Penn State Scandal: The Right Thing to Do Is Part Ways with Everyone Involved

The sex abuse scandal surrounding Penn State has transformed from a college football story into national news over the last 48 hours. Now the eye of America has turned toward Happy Valley, as everyone waits to see what will happen to legendary head coach Joe Paterno, one of the most iconic figures in college football history.

As details continue to emerge in the case of Jerry Sandusky—one of Paterno’s former top assistants who was arrested this weekend and charged with sexual assault of up to eight young boys—it doesn’t sound as if Paterno has much time left at the school he’s coached at for the last six decades.

The New York Times is reporting that it’s only a matter of time before Paterno gets relieved of the head coaching position he’s held since 1966.

Paterno has faced a public and media backlash after details emerged that he had known about Sandusky’s actions as early as 2002, when a graduate assistant came and told him that he had witnessed Sandusky with a young boy in the showers at the football facilities.

Paterno did tell his athletic director about the incident, but many are wondering why nothing ever came of it until now.

Although the coach has yet to speak directly to the media—only speaking through a brief statement he released on Sunday—many have already chastised him for not doing more and possibly saving more children from being abused.

If Paterno doesn’t have a reasonable and honest explanation for why he never did more than tell the AD, then his legacy will be tarnished forever.

Yesterday, I said it was time for Joe to go, and while that looks like it’s about to happen, maybe more will have to be done.

It may be time to simply clean house at Penn State, and then go from there.

Everyone involved—Joe Paterno, Mike McQueary, Tim Curley and everyone else that knew of Sandusky’s actions and never informed law enforcement has to go.

Penn State has to hold everyone accountable.

If anyone in the chain of command had said something at the time, it could have stopped Sandusky's reign of terror.

It's an extremely sad situation, and one that can never be rectified.

All school officials can do is clean house, and then take it from there.