Joe Paterno Passes Away

Submitted by mgokev on
Title says it all. Prayers with the family.

In reply to by coastal blue

Butterfield

January 22nd, 2012 at 1:07 PM ^

If paterno would have gone all vigilante and mcqueary's account turned out to be false, then what? Trust that the chain of command will work is what separates this country from 3rd world countries where an accusation is akin to a guilty verdict. Fact of the matter is the people above paterno failed, not paterno himself.

coastal blue

January 22nd, 2012 at 1:38 PM ^

Is it vigilante to go to the police?

To talk to Sandusky?

To ask people to report if they see any suspcious activity?

No one is saying he had to go Christian Bale on him and that's what's pathetic about people like you and SQ up there: you're defending him like what he had to do was difficult and had terrible repercussions for him personally. Like Sandusky had a bomb strapped to his wife and if he ever tried to do anything to stop Sandusky, the red button was gonna get pushed. Like there was some reason he shouldn't do more. Only there wasn't. 

I mean, he said Sandusky wasn't even his friend. That they didn't have a relationship. He didn't even have to worry about that aspect of things. 

Just ridiculous. 

But let's hear the next defense. 

MGoSoftball

January 22nd, 2012 at 1:01 PM ^

I agree with this.  I wanted everyone fired and the school to be bulldozed and made into a horse farm.  However, you are making a leap here.  I do not know all the facts of the case.  Now that JoePa is gone, we may never know the real truth.

I hope and pray that JoePa never knew more than what is public.  I hope and pray that what we know is the worst.  If there is anymore details to come, JoePa's legacy will not be good.

WolverineLake

January 24th, 2012 at 3:28 PM ^

  Wow, a '-1' and a 'flamebait.'  Okay, seems like the moderation system can sometimes lynch folks who may have the unfortunate desire to voice an opinion.

 

  I'm not saying what happened was right or wrong, I'm just saying that people probably won't think of JoePa as the protector of molesters in ten years.  A few folks will boil over with rebuff, but ask your random, wayward fan in 2022 and they may only know that JoePa set a record for wins and coached at PSU for a lifetime.  

 

  Neg me.  Couldn't care less.

Look Up_See Blue

January 22nd, 2012 at 10:44 AM ^

Paterno was a good man.  Unfortunately, he made a big mistake by not speaking at a time when he should have.  I find it ironic that he suffered from lung cancer in the end.  He will be judged by how he handled the Sandusky saga.  Before people bash him let's try to remember that we are all sinners.  

Jasper

January 22nd, 2012 at 10:55 AM ^

"Before people bash him let's try to remember that we are all sinners."

* Define your terms, please. What's a sinner in your world?

* Are you equating what he did (or, rather, didn't do) with garden-variety trangressions?

BluePants

January 22nd, 2012 at 11:48 AM ^

Not trying to be snarky here, but I think we can safely draw a line here to end the conversation attempting to define "sinners" or "sins." This is drifting dangerously closely to one of the Forbidden Topics of MGoBlog, religion. 

Let's take this moment to reflect on the passing of a legend who undoubtedly changed college football and the lives of countless men for the better.

The end of the JoePa saga should be a cathartic lesson for all: even the greatest and most loved legends can be forever tarnished by poor choices. Even if his transgression was horrifying, his legend should be fairly considered in proportion to those few (shockingly) poor choices. 

Either way, it's a somber day for the sporting world.

STW P. Brabbs

January 22nd, 2012 at 8:09 PM ^

... and who also allowed the lives of several young men to become shattered beyond repair, when it was in his power to prevent it.

It's one thing to say that Paterno did many good things while also doing something truly horrible for years. Shades of grey, maybe. But to only present him as a great man is an example of boot-licking hero-worship.

Look Up_See Blue

January 22nd, 2012 at 11:29 AM ^

*In my world, a sinner is someone that separates himself from God.  Whether it be through lying, cheating, stealing, etc...It really depends on what religion one practices.

