There’s something inherently dangerous and misguided about worshipping a person who is still alive.
Those people still have time to make mistakes, or to cop to the ones they’ve already made. Or, in the case of Joe Paterno, to never admit to sweeping them under the rug for nearly half a century.
BENDER: Why the hell would anyone object to vacating wins now?
On Thursday, pennlive.com reported that a court order for an insurance case connected to Jerry Sandusky’s serial sexual abuse of minors included this revelation: that “in 1976, a child allegedly reported to PSU's Head Coach Joseph Paterno that he (the child) was sexually molested by Sandusky." That claim has never been corroborated.
The very same court order contains depositions that allege unidentified assistant coaches also witnessed inappropriate conduct between Sandusky and minors in 1987 and 1988.
"There is no evidence that reports of these incidents ever went further up the chain of command at PSU," said the judge assigned to the insurance case, Gary Glazer.
Make no mistake. Paterno had very few shortcomings on the field. As the winningest coach in NCAA FBS history, the owner of two national titles and 24 victories in 37 bowl appearances with the Nittany Lions, he was as close to unassailable as a longtime coach at any university could dream to be.
But he fell short where it mattered. He didn't do enough.
MORE: Sandusky returns to court, maintains innocence
And so did so many who could not see past the bravado or the clout that comes with winning and winning big, those who could not separate a good coach from his human failings. In State College, Paterno is a demigod, even after a 2012 report by former FBI director Louis Freeh concluded Paterno concealed critical facts that could have stopped Sandusky from serially grooming young men to sexually abuse.
Paterno skirted by on a technicality in the Pennsylvania state law that requires state employees to notify their immediate superiors about suspected child abuse. He came under fire from Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan , who contended that any reasonable person with knowledge of such incidents would have a "moral responsibility" to also notify the police about the suspected abuse.
No matter. Even when Paterno didn't do enough, he did no wrong.
MORE: Settlements of Sandusky claims balloon to $93M
The Penn State faithful rioted in the State College streets the night he was fired in 2011. Crazed students flipped over a news van and threatened to ignite it over the news, using the Paterno statue outside Beaver Stadium as their rallying point. You probably remember that statue — a bronze likeness of the bespectacled JoePa striding forward, his tie askew and his right hand holding up his index finger.
Even in bronze, Paterno was immaculate. Behind the power of a mob, he always was. That unwavering loyalty, to a fault, is a type of herd thinking found in sports fans that allows limited space for rational thought. Paterno, in their eyes, was a martyr. And in his passing a few months later, he truly became one.
The Paterno family attorney released a statement Thursday evening in defense of the late coach, saying: "An allegation now about an alleged event 40 years ago, as represented by a single line in a court document regarding an insurance issue, with no corroborating evidence, does not change the facts. Joe Paterno did not, at any time, cover up conduct by Jerry Sandusky."
Maybe he didn't cover it up, but he certainly didn't do anything about it, either.
And over the course of 40 years, which one to you is worse?