Column: Penn St. Scandal Ends Era

"I have come to work every day for the last 61 years with one clear goal in mind: To serve the best interests of this university and the young men who have been entrusted to my care. I have the same goal today."

    These are the words of longtime Penn State head football coach Joe "JoePa" Paterno. After over six decades of coaching, the resiliency and dedication of Paterno can be shown through this quote. However, the story behind these words paints a different picture.

    This past week, the legacy of Paterno and the Nittany Lion's football program has been hit with turmoil. The arrest of former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky has left questions of the beloved head coach's morality. Paterno's awareness of the allegations against his former protege and his lack of action have culminated in the longest-tenured college football coach's termination last night.

    The backlash from these events has left the Nittany Lions in a state of uncertainty and chaos. Tuesday night, fans packed Paterno's front yard, chanting his name in support, while many have called his lack of action an atrocity. While authorities say that the coach did his legal duty in informing school officials of the alleged acts, many have questioned his morality in ensuring the safety of the victims.

    Sandusky, who has been charged with sexual abuse and molestation, was let off the hook up to this point. Penn State seemingly felt that sweeping these events under the rug would be an adequate approach to the situation. This, of course, has come back to haunt the program, none more so than Paterno.

While one can only hope, as a true fan of college football, that Paterno didn't know every detail and is truly shocked and devastated by these events, we do know that he had an idea of questionable actions in his coaching staff. That, sadly enough, makes his decision to leave at the end of the season for the best. While he has had a legacy of excellence in college football, he now leaves with a sullied reputation.

As I watched and read reports on the events throughout the week, I couldn't help but think about how other schools would react to such an atrocity. How would Boston College head coach Frank Spaziani react to such an incident in his coaching staff?

Yesterday afternoon, before Paterno's termination, Spaziani presented ESPN reporters with both an insightful and compassionate response to questions about the situation at Penn State.

"It's a very shocking development," he said before practice. "The whole story, and his retiring, is obviously part of the story but it's not the story. It's the victims and their families. To me, that's the story."

This statement exemplifies the values that the BC community holds in terms of its coaching staff, players and fans. There is a certain level of morality that we must share as a community and Spaziani clearly shows an understanding of these standards.

We can only hope that, as a Jesuit institution, all coaches and administrators would do everything in their power to bring justice to such a despicable crime. Had a deranged man like Sandusky been a member of the Eagle community, I would hope that all people would have the courage and moral standards to protect innocent children.

Paterno's statements show a clear understanding of the seriousness of these events. Despite the board's decision to fire him and his clear guilt, he desired  to keep his commitments to the players.

"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. My goals now are to keep my commitments to my players and staff and finish the season with dignity and determination. And then I will spend the rest of my life doing everything I can to help this university."

    Even in his darkest hour, Paterno, the legendary college football figure, dedicated himself to the program, unfortunately this is no longer possible. Who could have imagined that he would be leaving on such terrible terms? As Paterno has continually stated, our main concern as fans should be praying for the victims of Sandusky's crimes. He made mistakes, and now faces the consequences.

    This stands as a lesson for everyone, no matter their position, to stand up for those in need, protect victims and assure the safety of the community. Hopefully, issues like this can be eliminated not only for sports but communities everywhere. Paterno had a respectable career and was always seen as a treasured member of college athletics. Now, his legacy and successes will be a back-story to the scandal of his final days.