A sad day in PSU sports

I thought I've seen sad days in PSU sports before. Those last minute losses. Injuries. Bad sportsmanship, at worst. But the headlines that splattered today's papers, facebook, CNN, were so overwhelmingly present that it was impossible to ignore. And as a PSU alum, it was a sad day.

Now, some people are tearing JoePa apart for this disaster, and yes, maybe he should have gone to the police instead of the administration of PSU.  We are also forgetting something, in my opinion. He didn't see anything himself.  He was a third party knowledge receiver. Not that it excuses it, but this old penn state proud guy has done nothing in his time at PSU but set an example of loyalty, dedication, and a deep love and admiration for the school.  Joe Pa, you should have probably done more when nothing else happened after you went to your higher ups... but you didn't cover this either, and that's more than we can say for most of these men involved.

That being said, this dirtball Sandusky can rot in hell as far as I am concerned. And the university administrators who swept this under the rug? They are not Penn Staters to me. Now, this stuff maybe gets me riled up more than most because my job and my life have been built around providing support and putting the building blocks of success in place for kids who need a little extra love. And I clicked on the "graphic images" PDF on CNN of the actual charges and almost vomited. I hope he goes to jail forever.

No one deserves this, and the kids he took advantage of were mostly from the Second Mile, a non profit aimed at enhancing positive behaviors and influences for children in Pennsylvania. I feel bad for this organization, whose main page now streams an issued statement regarding this horrible event. I hope they continue to get support because those kids deserve it.

Penn State is not just a football team. Or a football coach. Penn State is not two or three or even five administrators who thoroughly screwed up and put chilren at major risk.  And, in addition to hoping that Sandusky gets life in jail, and that university authorities and executives all over the country take a second look at themselves, I hope something more.

I hope that the reputation of a school filled with pride, who bleed blue and white, doesn't get torn down. I hope that the football program that holds together a community changes their tune, but continues to build a community of better values and honesty. I hope that the students who raise $9 million dollars a year for kids with cancer remember that the student body is the core of their motivation. Because Penn State is that. It's dedicated students. It is a long-standing football program of college athletes who pour out their hearts. It is philanthropy. It is greek life. It is the smell of the air on a fall morning walking from the south hall dorms to the Williard. It is friendships and parties. It's late nights and early mornings of 8 am classes, followed by a bagel in the Hub. It is College Ave shops and nights at the G-Man. It is an alumni association that stands across the nation. Because, despite this tragic news, WE ARE still PENN STATE. And I suggest we all stand by our school as it rebuilds and grows and hopefully puts people in charge who hold the values that PSU stands for.

THIS tragic news is not Penn State. This is a disgrace. And I'm sorry that PSU's name has to go down with the horrible people who commited these offenses. Because that's not my Penn State. And they are certainly not Penn Staters.