It’s no longer a symbol of Paterno’s greatness, it would now serve as a constant reminder that the victims at Penn State were rewarded for their courage and will always be heard.
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Cefalo and hundreds of former Penn State football players gathered Friday in State College for their largest reunion since that memorial service at the Bryce Jordan Center in January 2012.
Athletic director Sandy Barbour said Thursday that commemorations during Penn State’s game Saturday against Temple would focus on Paterno’s commitment to student-athletes and academics, plus highlights of the 1966 game and players from that team. Paterno was never charged with a crime related to the scandal. Any time Penn State had momentum, a big play from Temple or a momentum-killing penalty put the Owls right back in it.
“Coach Paterno achieved a lot of success in academics and athletics on behalf of the student athletes”, Lubert said.
In this sense, I guess you could say the old coach’s epitaph is a flawless fit. “He’s a fiery guy, he’s very passionate about what he does and that kind of leaks into our locker room seeing your leader as excited about the game as we are”. The statue came down, there’s been no real PSU-sanctioned Paterno party and the school has managed to decently navigate a situation that’s more complicated than many are willing to admit. For them, Paterno didn’t do enough to stop Sandusky, an assistant on Paterno’s staff for three decades and believe honoring Paterno in any way is is insensitive to Sandusky’s victims and the severity of the scandal. He held a sign that read, “You forgot already”.
“This year marks the 50th Anniversary of Joe Paterno’s first game and first victory as head coach”. There were no other confrontations, however. Four years ago, former FBI directer Louis Freeh found that Paterno - who was sacked from PSU amid the scandal in 2011 and passed away due to complications from lung cancer in early 2012 -had likely known about Sandusky’s serial pedophilia and ignored it. Freeh’s investigation concluded that Paterno used his power and influence to stop the university from reporting the abuse to authorities in 2001. The wall celebrated player and team accomplishments. “It’s as if these poor little kids who were sexually abuse here don’t matter”. Court documents released just a few months ago alleged Paterno knew about the sexual child abuse conducted by Sandusky as early as 1976. University president Eric Barron has said the allegation was not substantiated in court or tested by any other process. “I do appreciate that [Penn State is] doing something”, said Franco Harris, a former Nittany Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers player who has vocally supported Paterno in the past. Fans left flowers, signs, balloons and bricks at the site. He said he understands and accepts that Paterno has become a polarizing figure.
Davis made a 30-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to extend Penn State’s lead.
This week’s game will not be without controversy in Happy Valley, as Penn State plans to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Joe Paterno’s first game as coach, a decision that has been met with stiff resistance in some areas, including the school’s student newspaper.
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It appears some Penn State fans will defend and support Paterno regardless of his agency in an ugly child abuse cover-up, so expect the Hall of Fame coach’s legacy to be a hot-button issue for years to come.
