Joe Paterno Brings Down "Happy Valley" and Penn State University.

If it was Joe Paterno that created, nurtured, and grew the Penn State University athletic program into one of the NCAA's crown jewels, then it may in fact be fitting that he is the only one that has the power to destroy it. 

As unlikely a scenario as that may have been one year, one month, or even just one week ago, as of today it doesn't just seem possible but increasingly probable. 

The destruction of an athletic program as storied as Penn State's isn't something that could just happen due to routine sleazy NCAA violations like boosters with envelopes of cash, the selling college memorabilia, or recruits partying with questionable characters.  Even game-fixing probably wouldn't remove Penn State from the short list of "top college programs." 

However, child rape and a decided indifference to it within the administrative and athletic leadership would do it. 

And that is what is happening. 

Recent allegations surrounding former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky regarding his alleged rape of what is currently a confirmed eight victims, and may be as high as 20 following a plea by local and state law enforcement officials for victims to come forward. 

The sordid affair has cast an air of total disgust around the entire program. 

Why?

It's not just that one of the program's most visible authority figures is being accused of such heinous crimes.  It's what appears to be a total lack of any sort of honest effort on the part of the rest of the program to deal with it correctly. 

It doesn't seem too complex to most average people with a normal moral compass.  If you see an adult performing what appears to be a form of sexual misconduct with a minor you alert law enforcement authorities. 

There's just no middle ground on this one. It's not like witnessing a fight between two adults. Sure, there could be a law being broken or they could be messing around, or maybe they'll end up just shaking hands at the end of it. 

This is different, this is why minors are referred to as "minors."  They don't have the capacity to engage in actions like this with mutual consent.  There's very little room for the classic "he said/she said" types of debate that issues regarding sexual misconduct between adults often devolve into. 

These common sense things were apparently lost in the Penn State athletic hierarchy—from current assistant head coach Mike McQueary to legendary head coach Joe Paterno.  

Former athletic director Tim Curley and former school administrator Gary Schultz have been arrested and  charged with perjury as a result of the Grand Jury's suspicion that they lied under oath about what and when they knew about Sandusky's behavior. 

As of now, Penn State President Graham Spanier appears to be on the way out as well.

Spanier is, of course, not just the president of Penn State but also one of the heads of the BCS Commission, which is where this story is headed.  Some in the media have touched on this, most notably Dave Zirin of "The Nation" in a column on Monday.

What would posses men who, while not superheroes, do not—with the exception of Sandusky himself—appear to be in any way, shape, or form, monsters, to make a conscious choice to not take dramatic action in the face of these types of allegations?

What would cause these men to merely "report it to their superiors" as if they had witnessed an incoming recruit driving a suspiciously nice automobile. 

Money and power are the usual suspects.  Joe Paterno revealed it best in his retirement announcement earlier this morning, saying, "I am absolutely devastated by the developments in this case.  I grieve for the children and their families, and I pray for their comfort and relief. 

"I have come to work every day for the last 61 years with one clear goal in mind: To serve the best interests of this university and the young men who have been entrusted to my care.  I have the same goal today.

"That’s why I have decided to announce my retirement effective at the end of this season.  At this moment, the Board of Trustees should not spend a single minute discussing my status.  They have far more important matters to address.  I want to make this as easy for them as I possibly can.

"This is a tragedy.  It is one of the great sorrows of my life.  With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.

"My goals now are to keep my commitments to my players and staff, and finish the season with dignity and determination.  And then I will spend the rest of my life doing everything I can to help this university," Paterno said in his statement.

Even in the face of accusations that his own personal inaction may have led to the molestation and rape of up to 20 underage boys, Paterno remains committed to serving "the best interests of this university"—a noble and worthy cause in most cases, but this isn't most cases. 

In fact, it's that very blind faith and dedication to insuring the best interests of Penn State University that led him, and the soon-to-be former administration, down this shameful path. 

The best interests of Penn State are, of course, to continue to project a clean image, continue to attract big name recruits, continue to gain BCS bowl births and reap the millions in profits that those games bring in. 

Scandals are bad, they bring bad press, they're bad for fund-raising and recruiting.  Penn State's  best interests would be best served if no one ever knew about this scandal, but the cat's out of the bag now.

Perhaps that's why the now former athletic director's "solution" to rumors of Sandusky raping young boys was to ban him from campus.  It's sort of like saying, "Hey, that's really bad, we can't have that happening here."  The problem is, as a society, we can't have it happening anywhere. 

Child rape isn't like an alternative lifestyle or a fetish.  It's not one of those "what goes on in your bedroom isn't any of our business" issues.  It's a truly deplorable act.  Outside of cold blooded murder, there aren't many worse crimes.

Yet, with millions of dollars on the line, it somehow became acceptable to sort of push this stuff into the background.  It became okay to not do the right thing in exchange for the money and the glory associated with BCS bowl births, and the many benefits that come with that.

It's bad enough that the bulk of college programs can't deal with the lure of money provided by the millions of dollars that college football and it's culture provide.  Many top programs fall prey to a myriad of various NCAA violations and end up on probation or receiving serious sanctions.

Now we have one the sport's most decorated programs—a program that until a few weeks ago had one of the cleanest records among all top NCAA football schools—crumbling under the weight of what is the single worst scandal in NCAA sports history.

Joe Paterno should not be on the field this Saturday.

He's not guilty of child rape but he appears to be guilty of not doing much above the bare minimum to prevent or combat it.  Paterno allowed his loyalty to his friends and his school to cloud his judgement, so much so that he was no longer able to make rational moral decisions.

That's not a leader of men or of aspiring adults—it's a follower of the crowd, it's the guy sitting idly by saying, "It's not my problem." 

If you care about Penn State, you'll leave quietly and allow the school and community to begin the healing process that you could have started yourself years ago.   

It's time to go, Joe.