Paterno’s statement’s not enough, Penn State dropped ball
Joe Paterno is retiring, but he will be allowed to coach the rest of the season. (AP photo)
Joe Paterno will coach at least three more football games.
This is not going to be pretty.
Paterno confirmed this morning that he will retire at the end of the season. This follows ugly sexual abuse claims against former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky and the belief by many that school officials, including Paterno, may have been complicit in covering up the matter and/or could have done more to push for an investigation.
Paterno released a statement in which he conceded, “With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.”
They were the proper words. But they should have been spoken, not released via email, before anybody at Penn State even considered allowing him back on the sideline.
I can’t imagine any university, company or entity handling a situation worse than how Penn State has handled the past few days.
Paterno’s complete statement:
“I am absolutely devastated by the developments in this case. I grieve for the children and their families, and I pray for their comfort and relief.
“I have come to work every day for the last 61 years with one clear goal in mind: To serve the best interests of this university and the young men who have been entrusted to my care. I have the same goal today.
“That’s why I have decided to announce my retirement effective at the end of this season. At this moment the Board of Trustees should not spend a single minute discussing my status. They have far more important matters to address. I want to make this as easy for them as I possibly can. This is a tragedy. It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.
“My goals now are to keep my commitments to my players and staff and finish the season with dignity and determination. And then I will spend the rest of my life doing everything I can to help this University.”
I wrote the other day about how sickening this whole saga is, that potentially something so despicable could go on for so long. Paterno had met his legal obligations in the Sandusky matter but questions about whether he had met his moral obligations lingered.
I also wrote that before I jumped on the growing “Paterno Must Go” bandwagon, I wanted to hear what he had to say — live, in a room, behind a microphone, with people. Granted, Paterno was being crushed by public opinion and it seemed implausible that he could not have known — 0r done –more. But to me it all seemed a little too much too fast, given Paterno’s stature and reputation before this story broke.
I believed that Paterno needed to get behind a microphone, answer every question, show remorse and make us believe that there was no intent on his part to cover up such alleged heinous crimes for a long-time friend.
Because anybody who enabled Sandusky also belongs behind bars.
But Penn State already has made its decision. That’s a mistake. It’s as if the university is allowing Paterno one final power play in State College.
It’s going to be ugly in “Happy Valley” at Saturday’s final home game against Nebraska.
It’s going to be ugly and scary when Paterno and Penn State go on the road for the final two games to Ohio State and Wisconsin.
If Paterno coaches in a bowl game, the atmosphere certainly is not going to seem like a season celebration, which is what bowl games were intended to be.
Penn State dropped the ball. And when everybody looks at Paterno on the sideline Saturday, the first thought most will have won’t be, “There’s a great football coach.”
By Jeff Schultz
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590 comments Add your comment
Whats Important
November 9th, 2011
9:37 pm
5150 UOAD – I did not mention religion in any aspect of my comments. If you are trying for satire, you might want to lighten up a bit, your’s is just to obvious. If you are trying to say because I don’t agree with you position, I wouldn’t know. I don’t give much time to the thoughts of people who can’t consider information and form a reasonable opinion without being hit on the head with the hammer on which it is written in braille and whose supposed clever retorts are personal attacks on people about whom they know thinking. But I must not forget my manners, thanks for the offer of the ride.
phil
November 9th, 2011
9:37 pm
Anyone who makes a typo on here is a pedophile condoner….
Makes as much sense as a lot of this drivel you witch hunters keep spewing.
Whats Important
November 9th, 2011
9:41 pm
dmfox08 -thank you for the reply and will give your opinion and reasoning some thought. But for the record, I don’t think Joe Paterno has never done good. I believe he has done a lot of good for many young men. But in this particular situation it is my opinion that he fell short.
phil
November 9th, 2011
9:42 pm
What’s important – the first step in actually posting something that makes sense is to admit you’re an arrogant ass.
Follow that up with an ounce of humility and you’ll have a good start.
