Re: OSU and Penn ST
Not defending penn st by any means, but to blame Franklin is crazy. He had zero to do with penn st scandal.
To be fair, I'm not blaming Franklin for what he didn't do - but I simply CANNOT pull for PSU for what they aided and abetted.
Saying "I cannot pull for Penn State" is not saying "James Franklin is to blame."
Yet he has taken a team back to the top on the field. After the scandal most thought they would be decades in recovery. What Franklin has done is amazing. Does penn st have more to do to rectify years of over looking the mess they allowed to go on, yes. But none of this staff or players were there, so I will not lay that on them.
No, but the last time I looked you STILL have players who played for Paterno who just don't bleeping get it.
It's one thing for those players to have fond memories of their time under Paterno. As nobody in the world is all good or all bad (Jesus excepted), there is no doubt Joe Paterno DID have a positive influence on the lives of many young men. That Kerry Collins or Todd Blackledge count Paterno a positive influence on their own lives is understandable.
What is
totally inexcusable is nearly 325 players from Penn State history:
a) wanting a statue put back up for the man
b) supporting a lawsuit against the NCAA
c) giving the man a standing ovation last year (the fans at a damn football game)
The minions at Penn State are wanting to have their cake and eat it, too. They want to talk about all the good Paterno did and (follow me here) how much control he exercised over things because he kept them off probation and they won "the right way," but then they want me at the same time to believe the man: a) had no idea what was going on (a demonstrable lie); and b) even if he did, there's nothing he could have done about it.
I'm sorry, but if Joe Paterno REALLY cared about pedophilia more than his football team, he was powerful enough to have marched right into Graham Spanier's office after firing Sandusky and tell Spanier what he heard. This Jay Paterno - who is a five-year running champion of Needs To Be Smacked In The Face With A Tube Sock Full of Wooden Screws - straw man about how Paterno's only obligation was to report it and he did doesn't cut it with me.
Not when Paterno (like Bryant and others) was the best-known and most powerful official in the state who could have ended the abuse IF he really wanted to. (No, he couldn't undo the past abuse, but he could have prevented it years before it stopped).
Here's an SI article on Paterno from 2002.
I want you to note a key portion of it:
"Paterno is the
most powerful person on campus, and no person or committee that tried to force him to retire could survive the wrath of his supporters."
They couldn't fire him for losing football seasons because he was so powerful. You don't get to try the "he couldn't stop it" nonsense. Sorry, not working on me or anyone with a brain.
Paterno could have walked into Spanier's office at any time. And we know he knew about it then so......he could actually have enhanced his stature (and folks would have said "he lost some games because of the turmoil, but he did the right thing").....and he'd still have a statue.
I don't think Paterno's players are being intentionally insensitive, but it's clear they can't possibly understand the issue. I'd be curious as to how many PSU players have come out against Paterno publicly with an "I had a great time and learned a lot, but I can't get those kids out of my mind."
The admin is another story.
The admin couldn't fire Paterno because of his cult. Paterno was more powerful than they. That's wrong and blows up every time, but let's not pretend that because the admin was wrong that Paterno was in any way right.
I do not blame the son for the sins of the father,
Me, neither - Jay Paterno isn't to blame for his Dad aiding and abetting a pedophile, I agree.
these players and staff had no more to do with that scandal than I did. Besides admin though many of their fans make me sick how they still defend penn st. BUT admin and fans are not working hard and winning games, kids and staff are doing that,and I applaud them for that, nothing else.
The players make that choice when they go there. It's not like they don't know Penn State's reputation.
It's sorta like going to work for a crazy executive who lies all the time about everything and then being shocked that he lies to you while you're working for him. It's like sleeping with the girl with herpes when you know it - the players now KNEW the reputation.
James Franklin and the current players are NOT to blame for what happened years ago, but I don't want to see Penn State take home any money from the success after: a) what they permitted; and b) how they've handled it.
They need a better PR guy to tell the old players to go screw themselves and let them try to rebuild from the carnage.
