Penn State Scandal: Why Joe Paterno's Only Move Now Is to Retire

It was just a week ago that many were celebrating legendary Penn State head coach Joe Paterno’s 409th victory of his storied coaching career that’s spanned over six decades. But now just a few days later, Paterno’s world has been turned upside down with the recent arrest of one of his most trusted former assistants, Jerry Sandusky, who has been charged with sexually assaulting up to eight young boys over a 15-year period.

Details are still emerging in the case, which has already landed Penn State athletic director Tim Curley and senior vice president Gary Schultz in hot water, but the early reaction to the news is one of disbelief and anger.

Paterno, who does not face any legal ramifications, was reportedly made aware of Sandusky’s actions in 2002 when a graduate assistant informed him that he witnessed Sandusky assaulting a young male in the showers at the football facilities.

The coach then proceeded to send the complaint to his higher-ups, but for years, nothing ever came of it, which has to make you question if Paterno had a moral obligation to make sure something was done about the serious allegations against his right hand man and prevent further actions from occurring.

Paterno, who has been accused in recent years of not having proper control over his program and his players, now has to answer questions about his awareness of the incidents and why he failed to make sure proper disciplinary actions were taken.

This isn’t the type of scandal that we’ve seen in college football recently—where a coach overlooks an agent-player relationship or tries to keep a star player selling memorabilia quiet—these were young children who had their lives forever scarred by the actions of one man.

To try to keep that quiet to protect the reputation of a football program or one’s own coaching career is something that’s unforgivable and if Paterno doesn’t have the right answers to the many tough questions he’s about to face, then his legendary career will be forever tarnished.

Yes, Paterno did the right thing by telling his athletic director, but to let years go by where there was nothing done about the situation without following up is simply wrong and immoral.

Stopping Sandusky’s actions right then and there could have prevented him from proceeding with his reign of terror.

Many expected this to be the 84-year-old coach’s final season due to his declining health, but now that this recent scandal has come out, it’s finally time for Joe to go.

The waiting game needs to end now.

It's sad that Paterno’s legacy will now be remembered not for all that he did on the football field, but instead for what he failed to do off of it.