Joe Paterno Firing: Penn State Board of Trustees Should Be Ashamed

What is happening in State College, Pennsylvania, to Joe Paterno is appalling.  The man that is Penn State University football is taking the fall for former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky's transgressions.  I will state this now, I do not condone what Sandusky is alleged to have done, but this is the United States and he is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 

What the Penn State Board of Trustees did this evening is atrocious.  They went with the emotions of the moment and ended up firing Joe Paterno after 50+ years with the university.  The board of trustees gave no legitimate reason for the firing, which is absurd. 

They believe they are doing the right thing but I would strongly disagree.  Earlier tonight, Paterno had stated he was going to retire at the end of the season.  They needed to give the legendary coach the benefit of the doubt and just let him finish the season out.   

All of the emotions whirling around Penn State College came to a boiling point this week with the school president, athletic director, and the head football coach losing their jobs because of one man's transgression. 

If anything, the board of trustees should be looking at themselves as well.  This all happened under their watch as well.  In all of this, Jerry Sandusky should be ashamed for taking down his long-time friend Joe Paterno, dragging his legacy down with him.   

I remember the firestorm around Charles Steger and how things were handled during the Virginia Tech shootings.  Steger survived as president and the community grew stronger from the incident.  It seems this incident at Penn State is gaining the same type of media reaction.  Penn State University will grow stronger, but right now the institution is divided with no middle ground.     

 All in all, Joe Paterno did the right thing in passing it on to his bosses when the 2002 incident occurred.  Paterno did not witness any of the alleged incidents. 

Here's the question I pose: If you found out from a third person that one of your best friends was found out to have done something out of character, what would you do?  Would you believe them?