Penn State.
This is truly as sad day in college football history. A storied career ended in a despicable and cowardly fashion. Coach Joe Paterno had already announced his retirement and there was one game left to play and an institution with more class and courage would have let Coach Joe Paterno play out his last game with some semblance of dignity and allowed the Penn State football program move on to a new era in an orderly fashion. Were I a current member of this Penn State football team I would refuse to play the last game and let it end in a forfeit as a message to the Penn State board of regents that tradition and courage actually have meaning and trampling on them publicly as they have done is not in the best interests of anyone involved.
Shame on the Penn State board of regents for taking the only person who actually followed the procedure set in place for the proper handling of this type of situation and throwing him under the bus. Cowards each and every one of them and deserving of nothing but scorn and contempt. Sending the message that even those who follow the rules are not safe from the craven actions of an attempted saving of face and avoidance of further scrutiny is a revolting message and worthy of scorn and nothing to hold as an example for other to follow.
A sad situation all the way around that serves as an example of the worst kind of cowardice from people who are only concerned with saving their own skin and have no interest in supporting someone the only person in fact that followed the rules. Today I am very happy to have no connection to Penn State whatsoever as the actions of the board of regents have besmirched a fine and honorable man who has devoted years of his life to the institution. Shame on Penn State.
No comments:
Post a Comment