*I'm not equating what he did not do with a garden-variety transgression. 

I think what he did not do is much worse/serious.  That's where we need to rely on the mercy of God and leave him to be the judge.

My point is that I have seen many posts where people judge Paterno and make him out to be someone that I think we all know he was not.  I don't think it's our job to judge others.  We were created by a loving and merciful God.  I think we leave the judging to him.  Meanwhile, we can pray for Joe Paterno and his family.

MWW6T7

January 22nd, 2012 at 1:45 PM ^

I'm sorry.  I have read post after post of people saying he was a good man and this and that and it doesn't sit well with me at all .  I hope he rests in peace and feel sorry for his family but    he was a GOOD FOOTBALL COACH, PERIOD!  You  don't sit by and let what transpired happen and expect everyone to forget about it. 

chewieblue

January 22nd, 2012 at 10:46 AM ^

the last few months of his life to anyone else's.  From universally beloved and respected, to at best controversial in the blink of an eye.  

Regardless, sad day.  End of an era.

 

UMgradMSUdad

January 22nd, 2012 at 11:23 AM ^

Ley's response after at the end of Kirk Herbstreit's call-in was priceless.  The only thing Herbstreit had to add was that he remembered being recruited by Paterno.  Ley responded (Paraphrase here): Thank you, but who hasn't been recruited by Paterno, among top players? 

mGrowOld

January 22nd, 2012 at 11:13 AM ^

I cant help but think of my own father right now.  He too died recently of lung cancer (he was 87) and his decline and ultimate passing was just as rapid as JoePa.  In my father's case he lived to deer hunt each year in November.  Even when he could barely get around he went up to the Hunt Club every year like a swallow returning to Capistrano.   His last year he said he was "too tired" to go and wanted to just miss this one time.  I kNEW that if my dad couldnt make it up for deer season he had given up wanting to be alive and would go soon.  Even though at the time he seemed in perfect health.  Sure enough just four months later he passed away.

When people lose their reason to stay alive they go and go quickly.  I saw if first hand with my dad so I cant say I'm surprised by this news.  Sad day.

One Inch Woody…

January 22nd, 2012 at 11:14 AM ^

 

It's really sad that all his work towards helping disabled children (with Sue) and all the donations and contributions he made to giving children a better life will be marred by his silence and allowing a monster to destroy the lives of children. Make no mistake, this is a sad day for not only Penn State fans, but college football fans everywhere, all of the families of Penn State, the Special Olympics,  Second Mile program (those who were helped by it), and all that were touched by his kindness.

RIP Joe.

MGoUberBlue

January 22nd, 2012 at 11:14 AM ^

He accomplished so many positive things, but the reputation will be tarnished by what he did not do.  It is hard to believe that he had no knowledge of Jerry Sandusky's activities and I don't believe that he has been truthful regarding such issue.  Think of the victims and what occurred since 1998.  My thoughts and prayers are for their recovery.

gobluednicks

January 22nd, 2012 at 11:18 AM ^

i really can't stand most of you arrogant a-holes.  look in the mirror people, when each and every one of us pass away there will be a multitude of sins we've committed and i seriously doubt that anyone at your funeral will say, "jeez what a great person, except all the things he did wrong.  that'll be his true legacy."  my god, people hate him worse than the rapist himself.  

Amutnal

January 22nd, 2012 at 11:28 AM ^

Comes great responsibility. Of all people, JoePa was supposed to help those kids. But he didn't. That's why people are upset with him. He arguably represented the pinnacle of ethics in CFB. And he failed miserably when it mattered most. It's unfortunate that the situation he faced was unprecedented and who knows what others would have done.
<br>I feel the way he acted towards the end of his career was like a junkie. And PSU football was his drug. This same delusion led to him selfishly staying around too long when he clearly was becoming too old to function at a high level.

justingoblue

January 22nd, 2012 at 11:46 AM ^

So because he's dead, he did no wrong? We're not sitting at his funeral, we're discussing his death on a message board.

