Joe Paterno Dismissed by Penn State, Now the Focus Can Shift to Where It Belongs

The word has officially come down and Joe Paterno is no longer the head coach of Penn State football. The Board of Directors dismissed Paterno Wednesday night and installed Tom Bradley as the interim coach for the remainder of the season.

Every night I say a prayer, in the hopes that there's a heaven

And every day I'm more confused, as the saints turn into sinners

In light of charges being brought against former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky, Paterno has come under fire. Apparently, Coach Paterno was in possession of information regarding an incident involving Sandusky and a young boy that took place on Penn State property and he did not inform the police.

He did take the information up the chain of command. He didn't tuck it away in a drawer and hope that it all went away. That should be noted.

However, he didn't follow through and make absolutely certain that nothing like that incident could ever happen again on his watch. That's the story we're getting from the media and it's corroborated to a degree in the findings of a grand jury.

While I have long been a big fan of Joe Paterno's, I will not defend his situation here. My own life experiences in this arena preclude me from being able to do so. I still love the man, but I can't entirely defend him right now.

All the heroes and legends I knew as a child, have fallen to idols of clay

And I feel this empty place inside, so afraid that I've lost my faithShow me the way

One debate can end, and the focus can shift to where it belongs.

Should Joe Paterno be fired? Was it enough that he fulfilled his legal obligation and reported what he knew to his superiors?

The Penn State Board of Directors have spoken. According to them, yes, he should be fired and no, it wasn't enough.

Or if you prefer, perhaps their answer was less about Paterno's part in the scandal and more about saving face in the light of Penn State's darkest coming days.

Whatever the ultimate reason, he's gone. Now it's time to move on.

As a writer who covers college football, you're probably expecting me to discuss how the players can now begin preparing for their upcoming battle with Nebraska without the lingering question of whether or not their beloved coach will be there.

You might expect me to pander on about how they're firmly in control of the Big Ten Conference race right now and how the program can revert its focus towards making a run for the Roses.

As I said before, that's not possible nor appropriate right now.

The focus can, however, turn where it belongs—with the victims.Practically buried in all of the news coverage and endless debates about who is to blame for the monumental failures at Penn State is the fact that several young boys were sexually assaulted. Sure, it's been spoken over and over, but typically in the context of who is to blame for these things not being properly reported.

That's not good enough.

Who is to blame is for the courts to decide. Who should have spoken up has already been hammered out time and again. There's nothing left to write on that front and nothing left worth talking about.

What's important now is that steps are taken so that this never happens again. What's important now is that the victims find a measure of justice. What's important is that kids can feel safe and be safe.

Show me the way

Take me tonight to the river, and wash my illusions away

Show me the way

Now is the time to step up. Now is the time to put the righteous indignation on a shelf, save it for the next shocking revelation and do what is right.

Football will resume. It can't possibly go on as though nothing has happened, but it will go on nonetheless.In another year or two, only a few distasteful jokes will remain of this ordeal as Saturdays roll around with gridiron magic snapping our focus away once more from the rigors of real life.

All of that will come around again in due time.

What's important now is that we get to the facts—the real and total facts. Allow the District Attorney to present its case. Allow the defense attorney(s) to present theirs and allow the jury selected to hear the case and render a verdict.

What's important now is that we shift our focus from who failed to speak to who was responsible for these heinous acts in the first place, finding justice and making sure we learn from the mistakes made.

Maybe somewhere in that search, we will find a measure of vindication for Joe Paterno. Maybe we won't.

He's gone now, though. There's no point arguing the merits of the decision much longer. There are even bigger issues that deserve our attention. Let's get to them.

Lyrics from "Show Me the Way" by Styx