Joe Paterno, Penn State’s legendary football coach, was laid to rest last week with the Jerry Sandusky pedophilia scandal hanging in the air.
According to press reports, the Penn State college president and several trustees approached Paterno in 2004, when he turned 80, and suggested that it was time to retire. Paterno blew them off. Cowed by the amount of money the football program brought in, the administration backed off and Paterno was allowed to stay.
Big mistake. Tragic mistake, in retrospect.
Paterno, like many of the U.S. Catholic bishops, was of an era when protecting the institution from shame outweighed the brutality of young boys being raped. The Penn State trustees made the right decision in firing him. For that matter, all of the bishops and cardinals who looked the other way should have been removed too.
Paterno could have retired in 2004 with the undiluted adulation of the entire Penn State community behind him. How sad, in retrospect, that he couldn’t see the right time to go.
Tags: ageing
January 28, 2012 at 5:24 pm
Paterno was arrogant and covered up child rape going on right under his nose. Good riddance to him.
January 28, 2012 at 6:19 pm
For Ron: He did indeed … and who knows how many boys were hurt as a result. I think we only know the tip of the iceberg.
January 29, 2012 at 1:47 pm
Counter point……
I grew up near Happy Valley and have been a life-long JoePa fan.
I’m also sorry for the many children who were harmed, and for how the situation was handled, including by Paterno.
I watched part of Thursday’s public memorial service. I agree with the president of Nike who said that when the reporting properly went all the way up the line to the PSU president and no one did anything about it (including the current governor of PA who was at the grand jury hearing) then the fault is more with the process than with Paterno. But he carried the brunt of it. The tributes at the service gave family, fans, and the public the opportunity to put the good in his life in balance with the past few months. The courts can take care of Sandusky. RIP Joe.
January 29, 2012 at 2:26 pm
For Phyllis: It really is called Happy Valley, yes? There’s no question that Paterno deserves a balanced view of his long career. But don’t you think he should have retired earlier? Totally aside from the scandal, I can’t believe a man in his late 80′s is an effective head coach.
January 30, 2012 at 12:41 pm
I agree – he should have retired earlier. It is well known that he has had assistance with coaching during the past few years. And as you said earlier, he could have gone out with true acolades instead.
January 30, 2012 at 5:06 pm
For Phyllis: My favorite women’s college basketball team, the Tennessee Lady Vols, are facing a difficult issue with head coach Pat Summitt, who has said publicly that she is fighting early onset Alzheimers. In one sense, she deserves to stay on the sidelines as long as she wants. In another sense, the young women who come there to play have only one shot at a WNBA career, and it’s not clear that shot is maximized when the assistants – no matter how capable – are running the show.
January 31, 2012 at 9:17 am
Interesting dilemna – if a coach is so extraordinary, is having a good part of them with support better than having all of an average coach? I haven’t heard much about Summitt’s condition this year and how well she is functioning. Some coaches know when it’s time to go, but I suspect it’s harder for people like Summitt and Paterno who have been so committed for such a long time. And it’s probably harder for administration also. With both of these teams, a lot of players went on to pro careers. That does add another dimension.
January 31, 2012 at 9:08 pm
For Phyllis: Summit has been completely open about her situation, and has already delegated certain responsibilities to her assistants. It’s a really hard call. As long as she’s head coach, the University can’t recruit another “name” whose reputation will carry weight with recruiters for the pro teams. I really don’t know what the right or fair or best thing is. I hope she recognizes on her own, or with her son’s help, when it’s time to go.