Penn State Riot: Priorities Misplaced in Protest Against Joe Paterno's Firing

Late Wednesday night the Penn State Board of Trustees made the difficult decision to fire Joe Paterno, who had coached the Nittany Lions' football team since 1966. In response, a student-led riot broke out in State College, Pennsylvania.

Paterno is unquestionably a Penn State icon and it is understandable why Penn State students and football fans alike would be upset. Ultimately, though, Penn State made the right decision in the face of an unspeakable controversy that promises to rock the foundation of the university for a long time to come.

Many people were neglectful in the way they handled former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky's alleged sexual abuse against children. Paterno was informed of an incident by assistant coach Mike McQueary, and while Joe Pa followed protocol by telling athletic director Tim Curley, he had a moral obligation to notify the authorities.

Paterno failed to do so, and for that he has nobody to blame but himself. The students who rioted looked at Paterno's firing from strictly a football point of view. From a football perspective, Paterno leaving will certainly be tough, but it was the best move for the university as a whole.

The students should be more worried about how the institution as a whole is viewed, not simply the football program. Had Paterno been allowed to continue coaching this season, it would have been as if Penn State was ignoring his inaction in the Sandusky case.

Penn State had to do everything in its power to rid the university of any and all figures with involvement in the scandal. Now, with the exception of McQueary, that has essentially happened. I'm sure the Board of Trustees didn't truly want to fire Paterno because of how lucrative he has been to the school, but it had to be done.

If the students wanted to peacefully express their dismay or quietly lend their support to Paterno, that's one thing, but lashing out in such a demonstrative manner is a slap in the face to the institution. Penn State did what it had to do to make the university a better place for its students, but they responded with displeasure.

In retrospect, many of those rioters will probably realize that the right decision was made. In the heat of the moment, college kids tend to do some stupid things. As much as the loss of Paterno stings, the integrity of the university was at stake.