My condolences go out to those saddened by the death of former Penn State coach Joe Paterno. That he was an anachronism- a Renaissance man and a teacher, as well as a football coach- goes without saying, as does the reality that we will not see his like again. That said, it’s sad that Paterno will not be remembered outside the Penn State community as an iconic football coach. No, he’ll be remembered as the man who had the opportunity to stop Jerry Sandusky from molesting children…and whiffed on it.
A very wise former basketball coach of mine once said that “one screwup will erase 20 attaboys.” Sadly, this is truer than even I’d thought, and I suspect history will not be kind to Paterno. I listened to an interview in which a fan said that, after 61 years, Paterno deserved the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps so, but I doubt the parent of the 10-year-old boy Jerry Sandusky was molesting in the shower when Mike McQueary walked in would echo that sentiment. Child sexual abuse asks, deserves, and should receive no quarter. Paterno had a chance to stop Sandusky and he abdicated his moral responsibility. If that turns out to be Paterno’s legacy it’s richly deserved.
Paterno did a lot of good during his lifetime; of that there can be no doubt. Unfortunately for him, one poor decision- one epic screwup- has erased all of that. That’s too bad, but what’s even worse was that his silence enabled the continued sexual abuse of children. Jerry Sandusky continued to prey on children in part because Joe Paterno didn’t stand up and do the right thing. That abdication of responsibility can, and should, never be forgotten or forgiven.
The benefit of the doubt? Tell that to the children.
