You Were...Penn State

The pronouncement rang out loud and clear—louder than any assembly ever gathered in the ironically named Happy Valley: You were...Penn State.

The original statement, shouted at athletic events and so much more around the campus, began as a political statement in 1948 as the school reacted to segregation and Southern Methodist's request that PSU not bring black players to their Cotton Bowl matchup. Via the Centre Daily Times: "During this time, [then-PSU football player Wally] Triplett credits guard Steve Suhey with coining the now-famous Penn State slogan."

It is, as PSU fans and alumni will tell you, much more than just a sports cheer. However, an outsider can't help but take note of how little that statement will mean for the foreseeable future.

The penalties are unprecedented and punitive—$60 million in fines, vacated wins back to 1998, loss of scholarships and a bowl ban. If Southern Methodist once got the death penalty, this is deserving of a whole new level of hyperbole.

"

If PSU fans are upset about today's sanctions, here's where to direct your anger: Graham Spanier, Gary Schultz, Tim Curley, and Joe Paterno.

— Adam Jacobi (@Adam_Jacobi) July 23, 2012"

Look, this isn't some anti-PSU sportswriter telling alumni they shouldn't be proud of their diplomas and this isn't some rival fan reveling in the football team's future failures. (Full disclosure: These are the thoughts of a lifelong Michigan fan, so if you want to just skip down to the comments and assume bias, go right ahead.)

What this is, though, is a cold slap in the face of reality.

Penn State, much of its glory and most of its prestige are linked to football and, thus, linked to Joe Paterno and Jerry Sandusky. Even if someone cares nothing about athletics, this conspiracy delved deep into the administration of the school—the president and the board of trustees. These were not four rogue men; this was systematic rot that needed to be cleaned out before the body itself could heal.

The victims of Jerry Sandusky will never fully heal. However, the organization that was complicit (from top to bottom) in the culture that allowed and created the cover-up as more children were abused has a chance to recreate itself.

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“It was fear of or deference to the omnipotent football program that enabled a sexual predator to attract and abuse his victims.”

— John Infante (@John_Infante) July 23, 2012"

Is that what Penn State was all about? This grand experiment that football and athletics could co-exist, that college football could simultaneously create great players and great men? That may have been what Paterno preached, but it is not what this coach and institution practiced when it mattered most.

In the end, Penn State, like every other football factory in the NCAA, placed football above all things.

But PSU has always been more than just athletics. Like every school in the Big Ten, it is also a fine academic institution. The students of Penn State are fantastic ambassadors in their community and have raised millions to battle childhood cancer. Again, I implore students and alumni to continue to be proud of all the good your school has accomplished, because your school will need that pride now more than ever.

The words alma mater mean "dear mother," and the term itself indicates that you should love your school no matter what. We outsiders respect that, but you have to respect our views as well.

The public perception of the school has been changed forever. "We Are Penn State" will be met with the same collective "Who cares?" as if you were Northeast Pennsylvania Polytechnic Community College, campus B. Penn State, overall, means little more than a campus that shielded a child rapist, covered it up, raged when the men who covered it up were disciplined and then were punished as an institution.

So keep "We Are Penn State" as your rallying cry, to hold on to something that is worthy of your pride from a crippled organization. Keep "We Are Penn State" to remember the good times when you thought it meant something more important than just a sports cheer. Keep "We Are Penn State" as a bond to share when everything else looks like rock bottom.

But you never were Penn State, at least not like you thought you were. If you ever were the idyllic version of Penn State you invoke, you stopped being it long ago. It was a mirage—successes that were nothing more than football wins and ill-gotten gain from crimes against children.

So continue to be proud, but the pride will always look like ignorance to the rest of us.

Follow @Schottey

Michael Schottey is an NFL Associate Editor for Bleacher Report and an award-winning member of the Pro Football Writers of America. He has professionally covered both the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions, as well as NFL events like the scouting combine and the Senior Bowl.

Read more here: http://www.centredaily.com/2009/02/15/1199050/triplett-psu-helped-change-history.html#storylink=cpy