Mike McQueary: Assistant Coach's Status Goes from Controversial to Concerning

When it was announced on Wednesday night that Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno and university president Graham Spanier had been let go, there were a lot of people who expressed outrage that assistant coach Mike McQueary wasn't also given the boot.

At the very least, people determined that there's simply no way McQueary should be allowed to attend this Saturday's game against Nebraska.

That wish has been granted. Per a statement from Penn State Athletics, the university has decided that McQueary, the Nittany Lions' wide receivers coach, should not be in attendance for the Nebraska game.

Though this decision was not exactly a forgone conclusion, it should not come as a surprise. What should come as a surprise is the reason why Penn State made this decision.

According to the release, it was made because "multiple threats" have been made against McQueary.

Exactly what kind of threats were made is not disclosed, but that there were any threats made at all is obviously quite scary. Outrage can lead people to do dumb things, and making threats definitely qualifies as dumb.

If you need to be filled in on why McQueary is under such intense scrutiny, all you need to know is that he is a key player in the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal that has enveloped the university. A grand jury report claims McQueary witnessed Sandusky sodomizing a young boy in the football locker room showers back in 2002. Instead of reporting him to police, McQueary told his superiors. Ultimately, the police were never informed.

Essentially, McQueary is just as guilty as Paterno in this case, though neither of them have been charged with any crimes.

It's understandable that people are angry at McQueary, but making threats is the line. Yes, he should have reported Sandusky to the police if what he allegedly saw actually took place. And yes, he has plenty of questions he needs to answer.

This doesn't mean anybody is free to threaten his personal safety. Those who would criticize McQueary must be better men (and women). Threatening McQueary doesn't make you better than him.