Cold, Hard Truth about Joe Paterno
If he were alive today, Joe Paterno — the coach who stood for so long for character and integrity both on and off the football field — could be looking at charges such as child endangerment, perjury and conspiracy.
Many are arguing that the man must be judged not by his worst actions, but by his best. Even if that paradigm were valid, it would hardly apply in such a way as to allow the continued veneration of Paterno by PSU alumnae and students. Paterno did not bring peace to the Middle East, he did not solve the problem of hunger during a time of plenty, he did not contribute to cures for cancer or AIDS. He coached football and made money for PSU. He may have had a positive impact on many young men, but so does every decent coach. The statues and murals are evidence of a cult of personality he either allowed, or encouraged to spring up around his person.
He was a college football coach who knowingly and actively ignored the rape and abuse of young boys. Everything else he did recedes into background noise.