You know what’s crazy? I’ll tell you what’s crazy.™
The Joe Paterno Statue coming down.
Once a symbol of all that was good with Penn State University, and perhaps college athletics, the statue is now gone.
Out of sight out of mind? Maybe, maybe not.
The 900 pound 7 foot statue of Iconic football legend Joe Pa was dismantled in a military style coup.
Construction crews protected by law enforcement erected a fence, they stopped traffic, they covered a metallic Joe Pa with a tarp and toppled the coach.
With 100 students chanting we are Penn State, the statue disappeared in hopes of promoting healing.
Tearing down the avuncular symbol was painful. It felt like tripping your blind grandma near the basement stairs.
It was like a national mugging and it makes me sad. For Joe Pa’s legacy, for PSU, for victims who endured years of anguish.
According to published reports; Penn State President Rod Erickson said he decided to have the statue removed and put into storage because it “has become a source of division and an obstacle to healing.”
“I believe that, were it to remain, the statue will be a recurring wound to the multitude of individuals across the nation and beyond who have been the victims of child abuse,” Erickson said.
Initially I was divided on this move. On one hand the coach did great things for thousands of players and students. Jo Pa was a symbol for most of his life for what is good in college athletics. He straightened out the lives of countless young athletes.
On the other hand, he reportedly turned a blind eye to the rape of children by members of his football staff.
Ultimately, if one child was raped because Joe Pa didn’t act, it makes me think this was the right move.
It’s atrocious. It’s a double edge sword of sadness.
I wonder if the death penalty for PSU is also warranted? The university got sanctioned heavily today. 60 million, loss of scholarships and bowl games and vacated wins.
But it was no SMU death penalty.
Ohio State got hammered because some kids got free tattoos. Like PSU, USC lost recruits and bowl appearances for years because Reggie Bushes parents allegedly took money from an agent. His parents took money. Not Reggie Bush. His parents!
An active Penn State coach raped young boys. Reports indicate other PSU coaches and university hierarchy knew about it.
Hmmmm? Tatoos for free. Raping kids in showers.
It’s like comparing a hatchet murder versus Jay Walking.
The NCAA is inadequate.
Statues coming down. Coaches being incarcerated. Death Penalties being considered. Victims grieving.
There are no winners here and there won’t be for a long time.
So the statue is gone, out of sight out of mind. It’s symbolic. Will it promote healing? Only time will tell.
I can’t wait till the games start again so I can forget all this mess.
And that is crazy.™