What an absurdly ornate process. I just heard Matt McGloin say that he won’t forgive the media for their “harshness.” McGloin, do you remember Joe Paterno covered up a child molestation case? Less than a month ago, we were ready to hang him by his arthritic fingers, but now that Paterno passes, we idolize him like Teddy Roosevelt. It’s another example of the ridiculous media inflation we not only condone but encourage. Joe Paterno is one of the great football minds our generation has witnessed, and nobody can argue that. But part of your position as a head coach is micromanaging your team. Paterno would be the last to make excuses, and I genuinely believe he would appreciate and resent the built up legacy he has only recently attained. Glamorizing Paterno’s legacy is an easy cop-out for an act that made our whole nation sick less than two months ago.
It isn’t easy to watch a legend die and still hold our beliefs strongly, but letting Paterno off by claiming his mistake was a simple mishap is as shameless as letting OJ free. Joe Paterno made a mistake. He messed up, like we all do in certain moments of turmoil. But those who claim Joe Paterno died of a broken heart need to recognize this isn’t a nursery rhyme, or some foolish limerick. This is real life, and the very real victims of Jerry Sandusky’s evil should feel no remorse for the passing of Joe Paterno. He was a great coach and an even better man, but nothing excuses the carelessness with which he treated innocent lives, and his legacy should include his devastating mistake.
