The Penn State Scandal: Our HC Insider Gives her Opinion on the Situation

I am the product of two Michigan State alumni. I remember watching Jud Heathcote turn the reins of our basketball program to Tom Izzo after the 1994 season. In my mind Izzo and Spartan basketball have remained synonymous ever since. 

As a self-proclaimed “townie” I’ve watched as our love for Izzo has grown to beyond immeasurable, especially after turning down offers to coach elsewhere.

Last spring when he made his announcement that he has no plans to leave MSU, after receiving an offer to coach the Cleveland Cavaliers, this town breathed a huge sigh of collective relief. Signs stood in yards and hung in the windows of dorm rooms that read “I <3 IZZO.” **Mine still hangs in my bedroom. We have one hell of a head basketball coach.

But half a country away, a fellow Big Ten school had a head football coach with an even longer legacy. One week after earning the most wins of any head coach in NCAA Division 1 football, Joe Paterno was fired, over the phone. Amid allegations of failing to take adequate measures to protect young children from the sexual misconduct of his former defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky, Paterno’s legacy came to a very sad end.

The Penn State community has been rocked. Students and fans thought of their football coach just as we think of Izzo. The best, an icon of collegiate athletics. A constant in an otherwise ever-changing athletic program at a Big Ten school. The face of Penn State football, gone. 

A group of students took to the streets in response.

How ever small they were in relation to the university’s population, the images of students flipping over TV vans made the news. East Lansing made the national news in 1999 and 2005, when riots began after NCAA Final Four losses.

I was unhappy to see riots in State College in response to the firing of Joe Pa, but I felt for my collegiate peers not so far away. I heard one Penn State student explained the riots as an irrational response to a rational anger.

In East Lansing we’ve learned that riots are detrimental to any university’s reputation. The “party school” image has plagued MSU, and the police and university have taken great steps to counteract that. Penn State riots were not good, but are perhaps to be viewed as a symptom of the new problems facing Penn State.

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Those in charge of protecting Penn State’s image did the things that destroyed it. Of course we expect our administrators to value the image of the school, but not to value it so greatly that sexual abuse continues unnoticed. The image does not matter more than the safety of those in its reach. 

How many people at Penn State were aware of the sexual misconduct of Sandusky but were too scared to take on the institution that was Penn State football? How many years went by, how many victims amassed before something was done? Too many. 

Early in the grand jury investigation for the Attorney General’s office, investigators feared that they would be unable to convict Sandusky. Not only because of a lack of physical evidence, but because of who Sandusky was and where he was. State College is practically run by Penn State football. 

As the investigation progressed more victims were interviewed. These victims were scared to come forward. They were scared that a case against Sandusky wouldn’t pan out. Who would believe their word against such a legendary football coach? 

Sadly, judging by the inaction of the university it seems the victims we’re right to have their doubts. 

In the grand jury report there are at least 18 adults that knew something of the situation. From the university president to janitorial staff, from campus police to Joe Paterno himself, they all failed to do anything that ensured the safety of children within Sandusky’s reach. This tragic scandal is filled with many “instances” when someone, anyone, could and should have done something. Many instances when saving an image took precedence over saving kids.

Joe Pa had a lot of control- whether explicit or not, over Penn State’s image. He was in a highly revered position of leadership. He listened to his grad assistant detail child rape at the hands of Sandusky. As a leader- not just a coach, but an example for college sports as a whole, he failed to do anything of consequence in the situation.

The reality is when you’re attending a Big Ten school sports define a lot of your university’s image. Not that we aren’t full of academically admirable institutions but the most readily accessible images of the places we pay thousands of dollars to attend, come from sports. Sports generate discussion all over mainstream media. We recognize the same coaching staff year after year, especially true of Penn State.

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Numerous coaches have expressed their respect for Joe Paterno, including our own. Izzo discussed his personal relationship with Joe Pa, and how the magnitude of this scandal has repercussions for the university. 

In my mind it is irrelevant to argue whether or not these men who failed to take action were good people who made mistakes. Good people who failed to recognize the enormity of the situation they found themselves in. There is no doubt Joe Pa did exceptional things on and off the field for Penn State but it simply doesn’t matter. Being a leader you do not get the luxury of making such grievous errors. Such sports giants are not infallible they are simply men. 

Students and alumni of Penn State will surely hear about the scandal when they mention their alma mater. The football players will endure endless questions about their take on things. Anyone that did or benefited from good, honest work at the Second Mile will be linked to an organization that kept troubled boys at the ready for a sexual deviant. People not even remotely close to the football program, will feel the consequences of this scandal. 

But let us not forget about the victims, the ruined lives at least eight people. A report on child welfare conducted by the US Department of Health and Human Services in 2009 reported that 80% of abused children have at least one psychological disorder by the time they are 21. 

Since Sandusky was arrested at least 10 more victims have come forward. Students will graduate, athletes will move on. Games will be played, won and lost. The little boys who were victimized will be forever changed.

I feel for Penn Staters. We invest time, energy and hard earned cash into our schools. We rock our school colors around the clock, spend our weekends cheering for victories. Collegiate sports link students, community and alumni. We should be able to do such things with pride. Something went horribly wrong on an alarmingly grand scale at Penn State, and I imagine coming to terms with all the betrayal would be beyond tough.

While we’re watching a very sad end to an athletic dynasty, a much sadder reality faces the victims. If any good comes of this situation is needs to be the impossibility for anything like this to happen again. Hopefully universities across the country are noting what went on a Penn State.