Legacy of Joe Paterno

• Manhattan Buckeye

  "My stance has nothing to do with Paterno."
  
  Yet you are posting on a topic titled: "Legacy of Joe Paterno"
  
  This is what confuses me.
  
  As for the facts, I agree that we don't know all of them. What we do know is enough for Paterno to lose his job (which happened, I don't consider it a witchhunt nor a case of scapegoating), and what may come out will IMO be worse for Paterno.
  
  In what positive light can we address the facts as known? I can advocate a lot of poorly defensible positions, but here? I can't see it.
• rightfield

  Maybe in Happy Valley he will still be looked upon favorably but ever where else he will be considered a self serving, pedophile enabler. Maybe JoPa could give a few of his $millions to all the boys he threw under the bus for their counseling.
• rydawg5

  I think his legacy will be a great coach with a footnote about the scandal at the end. The way he handled this case had much to do with how someone 84 years old (that age demographic) had a tendency to deal with these things. I'm not saying it's right, but that era had a way of handling this and being gay (they didn't really talk about it). He was totally wrong, but this was his culture and it is the decision he made. He is not a terrible person, but he made an error in judgement. It was a great error, but he is human.. not Jesus. Other demographics and other upbringings would not hesitate on this subject for reporting it, but they may have an error in judgement that Paterno and his era may not have had an issue with.
  
  I know that isn't a great excuse but its a different way to observe his actions.
• dwccrew

  

  He'll always be remembered for being fired amid a sex scandal with little boys. Not a great legacy.
• dazedconfused

  

  dwccrew;966087 wrote:He'll always be remembered for being fired amid a sex scandal with little boys. Not a great legacy.

  yep. this scandal trumps the two national championships and 40+ years of coaching at psu
• Tiernan

  rydawg5;965877 wrote: I'm not saying it's right, but that era had a way of handling this and being gay (they didn't really talk about it). ..

  Please tell me you just didn't equate same sex child molestation to being Gay?
• dwccrew

  

  dazedconfused;966122 wrote:yep. this scandal trumps the two national championships and 40+ years of coaching at psu

  Which is tragic. A man that did so much for a school (football success and donations) loses his legacy with one unexplainable inaction.
• krambman

  

  dwccrew;966315 wrote:Which is tragic. A man that did so much for a school (football success and donations) loses his legacy with one unexplainable inaction.

  Let's be careful about the words we choose to use in a situation like this. Joe Paterno's legacy as a coach being overshadowed by an unexplainable inaction isn't tragic. A systemic coverup of a child rapist that enabled him to continue his horrendous actions for more than a decade is tragic.
• dwccrew

  

  krambman;966327 wrote:Let's be careful about the words we choose to use in a situation like this. Joe Paterno's legacy as a coach being overshadowed by an unexplainable inaction isn't tragic. A systemic coverup of a child rapist that enabled him to continue his horrendous actions for more than a decade is tragic.

  I didn't mean it is tragic for JoePa, I meant it for the PSU fans. JoePa was more than a coach to people, he was a fatherly and grandfatherly figure that was THE face of Penn State University. It is tragic that for all his accomplishments these people will only remember him as a coverup artist. It's tragic for the fans, not JoePa.
  
  But let me add, the real tragedy is what happened to these kids. I just don't understand how someone could do this to anyone, let alone children. And I really don't understand how people who had the means to stop it, did not.
• rydawg5

  Tiernan;966280 wrote:Please tell me you just didn't equate same sex child molestation to being Gay?

  Please tell me you have reading comprehension. I said that demographic had a tendency to want to hide subjects (unnatural sexual acts) like these. It was more of "lets sweep this under the rug". That demographic, for the most part, felt being gay was wrong, in most cases just as wrong as child molestation, because it was "an abomination against God" - Religious folk even thought child molestation was the same "demon" as the "demon" that caused you to become gay. This line of thought was much more common from those who are in their 80s and older.
• Tiernan

  ^
  okay you're excused.
• mallymal614

  I think it depends what more comes of this case. If it's revealed that he did try to do more, than that probably helps his legacy even more. Either way I think a lot of people will remember him for football only.