What’s Next For Penn State?

The Freeh Report

Now that the the investigation is over and Louis Freeh, former director of the FBI, has produced his report I would say now is about the time we as the general public can begin to judge how the situation at Penn State was handled and how it should be punished. The investigation found that some of the most powerful men at the university, President Graham Spanier, Senior Vice President of Finance and Business Gary Schultz, Athletic Director Tim Curley, and Head Football Coach Joe Paterno, knew about Jerry Sandusky’s sexual abuse of young boys and they all decided to conceal it. Although it was always somewhat assumed that these men refused to report the actions of Sandusky, this report makes it official after a long, 8 month investigation that reviewed over 3.5 million
emails and conducted over 430 interviews. The sick thing obviously here is that all the people powerful enough to do something were the ones who knew and unfortunately were the ones who chose to sweep the incidents under the rug, even when they were happening on school grounds, and their knowledge goes back all the way to criminal investigation of Sandusky in 1998.

The Next Step For Penn State

Of all the men involved in the cover-up, no man’s reputation is more tarnished than the late Joe Paterno, who had, far and away, the most to lose. During his 61 year tenure as a football coach at Penn State, 45 of those years as the head coach, Paterno grew to become the face of that campus. His name and image are plastered everywhere, most notably on the college library, which is named after him, and the giant statue of his likeness located outside of the school’s football stadium.

In my previous article regarding this situation, ‘The Penn State Scandal,’ which I wrote in November when the allegations for came out to the public, I wrote that Penn State needed to sever their ties with all the men who covered up the scandal, but I did not want to get too specific until I knew exactly the role each man had in the concealment of these sexual abuses. Now that the investigation has concluded I feel more comfortable making suggestions as to what Penn State needs to do next.

First and foremost, every single mention of Joe Paterno’s name and image needs to be removed from that campus immediately. It is unfortunate considering how much Paterno has done for the school but his involvement in this scandal trumps it all. Any reminder of him will elicit memories of his immoral behavior and all of the kids who had to grow up hiding what happened to them because Paterno refused to take action. Despite his 2 national championships and record 409 wins, this scandal leap frogs to the top of the food chain in terms of overshadowing all of his accomplishments.

What they need to do next is start donating money to organizations that help prevent sexual abuse. I understand that not everyone at the university was involved in this scandal and that men in charge now certainly were not, but the school needs to show that they believe what happened was serious and that they will do everything in their power to not let it happen again. Giving money back to the community to stop another incident like this will help the school integrate better back into the town.

The NCAA’s Reaction

One step that has already been taken by the NCAA is that they have changed their policy on sexual abuse and that any inclination that such a thing is occurring within a school is required to be reported to the authorities, not to someone within the school. This eliminates a clear conflict of interest and an authority figure would not ignore such claims as did members within Penn State.

An overreaction that should not be taken is giving Penn State the death penalty, thus eliminating their football program for a few years. I understand that what happened the last two decades with Sandusky is awful but what we need to remember is that it was the school, not just the football program, that was involved. The last time the death penalty was imposed to a football program was during the 1987 and 1988 seasons for Southern Methodist University, who was paying their players and had already been put on probation numerous times.

I know that what happened at Penn State cannot even begin to compare to paying college football players like they did at SMU, but the incident at SMU was a football matter and as a result, the football team was punished. The Penn State scandal goes well beyond football. The football players at Penn State did nothing wrong and should not be punished for the mistakes of their former coach. In addition, on game days State College becomes the third largest city in Pennsylvania. I find that statistic very fascinating and proof of how big this football program is to everyone around Happy Valley, not just the students. To axe the football program would be to punish the community as well. In order to help everyone in Pennsylvania forget about the wrongdoings that happened there the football team needs to play a major role in giving people a sense of normalcy again. To give the football team the death penalty would be to keep the murky hue of the scandal lurking over Happy Valley until the football team is reinstated.

Reaction from Rivals

What I am nervous about this season in Penn State football is the reaction of opposing fans to such a serious scandal. Student sections can be cruel and sometimes chant whatever it takes to try and get into the head of a coach or player. I am glad that the Wisconsin Badgers play Penn State in Happy Valley this season because I would hate to see this great student section at Camp Randall chant something stupid involving this scandal.

I understand that it would obviously be way over the line and completely uncalled for and unforgiving if anyone tried to make fun of what happened at Penn State, and just about everyone at every school around the country would agree with me. However, it only takes a few drunk students in the heat of the moment to chant something stupid. I have heard some sinful chants come out of the mouths of some students to players and coaches who have done nothing but decide to play or coach at a rival school. It obviously would not be a reflection of the student body if an unfortunate chant involving the Penn State scandal were to resonate in one of the corner’s of an away stadium, but the outside world and the media may take their opinions in a different direction. I would hope that everyone, drunk or sober, would be able to show restraint and intelligence when it comes to what comes out of their mouths at a football game.

It sounds like common sense, but what you have to remember is that some people lack common sense.