Whats Important
November 9th, 2011
9:42 pm
Phil – keep calling people names, it is so persuasive.
phil
November 9th, 2011
9:43 pm
Your 9:41 qualifies as a good start….
Now, what are we going to do about me?
ab
November 9th, 2011
9:44 pm
dmfox08
Hey Dumbfu**k
Mark never raped a child, nor saw it happening and didn’t report it. They all need to be put in general population.
Enter your comments here
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dmfox08
November 9th, 2011
9:04 pm
Did y’all know Mark Bradley never did anything wrong, nor has any skeletons in his closet? Joe Paterno has positively influenced more people than MB could ever imagine. Did he do wrong? Well, it’s situational and yes he probably did. Did he do something; yes, and more than just reporting it to his superiors if you look at the whole situation. Yes, Penn State dropped the ball and so does the AJC everytime they let MB state his opinion.
phil
November 9th, 2011
9:45 pm
I like calling people names who think they have all the right answers, as given away so clearly by names like what’s important.
Whats Important
November 9th, 2011
9:48 pm
Phil – in response to your 9:43, I don’t plan on doing anything about you. You have said nothing of that warrants a reply. But don’t get so upset Phil. It isn’t good for you.
5150 UOAD
November 9th, 2011
9:51 pm
@Whats Important it must be a hard life knowing you are always right and then have to spend hours on a sports blog trying to prove it to the rest of the world.
phil
November 9th, 2011
9:52 pm
Whew.
phil
November 9th, 2011
9:53 pm
Don’t upset hasn’t a clue what’s important…
It isn’t good for him.
Muffican Jam
November 9th, 2011
9:54 pm
Since ESPN, the bottom feeders, have elected to televise this crap. They have Chris Spielman and Urban Meyer doing the color for this one. Chris won’t spin it. I look for him to be honest as he can, although I know there has to be some suits at ESPN that graduated from PSU and have a soft spot for Happy Valley and will tell the analyst to tone it down a bit. But I bet you dollars to donuts Urban will be a JoePa apologist and he’ll say all the right things, since I’m sure he has his sights set on taking over the reigns now that his heart issues have gone away. Who better to take over than St. Urban.
Whats Important
November 9th, 2011
9:54 pm
5150 UOAD – Indeed it is a heavy burden. I have stated my opinion. You have stated yours. They don’t agree. Simple as that.
5150 UOAD
November 9th, 2011
10:03 pm
@Whats Important ok. I just hope I never need a jury and you are on it. I am afraid you would not listen to all the FACTS before deciding one way or the other.
St Simons - we're on Island time
November 9th, 2011
10:03 pm
what’s society’s fascination with naming everything after a cat?
older woman – young boy – cougar
older man – young boy – nittany lion
pay $200k for rent-a-player – $cam cheetahs
phil
November 9th, 2011
10:07 pm
He would shoot you dead if given the chance just for drawing breath….
It’s the ones like him and many others that are far more scary than the random molester….
Everyone is guilty if the media says so. Small minds have no trouble latching on to whatever is heard.
phil
November 9th, 2011
10:09 pm
St Simons – we’re on Island time
November 9th, 2011
10:03 pm
what’s society’s fascination with naming everything after a cat?
older woman – young boy – cougar
older man – young boy – nittany lion
pay $200k for rent-a-player – $cam cheetahs
<<<<<<<
So wrong….
But funny.
5150 UOAD
November 9th, 2011
10:11 pm
YAHOO is reporting Penn St has named an interim head coach and Joe Paterno will coach no more
5150 UOAD
November 9th, 2011
10:14 pm
@SSI not everything. Some people say CROWELL Pothead. I don’t hear anything with cat in that. Well I guess you could say Crowell Smokes Catheads.
phil
November 9th, 2011
10:20 pm
Sad but just as well if paterno is done.
Another media witch hunt success!
5150 UOAD
November 9th, 2011
10:24 pm
Why didn’t we have this media or medium when ted Kennedy killed MaryJo? Can you imagine how great the world would be if the Kennedy family never had power after bootlegger Joe died.
