Penn State bans ‘Sweet Caroline’
The Jerry Sandusky sex scandal continues to reverberate at Penn State.
The latest shock from the scandal that resulted in the ouster of coach Joe Paterno and crushing NCAA penalties involves the in-game music selection.
The athletic association has banned the playing of the Neil Diamond classic “Sweet Caroline,” which has become a staple at many sporting events. University officials were concerned because of a line in the song that goes “touching you, touching me,” according to the Allatoona Mirror newspaper.
“The thing our fans have come to expect is a great gameday experience,” said Greg Myford, associate athletic director for business relations and communications. “On a national level, we know we are very highly regarded for the Penn State gameday experience. We are not making any wholesale changes to that.”
Penn State is making other changes this season, including putting players’ names on the back of their jerseys for the first time.
Sandusky, 68, the former longtime Penn State defensive coordinator was convicted in June of 48 counts of abusing 10 boys over a 15-year period.
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94 comments Add your comment
Walter White, Jr.
August 27th, 2012
3:27 pm
Bbbbbuuut it’s juuuuuuusttt aaa sssssssoongg.
Duane
August 27th, 2012
3:28 pm
First of all, It’s “Altoona” PA not “Allatoona” PA. Secondly, Sandusky was no longer coaching when the incidents in 2001 occurred (he retired in 1999). Also, the main witness Mike McQueary has changed his story numerous times as to what he allegedly saw in the showers, and can’t even get the year right. Finally, the 1998 incident was investigated by the police, DA, CYS and the DA declined to press charges. Don’t let facts get in the way of a good story though.
jay
August 27th, 2012
3:28 pm
Hey Penn state supporters…Learn Rhythmic slapping with sandusky
Pitbull
August 27th, 2012
3:39 pm
So I guess If Loving You Is Wrong I Don’t Want To Be Right is off the list too, huh?
Andy
August 27th, 2012
3:40 pm
Don Suddath…”As a music professor, I…..” What a puffed up piece of moronic sewer sludge.
tmerggotech
August 27th, 2012
3:46 pm
C – it’s not the sensitive VaJJ that got them in trouble….
Keith
August 27th, 2012
3:46 pm
How utterly STUPID…….better ban all text books that have touching…you….me……
J
August 27th, 2012
3:47 pm
Good, not only is that song awful, but it was also written by a 28 year old man about 11 year old Caroline Kennedy. Who writes songs about 11 year old girls? Apparently, he does.
MichiganSucks
August 27th, 2012
3:58 pm
This is definitely a WTF moment!
elliott bachelor
August 27th, 2012
3:59 pm
So the Sandusky debacle… lets ban sweet caroline, who is running the program up there… stupid stupid stupid…. political correctness is the problem not the answer
NeilNailedSweetConnie
August 27th, 2012
4:02 pm
But that song is so good! (So Good, So Good, SO GOOD!!!!)
Tom
August 27th, 2012
4:06 pm
Maybe they’ll play Jane’s Addiction’s “Standing In The Shower”
Silent Jay
August 27th, 2012
4:07 pm
Then I suppose “Hour in the Shower” by Chicago is out of the question.
carlton
August 27th, 2012
4:09 pm
okay, I watched the video. If you’re drunk enough, it’s okay to sing. Otherwise, it should be banned, not for being a “perv” song, but bcs. it is a lousy song.
Delbert D.
August 27th, 2012
4:10 pm
I wonder if Penn State will ever recruit anyone named Sandusky.
DIF
August 27th, 2012
4:12 pm
The only place I want to hear this song is at Hedonism II in Jamaica!!! Better lyrics by far. Sure do miss that place right now.
Fred Blaughman
August 27th, 2012
4:14 pm
I hope they don’t ban the Mafe Goats and Pids dancing at halftime.
Alabama Jack
August 27th, 2012
4:24 pm
Haw about Y – M – C – A ??????????????????????
Jen
August 27th, 2012
4:24 pm
Check your facts, AJC. The paper is The Altoona Mirror, not Allatoona.
Pitbull
August 27th, 2012
4:26 pm
I guess next they will ban the immortal Connie Francis’ 1960’s hit:
Where The Boys Are.
Hey Jerry, don’t drop the soap in the shower.
G-Dawg
August 27th, 2012
4:34 pm
MORE COWBELL!!!!!!!
JR
August 27th, 2012
4:36 pm
Why announce this and draw attention to it? Just stop playing.
