By Tyler Roth
In what will certainly be one of the headline sports stories of our time and a highly polarizing topic, nonetheless, I wanted to offer my two cents on the fallout at Penn State, and specifically the termination of Coach Paterno. I had a different and certainly more light-hearted topic lined up before all this, yet the recent developments might have cast such commentary in an inappropriate light. With that said, on to the issue at hand.
Joe Paterno occupied a high place in the pantheon of athletic idols. He was the paternal figure of a major football program and a coach who had the reputation of doing things the right way. He had the undying loyalty of former players and coaches – the type of man who could teach your son not only the great American game but the harder-learned facts of life. The Ivy-League educated coach was known for often reciting the quotes of William Shakespeare to his players in the locker room before the big games. Ironically, like the fall of Henry V or King Lear, Coach Paterno would become a fatality in his own tragedy. A tragedy that is as much about political authority as it is about family dynamics.
Having given over forty years of his life to Penn State University, Joe Pa was distinguished as royalty and certainly enjoyed his role as such. Fulfilling a king’s obligations, however, necessitates governing for the good of one’s subjects. That not only includes the few hundred men in jerseys who marched into Happy Valley on game day over the years, but the thousands of youths who adored his dynasty and the aspiration of being a part of that Nittany Lion family. When he washed his hands of any responsibility with his failure to follow up with the authorities, he delivered not only himself and his family
but all of State College into chaos.
but all of State College into chaos.
Unwilling to face the erosion of his career, Joe Pa seems to have exhibited a form of temporary amnesia with regards to the details brought to his attention nearly ten years ago. Whether or not he was simply blind to the truth, we may never know; however, accusations of such magnitude should never be swept under the rug, regardless of potential hearsay. As Coach Paterno came to this realization and was compelled to re-prioritize his values, the humility and compassion displayed themselves in the form of a public apology and resignation. “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.”
I am hesitant in all of this to use the word ‘victim’ when referring to Coach Paterno even as he undergoes the current universal condemnation. To do so would detract from the true casualties of this whole disaster. The notion that Paterno must leave in order to create some ideal of justice misses the point. There is no justice here. Innocence has been irrevocably lost. Coach Paterno is not the first idol to fall from grace and he will certainly not be the last. It’s easy to forget that the men we worship are still only men, capable of reaching great heights and extraordinary lows. As is all too often the case when these matters get highly publicized, the real lesson gets drowned out with the true victims. If we're to take away anything from this mess, it’s not to sit idly on the sideline while the devil checks in. Our moral obligation to one another as humans is stronger than any legacy that can be molded out of bronze or chiseled in to stone.