Dr. Morpheus
November 9th, 2011
10:25 pm
Penn State did the right thing- finally… Paterno was just fired.
@phil
November 9th, 2011
10:27 pm
Enjoy being the minority?
cloudodust
November 9th, 2011
10:29 pm
Another day, another day.
@51
November 9th, 2011
10:29 pm
Your politics is showing.
Tim
November 9th, 2011
10:30 pm
Jeff… What a stupid move for Penn State to fire Coach Paterno. He’s not been proven guilty of anything. What a kneejerk reaction. How do you know what really happened? I think Coach Paterno did what he thought was right. I hope PSU loses every game it ever plays. Most college boards are made up of political appointees (think Don Leebern at UGA) and not those who have the universities best interest at heart. Like Mark Bradley, you seem to consider yourself a genius regardless of topic. Again, like Bradley, you have been so inaccurate in many of your comments about UGA, PSU and other happenings. I’ve read yours and his columns for the last time.
@Tim
November 9th, 2011
10:32 pm
Guilty of doing… not enough!
Paul in NH
November 9th, 2011
10:35 pm
@phil
November 9th, 2011
10:27 pm
Enjoy being the minority?
—-
There are plenty of poorly thoughtout postings on this blog from all sides but this one is up there.
Phil may have opinions and beliefs that are in the minority, but since when did personal ethics and morals have anything to do with being in the majority?
OldSchoolTechFanatic
November 9th, 2011
10:36 pm
Who are you to Judge??? We have all this slime ball liberal press that has not printed the truth in a while and know you are gonna judge somebody. Why did not the AJC break the story on ACORN. I am pretty sure it was not much of a story at all for yall when the ACORN story broke out and they (Acorn) were ready to help hide the tax stauts of somebody that was (it was an undercover reporter) wanting to import youth for prostitution and call it a business. Who are you to judge ???
5150 UOAD
November 9th, 2011
10:37 pm
Gee do you think I have ever hidden my politics or my religious beliefs?
Firing Joe Paterno is wrong. He is not the child molester or the witness.
Usually the whistle blower gets fired not middleman who did what he was legally supposed to do.
Woody Hayes
November 9th, 2011
10:55 pm
PATERNO FIRED! Whohoo. HA! Let’s pray for him.
Woody Hayes
November 9th, 2011
11:15 pm
I say Penn States season is done, toast, kaput. No way they can play another game. The bowl would be a total joke. The Referee’s families would be the only one attending/watching and that would hardly make the sponsors happy.
Woody Hayes
November 9th, 2011
11:16 pm
Besides, Me and Joe Pa will be waiting for the players in the shower if they do.
Penn State finally says no to Joe Paterno, fires him | Jeff Schultz
November 9th, 2011
11:19 pm
[...] stunning firing of Paterno came only hours after the 85-year-old coach had announced he would retire — apparently without any approval from school officials — at the end of the season. [...]
Scandal Celebrity Gossip
November 10th, 2011
8:32 am
[...] tο retrieve full-text content]Atlanta Journal ConstitutionJoe Paterno Fired: Penn State Icon Issues Statement On FiringHuffington PostAP 11/10/11 12:02 AM ET [...]
doggoneit
November 10th, 2011
8:36 am
I stand corrected! Joe Pa needed to be fired because the whole system failed, not just him. The system needs an overhaul and new procedures put in place so this kind of horror never happens again. This 50 year old way of doing things is of another era.
doggoneit
November 10th, 2011
8:49 am
I stand corrected! Joe Pa needed to be fired because the whole system failed, not just him. The system needs an overhaul and new procedures put in place so this kind of horror never happens again. This 50 year old way of doing things is of another era.
bransoletki
November 10th, 2011
10:19 am
No BS and well written, thank you for the information
Lisa in Ga
November 15th, 2011
12:49 pm
Your beloved JoePa did not pass the most important test of his life…the test of human decency.His name is now permently etched on the Hall of Shame…and his name is being taken off the Big Ten Championship trophy as I type this…your tears dear JoePa fans cannot save him now..Shame Shame Shame….