Lemon lime&oranges
August 27th, 2012
4:41 pm
A better song play at Penn state over sweet caroline…….How about MC.Hammer …You can’t touch this ….will be the new song played by band at halftime!
jay
August 27th, 2012
4:59 pm
” I don’t see nothing wrong wit a Lil bump n grind”…oops wrong song for ped state…
jay
August 27th, 2012
5:02 pm
Turn off the lights…. in da showers…..opps wrong song again for ped state..
boots
August 27th, 2012
5:03 pm
The standard PC crap. They are ok with kids getting molested and playing football right through it, but the band can’t play a song with a normal line in it. What about the Gary Glitter song, Rock ‘N Roll Pt. 2? That is played at sporting events all the time, and he is a twice convicted child molester. Double standards all over the place. Penn State football should have been shut down for five years, minimum.
or maybe
August 27th, 2012
5:15 pm
They could show sensitive pc videos on the big-screen scoreboard. “The More You Know…..”
Coach Paul Johnson's maaan boobs
August 27th, 2012
5:21 pm
FIRST!
Let's sing sweet caroline in all white....what tradition
August 27th, 2012
5:33 pm
Now that is funny. Touching me? Touching you? Wow. Why is the south made fun of again? Those northern sissies dancing to this song is stupid anyway. Must be a northern thing because it sure is stupid in the south. Maybe that’s why the stink at football so bad.
GRAPHITE
August 27th, 2012
5:37 pm
So it’s played at Fenway…..Should be played at San Fran as well…It’s a queer song.
jay
August 27th, 2012
5:46 pm
“I just wanna wet my whistle”..opps you guessed it…wrong song for pedophile state..
Trey
August 27th, 2012
5:46 pm
The north has no tradition. It’s just a bunch of people who practice all their own traditions from their native country. There’s nothing unique about the north. All the best writers, musicians, food creations, ground-breaking businesses, all came from the south. A northern person will swear up and down they have tradition out the wazoo but its simply not true. They need a lesson in what tradition is.
Take Penn State for example. If this was a cherished tradition it would continue plain and simple. They wouldn’t let the actions of one man taint it (no pun intended). But that’s the north for you, so liberal they are willing to sacrifice things and create rules based on garbage. Let the kids sing. If someone is offended, DON’T WATCH PENN STATE FOOTBALL. It’s that simple. If anything, I just lost more respect for Penn State if that is possible.
jay
August 27th, 2012
5:48 pm
“Da freaks come out at night games, the freaks come out at night”…darn it. Wrong song again for booty state..
jay
August 27th, 2012
5:50 pm
Too many rednecks survived the civil war!
REAGAN2012
August 27th, 2012
5:57 pm
ACADEMICS R SO SENSITIVE WHAT AJOKE STOP IN GET A LIFE
Erik
August 27th, 2012
6:04 pm
The football program should have been shut down for at least 3 years. The weaklings in the Board of Trustees that let Joe answer to nobody (including themselves) are still in place. It’s nice that they got rid of the President, AD, and that other stooge but the real powers are all still there. They wanted Joe to retire 8 years ago, he told them no, and they said “ok”. Unbelievable.
Boca Baby
August 27th, 2012
6:05 pm
They should also ban the bible and especially the “Song of Solomon.” There is a lot of sex and touching here. This knee-jerk reaction at Penn State is bordering on the ludicrous.
JOPA
August 27th, 2012
6:17 pm
I just pooped in my pants again…
This is Mrs. Norman Maine
August 27th, 2012
6:22 pm
I love that song!
Boy people just don’t get it. Playing a song is not harmful. Letting a perv rape little boys and not bothering to report it to the cops, IS harmful. Learn the diff Penn State!
Haas
August 27th, 2012
6:37 pm
Penn: too little too late.
Hate Penn State
August 27th, 2012
6:37 pm
As much as I hate Paterno and the Penn State football factory, none of the fines and sanctions have impacted the people responsible for what happened. The ones paying the price are the students who had nothing to do with it.
How typically PC!
dano
August 27th, 2012
6:40 pm
they play sweet caroline at wisconsin football games….after jump around!
Why It's a Ruger, thank you
August 27th, 2012
7:03 pm
Maybe they should play Divinyls “I Touch Myself” instead
Coward of the county
August 30th, 2012
5:16 am
“coward of the county” features a detailed rape scene; how is this song not getting banned? “Jesus loves me” implies a relationship between a man and children-very dangerous.