For the record, most people don't "sin" like Paterno did. People enabling child molestation make up a very small segment of society, and are in no way "most people". Also, I know of nobody who hates him worse than Sandusky, that's just a ridiculous statement.

mackbru

January 22nd, 2012 at 12:40 PM ^

Well, it's possible and reasonable to simultaneously hate what the man did in a specific case and still admire what he did generally. He represented an era. He was a big part of our lives as fans. I think PSU was right to fire him. I wasn't a fan of his politics. But I'm still sad to see him go. People are complicated.

Rocking Chair

January 22nd, 2012 at 11:19 AM ^

Joe Paterno was forced into retirement that he wasn't even able to enjoy for even one day.  One of the lessons here is that there are far more important things in life than a job or yes friends, even sports.  Think how different his life would have been if he had retired 20 years ago.

Contrast Jo Pa's situation with the paths that Schembechler and Carr took.  Both retired relatively young while at the top of their games.  Bo left coaching when he was only 60 and had the time of his life until his death.  Carr was about 62 when he retired and just look at how much he's enjoying life.

Think about it.

 

 

VAWolverine

January 22nd, 2012 at 11:23 AM ^

if Joe Paterno had not been the football coach at PSU, State College would still be a little dot on a Rand McNally road map and would not be in the Big 10. It would be a prospering agricultural school that would be no where close to the stature it holds today.

I mourn his passing and am glad his physical and emotional suffering are over. He is being judged by the power who only has authority (and it is no one who posts on a blog anywhere in the world).

RoxyMtnHiM

January 22nd, 2012 at 11:35 AM ^

Paterno, the most powerful and highest paid person on his campus, stayed long after he was capable of doing the job so that others could do work that he could take credit for in pursuit of the all-time wins record. No one could dislodge him. No one could talk him into a graceful exit. He stayed until events -- his own decision to protect his pedastal rather then grapple with the truth, primarily -- overtook him. By his own tacit admission, he was utterly feckless at the most important point of his career. The biggest moral test that came his way he kicked upstairs to his lower-paid superiors.

Paterno was a great man in a lot of ways. It's a sad day for his family and his supporters, and in as much as he was always at least trying to the right thing, a sad day for college football as well. But let's not let the soft-focus obscure the real truth of the last 10 years. A full fifth of this man's hallowed career was a total farce in which he held his program hostage.

Amutnal

January 22nd, 2012 at 11:42 AM ^

In a way, he was a junkie addicted to PSU football. He couldn't let it go and in the process forever damaged the reputation of his beloved university more that he could have ever imagined. And for people who keep saying it was only one mistake you are using faulty logic. He had ten years to take action over his previous inaction and chose to let Sandusky roam free for an entire decade. It wasn't one mistake. He made the same mistake every second of every day for over a decade.

markusr2007

January 22nd, 2012 at 11:40 AM ^

Growing up as a really young kid.  I never clearly understood how this strange, bland-looking football team from the East would seemingly always end up 10-1, 11-0, etc and then be frequently invited to big time bowl games like the Sugar and Orange to play teams I more easily recognized: Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State.

Plain, blue and white uniforms. Antiquated.  So dark, the blue actually looked black. Playing on natural grass. A single blackish blue strip down bone white helmets with gray facemasks.  Plain white pants. Nothing at all to adorn them. No logos. No names. Minimalist. Less is more.  Finalized with black shoes with bone white laces, sometimes wrapped with bone white tape.

These things will likely remain. Penn State is Penn State.

I do wish things could have ended differently for Joe Paterno.  PSU will have to mourn this loss, as it has the other before it, and search for a way to be great again on its own.

 

UMgradMSUdad

January 22nd, 2012 at 12:05 PM ^

A bit of information provided by ESPN that I never knew: JoePa thought, on film, white shoes made players look like they were running faster than if they wore black shoes.  He had his players wear black shoes so other teams would misjudge his players' speed.  Pretty clever.

