Thursday, July 19, 2012
Should Paterno statue be removed?
Amid calls for the removal of football coach Joe Paterno's statue from the Penn State campus, some students have started a vigil to protect it from vandals.
Seniors Mike Elliot and Kevin Berkon organized a gathering at the statue after a plane flew over the campus Tuesday with a banner that read: "Take the statue down or we will."
The statue of Joe Paterno, once a rallying point for support of the late coach, has become a lightning rod for critics of the school and its football program.
The students said they would be at the statue again Wednesday night, but weren't sure how long they would keep the vigil.
The Paterno statue outside Beaver Stadium has been a point of much contention since the results from a scathing report by former FBI director Louis Freeh were made public and greatly tarnished the reputation of a man once known as "JoePa."
Critics have called for the statue to be taken down after the Freeh report concluded that Paterno was aware of allegations levied against convicted pedophile Jerry Sandusky in 1998 -- in contrast to his grand jury testimony and an interview given after his firing -- and that he was involved in the decision to not report a 2001 incident to the authorities even after his superiors had decided to.
For me, there is no question that the statue should be removed. Paterno knew was made aware of what was happening and did not do what he should have done to protect those kids. He was Penn State. By all accounts, he fully ran the football program and he had a monster right under his nose doing horrific things to kids inside of his own building. Shame on him for not doing more. He would rather protect the program and his save his reputation and not risk embarrassment to himself or the school rather do the right thing and protect those kids. The statue should come down immediately.
As far as these idiot students trying to keep the statue up, I bet they wouldn't have the same opinion if it was one of them or one of their friends/relatives that was abused by Sandusky. Those kids are young and silly.
I'm sure Paterno did many great things in his 46 years of coaching and he helped many of his players become successful in life. However, all of that means nothing if he allowed even one child to suffer the kind of abuse described in reports at the hands of Sandusky.
Tear the statue down.
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2 comments:
Let's face it. Penn State wouldn't be what it is without Paterno. He is the reason why high school grads and football recruits flocked to Happy Valley over the last 46 years. Without him, the school would be just another average state college.
Legacies get tarnished sometimes, but that doesn't mean that past accomplishments should be ignored. Thomas Jefferson was a slave owner who fathered multiple children with slaves, yet he is revered as a founding father of our country. Bill Clinton got Lewinskied in his office, but he is regarded as a historically significant leader. Marv Albert was a cross-dresser, but he is still considered a premier sports announcer. Michael Vick killed dogs out of ignorance, but we forgave him and he has mended his ways and has found renewed success. Shaggy and Scooby were always either high or selfishly looking for food instead of the villain, yet we regard them as heroes for thwarting multiple crimes. You get the picture.
Despite society's tendency to forgive, occasionally one's past transgressions turn out to be so vile that it is impossible to allow that person's success to outweigh their crimes. This is where we are with Paterno. Allowing his buddy Sandusky to maliciously harass and abuse young boys who were in the need of help is unforgivable. Paterno's legacy has a big black mark on it and no one should forget what he allowed to happen under his watch. Remove the statue and make it clear that Penn State is bigger than the legacy of a single man.
Phew! For a second, I thought you were going to say we should forgive Paterno.
Agree that he is a big part of what Penn St is today. Agree that he has helped shape the lives of many young men.
However, any leniency or feelings of sympathy towards Paterno can be countered by reading the Sandusky indictment report that details what was happening in Paterno's buildings on his watch. He was made aware of these things and he did not take appropriate action. He feared embarrassing himself and tarnishing his program. He may not have been the perpetrator but he knew (at least partially) what was taking place and he largely sat quiet. I don't care about his 46 years of coaching. I don't care about all the kids he helped. When you read the report and read some of the things those kids had to endure, it's disgusting and painful and it never goes away. Those kids have to deal with what happened to them for the rest of their lives. Part of their lives were taken from them. It's Joe Paterno's buildings. It's his program. He knew what was going on. He did nothing. Shame on him. Take the statue down. Penn St. should move past this ugly episode and it begins with taking the statue down.
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