As well it should.
This is the first step of many that Penn State must take voluntarily or public pressure will cause other sanctioning bodies to take it for them.
For anyone associated with PSU, this process is a bad dream that will replay itself for a long time to come as the criminal cases are tried/plea bargained and the civil suits resolved. Depending upon how deep the university is willing to go in terms of writing checks, this sordid tale could take a couple of years to run its course.
it took this long. If this was considered a "tough decision" then they are in for a very long rebuilding. I think the BOT should give themselves the death penalty without delay. This will give teams time to schedule other opponents, although this year might be too late.
I have said previously that if PSU football gets the death penalty, I will donate $100 to the PSU softball team.
ESPN just reported the statue is down and the NCAA will hand out "unprecedented penalties". Looks like the death penalty is coming.
I wouldn't be surprised if PSU made the decision awhile ago. They just wanted to wait for the kids to be distracted so they could grab it without having morons chaining themselves to it and the like. Plus likely had to bid the job out to a nonlocal crew to prevent leaks and all that.
It doesn't deserve to be left up.
They're planning to take it down and "store it in a secure location". For what? Going to break it out for parties?
Penn State president Rod Erickson said he decided to have the statue removed and put into storage because it "has become a source of division and an obstacle to healing." - from the article
That, right there. As long as it stood, it would be rather impossible for that campus to move forward, and it would have simply continued to serve as a reminder of what can happen when one person or program is allowed to become so large that basic humanity becomes secondary to the stated goal, which in the case of Penn State was "victory with honor". In the end, they failed to achieve that - quite miserably actually. To that end, the statue symbolizes something that was illusory and there is no point to its presence now.
Sorry for the dark humor, but it has a purpose. The PSU community needs to be deeply ashamed that it has been Pediophile State University for decades.
:O
Wait, wait.... He took it down because it "has become a source of division and an obstacle to healing."?
These assholes still don't get it.
The reason the statue needs to come down is because Paterno covered for a child molester, not because it's a source of division and obstacle to healing.
The way the ESPN article read, it also sounds like this could be temporary, that the statue could be put back on display at some point. Also his name will remain on the library.
They really just don't get it.
That's a tough call. Damned if you do, damned if you don't kind of thing.
It is more damned if you don't.
It would have always been a reminder of how Paterno failed to act.
I know it's not much.
How you came to that conclusion is beyond normal human decency.
Let the record show that PSU has lived up to their reputaion in doing the absolute bare minimum.
YOU ARE
PENN STATE
They're keeping his name on the library, since after all you're supposed to keep your mouth shut in one.
So, when he does the right thing, he's not supposed to be remembered for that? I guess we should take Taubman's name off of all those buildings in Ann Arbor.
YAPS
Statues of living people are weird to begin with. Too much hero worship is never a good thing.
"no coach is more important than the team". This is what happens when people don't pay attention.
1 = the number of times they needed to do the right thing to have prevented this.
Beautiful.
I have a feeling they are "placing it in a secure location" so they can bring it back out at some point. They should destroy it right now. They are being cowardly by leaving themselves an out. Seems like they are hoping they can bring it back out in a few years when they think things have died down. Why else wouldnt you just destroy it? Also, they are keeping his name on the library, citing his significant financial contributions. That library was payed for with dirty money. They are only taking a half measure when a full measure is due. Storing the statue and continuing to honor Paterns legacy continues to show the country how out of touch and blind they are. The families of the victims and the Feds and the NCAA are not going to care that they took a statue and stuck it in a room somewhere. Actually, the NCAA might, just because I remain unconvinced they will do much of anything.
This is exactly why they should be slapped with the death penalty. Their indignation throughout this whole thing just proves that they don't get it. At this point, I don't care how the death penalty affects the university as a whole because they still seem to have their heads up their asses over there.
Less than a week ago, PSU said they wouldn't take it down out of fear of angering alumni. Wonder what finally made them come to their senses now.
Either way, this has still been embarrassing for the conference and I still want them out.
I would also wonder how the Paterno family is going to respond to this but they're probably too busy working with their investigator to debunk what they won't accept in the Freeh report.
I would assume that was a feint to prevent this from getting out of hand. The fact that it could get out of hand speaks to what still needs to happen there.
They're already releasing statements with the perspective you'd expect. That family is really a bunch of idiots. Their existance is to defend JoePa's legacy and only apologize to the kids when they feel politically forced to
From the Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20120722/us-penn-state-
"We believe the only way to help the victims is to uncover the full truth." - from the statement
You know, I read that and thought to myself, "If only someone had bothered to tell the truth years ago..." The entire statement really makes me think that this family has this particular image of Joe Paterno and they will not consider new information for years if ever. Interestingly, they do say that it is not the University's responsibility to defend or protect Joe Paterno, and in this they are correct - in a way, the removal of the statue is the beginning of a slow abdication of that responsibility.
Also PSU showing serious efforts to reduce the emphasis of their football program and allow victims to feel more comfortable when speaking out about being raped in PSU football facilities does help the victims.
even if it is only to satisfy themselves that it isn't the university piling on the dead guy.
Repeatedly coming out in public is nothing short of reprehensible, and I hope they don't get a pass just because they are in denial.
And it looks like NCAA is ready to rule on PSU. Link
"The saint in black cleats sold his soul, and Satan leads the dance." -- Maureen Dowd, New York Times 7/21/12