Penn State Scandal: Penn State Community Erasing All Memories of Sandusky

Ever since former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was charged on Saturday with sexually abusing eight young boys, the Penn State community has wanted him to vanish.

That includes erasing him from a campus mural.

On Wednesday, local artist Michael Pilato decided to paint over the former defensive coordinator's image after he said he received hundreds of emails from throughout the area asking him to remove the man who stood by head coach Joe Paterno on the sidelines for so many years.

Pilato's 2001 painting was ironically titled "Inspiration." Pilato said he wanted to wait until Sandusky was proven guilty in court, but changed his stance when he started thinking about the alleged victims and families.

Said Pilato, via Reuters:

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"I got an email yesterday from one of the victim's mothers saying simply, 'Michael, can you please take Sandusky off the mural.'"

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Penn State has looked more like a nightmare than "one of the most prestigious schools in the country" since the news broke that Sandusky had allegedly sexually abused eight boys over a 15-year period, with anger building as reports have emanated that Paterno was told of the misconduct, but after informing the athletic director, neglected to take further action.

It's very likely that the horror story will never be forgotten and will remain forever ensconced as a permanent stain upon Penn State's once glorious history. All those years of bandying about the football program's "Grand Experiment" have gone up in flames. Because when something this horrific surfaces, you can't simply ignore it and make it go away. It is seared into memory.

The mural by Pilato is half a block long and also features Paterno beside Sandusky. Who knew that two admired coaches would be involved in such heinous allegations?

Now, as Sandusky prepares for a hearing in December and a potential term of life sentence in prison, the Penn State community is doing its best to regroup and move forward.

Sandusky had no right to have his image associated with a work of art. His actions were far too monstrous to ever be seen in the context of beauty.