I've always thought Penn State's record after joining the Big Ten was pretty good evidence, too, that teams playing as independents (or in weak leagues) have an easier path to a potential MNC than teams that have gear up for tough matchups every week.

MGoBrewMom

January 22nd, 2012 at 11:48 AM ^

But no. no name on a trophy. We do not need to forever be reminded of the lack of courage when something really mattered..
There are other families that also need respect.
thoughts and prayers to his family.

RIP, and

RoxyMtnHiM

January 22nd, 2012 at 12:04 PM ^

Er, no. Ain't gonna happen. Show support for his family? He died an old, widely revered and well-to-do man; his family is well supported in all possible ways. The B1G is not going to put a name on the trophy that will dredge up the child rape scandal on conference championship weekend every year forever.

Roachgoblue

January 22nd, 2012 at 12:16 PM ^

So many kids got molested because he sat quiet. If you heard someone was getting banged from behind in the shower by your friend, what would you do? He got off easier than the kids no matter how much he knew.

Roachgoblue

January 22nd, 2012 at 12:12 PM ^

I would have liked to seen him testify. A lot of molestations could have been stopped. Many lives were ruined as he watched his team get coached. Very sad that he has a post. Sorry if you don't agree, but try to be objective.

steve sharik

January 22nd, 2012 at 12:15 PM ^

...that Joe died because his baby was taken from him and the grief was unbearable.  It's impossible to not wonder about things given the timing of his death.

As far as his legacy is concerned, none of us know the man, so the only thing we can say for certain was that he was a legendary football coach (one of the best of all-time) and that the players, coaches and media in college football generally believed he was a good person of high character.  He achieved a lot for Penn State University, both on and off the field.

It's hard, however, to reconcile how a person can do so much good and at the same time can allow, and then provide, a child rapist a haven to commit his heinous acts.  The Penn State Football facilities were Jerry Sandusky's Neverland Ranch.

I see Penn State fans reacting the same way Michigan fans did the day Bo died, but I don't believe I would have felt the way I did had I known that Bo cultivated a child rapist.  I would've felt very conflicted.

victors2000

January 22nd, 2012 at 12:25 PM ^

He did good if not great things while at the helm at Penn St., more than most coaches would consider doing. The taint of the Sandusky scandal is the only tarnish that I know of in his legendary career; how many of us wish we had at least one do-over at some time in our lives? May God grant you salvation and send comfort to friends and family.

Brown Bear

January 22nd, 2012 at 12:42 PM ^

It sickens me reading alll of the apologists on here. It's not a minor mistake or accident he made.
<br>HE ENABLED CHILD RAPE!
<br>HE ALLOWED CHILDREN TO BE RAPED!!
<br>
<br>No excuses. My prayers are with the victims. The eulogizing of a horrible man disgusts me. Sure he did a lot of good but what HE ALLOWED cancels all that out. That was his choice, something the victims didn't have...a choice.
<br>Neg me....I don't care but this topic gets me.

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

January 22nd, 2012 at 1:00 PM ^

Sorry, but people aren't "bad" or "good" with no in-between.  You would wipe away every ounce of good from Paterno's legacy, and that is very dangerous.  If Paterno is evil because what he did or failed to do was evil, then the lesson is that evil people do evil things.  But very few regular people see themselves as evil, nor do they see the people around them as evil.  And if people don't see the possibility of evil arising from what they see as good, that is how Jerry Sandusky is allowed to keep doing what he did.  Because people found it too hard to believe that someone they saw as a shining example of good could do that much evil.

The lesson from Paterno is that even the best people - or at least, the ones perceived as such - have weaknesses which let evil arise.  Good and evil is black and white, but people aren't.  If you wipe away the good from Paterno and people only see the bad side, how is anyone to believe it when the next Sandusky arises?  When a shady accusation arises about someone who is supposedly good?  Both Paterno stories have to be told.