Many Penn State people will tell you the home game against Temple Sept. 17 is more important than the game at Pitt next week. Temple whacked Penn State, 27-10, last season, beating the Nittany Lions for the first time in 74 years. The pressure is on coach James Franklin not to allow it to happen for a second consecutive year.
But the Temple game took on much greater significance Thursday when Penn State announced -- sort of -- that there will be a "commemoration" that day at Beaver Stadium of the 50th anniversary of Joe Paterno's first game as Penn State coach. The news was buried in a release about the promotional events for the 2016 season. No further details were available.
A lot of people are outraged by the idea of honoring Paterno in any way.
I am not.
It depends on what you believe, right? If you believe Paterno intentionally harbored the evil monster that was Jerry Sandusky in order to protect his football program, you're going to be disgusted by this latest news. I get that. I respect your opinion. But if you don't believe it, you have no problem with recognizing a significant milestone for a man who did so much good for Penn State in ways that went far beyond football. I am in that group. I hope you respect my opinion.
I have said and written many times that Paterno should have been more diligent after learning from assistant coach Mike McQueary in 2001 of a sexual-assault incident involving Sandusky and a young boy in the shower at the university's football facility. Paterno reported the news to his so-called superiors -- athletic director Tim Curley and school vice president Gary Schultz. I have two thoughts about that. One, Paterno had no superiors at Penn State at that point of his legendary coaching career and probably was the most powerful man in the state. And two, although kicking the ball upstairs satisfied Paterno's legal responsibility, it didn't satisfy his moral obligation. He should have followed up what McQueary told him when it became clear Curley, Schultz and university president Graham Spanier didn't. As Paterno said, now famously, after Sandusky was arrested late in the 2011 season and Paterno was fired a few days later, "With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more."
But I refuse to believe the allegations against Paterno that came out earlier this year. One alleged victim of Sandusky said he told Paterno in 1976 of being abused but was shooed away, quoting Paterno as saying, "I have a football season to worry about." Another alleged victim said he spoke to Paterno in 1971 about being abused by Sandusky and was told by Paterno, "Stop this (talk) right now."
Sorry, I don't believe it.
That isn't the Paterno I knew. That Paterno wasn't a monster. That Paterno was a good, decent man, although he certainly had flaws the way we all do.
I just wish Paterno were alive and able to defend himself.
Clearly, Penn State administrators don't know what to do with Paterno. They took down his statue from outside Beaver Stadium in July 2012, further infuriating the Paterno family, which believes the university hasn't supported Paterno the way he deserves to be supported. Now it wants to honor the 50th anniversary of Paterno's first game, a 15-7 win against Maryland? How about the meek way Penn State announced the news, almost as if it is ashamed by it? If university officials believe in Paterno enough to have a ceremony, they should stand up and scream the plans proudly. Take that a step further. If they truly believe in Paterno, they should put his statue back up and name Beaver Stadium in his honor, the subsequent criticism be damned.
"I think Penn State needs to embrace Joe Paterno for who he was, for what he did at Penn State, unequivocally and without hesitation," Penn State alum and board of trustees member Anthony Lubrano told USA Today.
The Penn State Alumni Association surveyed its members about Paterno and -- according to PennLive.com -- found that 91 percent "felt that Penn State should publicly recognize Joe Paterno for his service to Penn State."
Let me guess what the Paterno haters are thinking:
That all 91 percent care more about Paterno's 409 wins than they do about Sandusky's victims.
That thought makes me sick to my stomach.
Sports on 09/05/2016