A few weeks ago the Brown Log did a piece in which we considered the possibility that Joe Paterno might actually have died a long time ago and all this time Penn State has been propping him up, ala "Weekend at Bernies" just to get him the all time division I coaches win record. Well, the shocking events of the last week revealed that perhaps we were not too far off. I simply cannot understand how Paterno could have not done more nearly 10 years ago when Paterno learned that Jerry Sandusky was molesting young boys.
It has long been clear that Paterno has been a figurehead coach and that his mental functioning is not what it once was. Today we can see the true price paid for Penn State's board of regents allowing the proverbial tail to wag the dog. It has been many years that it is apparent to any impartial observer, that Paterno has shown signs of senility. The bottom line is that a person doing a given job, needs to be fully capable to carry out ALL of his duties. Up until this week, it was easy to overlook Penn State's inability to force Paterno out, because everyone could appreciate the sentimental element of retaining a figurehead coach. The horrible consequences of allowing a man not capable to perform his full range of duties these last 15 years is now clear.
Did a once honorable and ethical man like Paterno, do the legal minimum on the Sandusky matter simply because he was tired and disengaged??? I prefer to believe that Paterno was simply so detached from reality that he could not get his hands around even the most obvious situations. That is better than believing that Paterno did not do everything is his power to put a child molester behind bars.
Another bitter note here is that the NCAA has been embarrasingly silent on the Penn State matter. Why do I get the feeling that if Jerry Sandusky had stolen a few hundred dollars in NCAA merchandise, the reaction of the NCAA would have been lightening swift?
