B365V2.6 - Just put the statue back already

     By now I would imagine everyone is aware that most of the penalties handed down by the NCAA to Penn State following the Jerry Sandusky scandal have been lifted with word that the wins that were part stricken from Joe Paterno's record as head coach of Penn State football will be reinstated, making Joepa once again the winningest coach in college football.

     Now I will admit I was not a fan of all of the punishment that was handed down to the Penn Sate football program, while I certainly thought the punishment for the program and the people involved should be swift and severe, I am not sure keeping the current team from playing in bowl games really accomplishes that.  The players weren't to blame for what took place so I don't get what punishing them actually accomplishes.

     That being said, there were plenty of Joe Paterno sycophants out that went to bat for poor beleaguered Joe, even when Joe was the one who granted Jerry Sandusky unfettered access to the Penn State football facilities, one of the many places where Sandusky could ply both of his trades, as a member of the Penn State football coaching staff and as a child raper.  Even after retiring from coaching Sandusky was still allowed to keep an office on campus, and use the trappings of Penn State football as a way to lure young boys closer to him.

     When confronted about one such allegation against Sandusky, Joe Paterno did what can best be described as the least he could possibly do in just passing the buck up the hierarchical change at Penn State, knowing full well that when it came to Penn State football and its goings on, the school answered to Joe Paterno and not the other way around.

     What saved Paterno from a potential indictment and possible criminal charges in the Sandusky scandal was simply the fact that he died before such things could happen.  There wasn't a mountain of evidence that absolved Joe of any wrongdoing, rather the Grim Reaper probably saved him from an avalanche of disgrace that would have come his way.  But death also saved Joe, because that meant his sycophants could then rush out and say he wasn't found guilty of anything, so why was he being punished?  They questioned the actions of the NCAA in how they meted out punishment, one state senator going so far as to sue the NCAA until an agreement was reached, where the wins would be restored to Paterno's record at a cost of $60 million dollars.

     At first upon hearing the news of this agreement I was appalled, but the more I thought about it, the less appalled I was.  Sure Paterno will once again be listed as the winningest coach in college football history, but with a giant asterisk, that being that any time his name is mentioned as the record holder the fact he abetted a child rapist will also be part of the story.  And it further goes to show how little some people care about the victims of Sandusky, that their coaches won loss record, which is really nothing more than cosmetic damage in the grand scheme of things because the players in those games know who won or lost them regardless if the coach gets credit or not, became more important than justice for the victims.

     So by all means Paterno fans, relish in your victory in getting the wins reinstated, go ahead and reerect the Joe Paterno statue outside the football stadium in Happy Valley while your at it, because every time Paterno's name is mentioned, it will just be a reminder to the rest of us of how sick you fucks really are.