In lieu of the recent (awful) scandal, it's easy for the non-PSU folks to start pointing fingers angrily and ridicule all involved, or to make the jokes and laugh. In no way what-so-ever am I saying that fingers shouldn't be pointed, or that some of the jokes could be funny down the road, but I do ask, what does the finger pointing and jokes solve? There still are victims, there are still chains of command that need clearly defined and followed, there still is the moral and ethical obligations to foster a safe and trusting environment. Pointing a finger and making a joke doesn't solve the greater issue. I'm not here to offer a solution per-say (although I pray someone within the university is addressing that), however I do want to bring up JoePa who is baring the brunt of the finger pointing, and who is the punchline on countless jokes.
Joe is unarguably a legend. To a Penn Stater Joe is more than a good football coach. Joe is who you listen to for motivation before game day and the big test. Joe and Sue are who pour money into your education. Joe is the house you go to trick-or-treating. Joe is who you eat Peachy Paterno with at the creamery. Joe is who you joke about with friends as you have a friend of a friend that almost got ran over by Joe downtown. Joe is like your grandfather, great-grandfather more accurately). Joe IS family.
Undoubtedly there was a breakdown in the system. For everything Joe is and has taught us on moral standards, working hard, excelling in life, he had a 'slip up.' His slip up wasn't a little, brush-under-the-rug-family-secret like so many of us have. The consequences for his actions (or lack there of) have already hit hard, however there are others who have remained in their positions because they AREN'T JoePa. Nobody at PennState is as iconic and legendary as Joe. No one holds the national audience like Joe does and has throughout his career.
One of my favorite classes offered at Penn State was Comm 497G: Joe Paterno Communication and the Media. In the class we looked at Joe's involvement and coverage in the media throughout his career. Joe wasn't always portrayed positively and he wasn't always the golden boy. But he was always straightforward. He always told things like they were, good or bad. And I have no doubt that's how this final chapter will be told as well. Joe already confessed in a statement last Wednesday prior to his firing, "I wish I had done more." I have no doubt in my mind his sincerity in saying that. Or, that he will do more than just be talk. He can't change the past, but he'll surely impact the future.
For my final project in the JoePa class I looked at Sports Illustrated, and broke down the coverage Joe received from 1960- Nov 2009. I can finally begin to write the conclusion to my 'edition' of SI. When I do, Stewart Mandel's column that appeared hours after it was announced Joe had been fired, would likely be a highlight in the post-head-coach-Joe coverage in SI.
Joe is family and you can't turn your back on family. So as Mandel said:
But while it's hard to see the bigger picture in the middle of the firestorm, it's also shortsighted to think that history will entirely forget the rest of Paterno's 46-year career. Some may find that taboo to say at this particular moment, when the news of Sandusky's alleged crimes is still fresh and many are still waiting for Paterno to fully address what happened in 2002. People aren't ready to put down the pitchforks just yet, and I'm not saying they should.
And yet, distance and perspective will eventually create a more nuanced legacy. The record will show that Paterno won more games than any other coach and that his teams annually graduated more players than any other public school. Video clips and photos will forever immortalize his black shoes and spectacles. The library on Penn State's campus, for which he helped raise $13 million, will still stand, and a university to which he devoted not only his entire adult life but $4 million of his own money will continue to educate generations of students.
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