I worked too bloody hard for it.
For months now, I’ve held my tongue as the hits kept on coming: The initial Jerry Sandusky bombshell. Joe Paterno’s ouster and subsequent death from lung cancer. Sandusky’s trial and conviction. And now the Freeh Report.
All the while, there's seemed to be a rousing game of dogpile on the rabbit going on, complete with snide comments and dirty looks any time I've worn an article of State-themed clothing.
But I’m not about to change who I am.
Because I am Penn State.
We’re not all child molesters.
We’re not all cover-up artists.
And we’re certainly not all apologists.
Yep, some downright disgusting things happened to kids, things that shouldn’t happen anywhere. Yet they do happen. All too often and in far too many places.
There were shenanigans at the top of an institutional food chain in a misguided attempt to sweep wrongdoing under the rug. That, too, shouldn’t happen anywhere. Yet it does, again all too often.
Then again, in a nation where the national pasttime is trending toward butt-covering and buck-passing instead of baseball, this shouldn’t surprise anyone.
When crimes this heinous occur within a high-profile institution, though, all the wolves come out, baying for extra rations of blood.
We hear people with no connections to the case opine about how they would have handled the situation. They would have swooped in to save the day. They would have shot Jerry Sandusky right between the eyes. They wouldn’t have let anyone get away with anything.
I won’t disagree that sort of — stoppage — would have been welcome.
It is, however, unrealistic ... illegal, even.
I feel horrible that any of this happened at my school, under the watch of people I respected. You just don’t do that sort of thing to defenseless younglings. It’s beyond the pale.
But justice, despite its unconcionably long delay, has been served. Jerry Sandusky is behind bars, and is no longer a threat to children.
How about JoePa? He was no saint. He did many wonderful things for the university community. But he ruled the Nittany Kingdom with a hand that was beyond firm. He committed the sin of pride on an epic scale. Ultimately, it was his undoing. And now? The man's dead. He can't do anything more to help or hinder anyone.
The others at the helm of this shameful episode have been kicked off the ship. Let the courts take care of them.
It's a brand new day at Penn State. New university president. Some new trustees. New football staff. New sense of transparency. And, every semester, without fail, throngs of new students with no connection whatsoever to events past.
So leave off shaking your fists in impotent rage and let the rest of us get to work for tomorrow. We quite fully comprehend the wrongs that have been done here, thanks. They make us just as sick as they make you. But you know what? Just because we're not willing to sever our ties to a place that was instrumental in forming who we are today doesn't make us criminals by association.
Kindly quit confusing this horrible episode with the thousands upon thousands of good, hardworking, intelligent people upon whom Penn State has been bestowing degrees since 1855.
Turning your anger on us doesn't stop child abuse from happening. Not at Penn State, not in the Catholic church (or any church, for that matter), not in the Boy Scouts of America and not at your local elementary/middle/high school. Not even in the house across the street, where the cops just led your kindly, bespectacled, sweater-vested neighbor out in handcuffs after learning he possessed the biggest stash of kiddie porn in county history.
Full disclosure: I interviewed Jerry Sandusky one-on-one once, way back in the early 1990s. I was covering a golf tournament benefitting his Second Mile charity. We chatted for a long while. He was kind, polite, funny. He spoke earnestly about providing help for kids who needed it.
He was not wearing a badge that said, "I do unspeakable things to kids."
I doubt any molester does.
I'd wager that we all come in contact with these people, and are just as in the dark as I was that bright, sunny day in at the golf course.
It seems to me that all we can do as human beings is try and be aware of our surroundings. If we see something that's suspect, we should do our best to try and bring the truth of the matter to light. Continuing to harp on a case that's resolved doesn't help those who were victimized. All we can do is learn from wrongs and missteps, extend our hands to the victims in support, and then try and work together to head other potential tragedies off at the pass.
So, no more outrage, please. No more recriminations. No more finger-pointing. It's counterproductive, and the time for it has passed. It's a brand new day.
I'm extending my hand. Let's move forward together, shall we?
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