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The Penn State Scandal
That’s My Opinion
By Bob Robinson
The day after CNO Sports Editor George Starks wrote his column, Should
PSU accept a bowl bid?, CNO reader Susan Olling sent the following...
I disagree with Mr. Starks article in today’s CNO pertaining to Penn
State going to a bowl game. Given the sordidness of the mess that
happened up there (and that is still unfolding), PSU should not be
accorded the privilege of playing a post-season game. Someone
within that university should be able to exercise common sense and
decline any invitation from any bowl. The silence from PSU’s
leadership on that subject has been deafening. Sadly, the tail
still appears to be wagging the dog. Declining a bowl invitation
would not only show that the powers that be at PSU want to put the
football program back into perspective, declining a bowl invitation
would not set a precedent in the Big Ten.
The Ohio State football team was Big Ten champion in 1961 and was
invited to play in the Rose Bowl. The faculty council voted to
decline the invitation. Football, at least to them evidently, was
becoming too big at the university. Minnesota, the conference
runner-up went instead. (We joked about OSU being a football factory
when I was an undergraduate there in the mid-1970’s. The program,
as well as college football in general, has gotten completely out of
control.)
In support of her comments, Olling sent a link to a USA Today story,
noting... “I suggest Mr. Starks read the attached column from
mid-November and pay particular attention to the last five short, to
the point, paragraphs.”
The link to this and another story, as well as those to two Starks
columns, are provided below.
I typically agree with Mrs. Olling and always appreciate (and enjoy)
her comments. She is typically “right on!” and whether I disagree or
not, her comments are always well supported. I also try to stay away
from commenting on sports-related stories since this is an arena in
which I recognize that I’m a fish out of water. I don’t really
understand the ins and outs, the nuances of sports programs - at the
prep level or college level.
I bow to those with a better handle on this sub-set of society. And it
is definitely a society within a society. Ask any sports enthusiast.
In this case, however, I support my Sports Editor and respectfully
disagree with our reader.
The Perp. If Sandusky is found guilty of these charges, he should be
‘drawn and quartered’ in the public square. I’ve made my stance
perfectly clear regarding sexual predators. Nothing has changed.
Penn State University. As both Starks and the USA Today story noted,
PSU should not profit in any way from this season’s football program or
any other NCAA sanctioned activity. I would be open to taking the fines
back for as many years as there was knowledge that this despicable
activity was going on.
Paterno and any others who were aware of this scandal. To the best of
my knowledge, Paterno was the only one who did “something” when he
found out. Those who did “nothing” are equally guilty of allowing this
depravity to continue and should be appropriately punished. Paterno
reported the offense to his superiors. Whether he should have been more
adamant about following up, reporting to the proper agencies, or
allowed to finish the season I guess will be open to debate for a long
time to come. Personally, I believe he properly followed channels but
should have taken it further when those “channels” dropped the ball.
The victims. If I could make things “right” for them, I would do it. I
can’t. The best we can offer in this imperfect world is to allow them
to see justice done for what was done to them.
The players. This is where I strongly differ from Mrs. Olling and USA
Today.
Some young people are academic scholars. Some young people are talented
writers, photographers and artists. And some young people are talented
athletes. Whether or not the balloon proportions were ever intended,
high school and college programs have evolved to provide opportunities
for some students to obtain a college education or excel in a career
that might otherwise never have been possible.
Have sports programs - especially football - been placed on pedestals
by an adoring public? Yep. And to some extent I believe the perception
has resulted in disdain by those who don’t understand or care for this
“sub-culture.” Full boat scholarships. Perks. Shady or sometimes
outright illegal activities. Special tutors. All these things have
added fuel to the fire.
Was - is - OSU a “football factory?” Probably. Much in the same way
that nearly every NCAA ranked Top 25 football program in the country is
the result of a “football factory” mentality.
However, except where the student is actually guilty of wrong-doing, I
refuse to hold him or her responsible for what we as a culture throw at
them, or what others do. Precedent with others schools in the Big 10
not withstanding, I refuse to endorse taking away possibly their final
opportunity to be seen by people who can lead them to the career they
have worked so hard to achieve because of the actions of others.
Punish the perpetrators, not those who had nothing to do with it. As
most of us have heard many times in our lives, two wrongs don’t make a
right.
All the discussion, however, seems to be irrelevant as Penn State has
accepted a bowl bid on Jan. 2. As Mrs. Olling later noted, “money still
talks.”
That’s my opinion. What’s yours?
To read Starks’ column, Let’s Hear it for the Man, click here
To read Starks’ column, Should PSU accept a bowl bid? click here
To read “Brennan: Penn State needs to skip Rose and any other bowl” USA
Today, click here
To read the story on Penn State going to the TicketCity (Cotton) Bowl,
click here
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