Mike McQueary: Penn State Must Fire Assistant to Minimize Fallout from Scandal

If Penn State is serious about moving on from the Jerry Sandusky scandal and fully justifying the firing of Joe Paterno without completely enraging everyone in Happy Valley, then the university must go one step further and let go of assistant coach Mike McQueary.

As much as JoePa is at fault for not doing enough to report Sandusky's abuses, the initial, and perhaps strongest, onus still lay on the shoulders of McQueary. After all, according to the grand jury report, it was McQueary who caught Sandusky "in the act" in the showers of Penn State football locker rooms back in 2002. Rather than report what he saw to the proper authorities, he called his father and then waited until the next day to approach Paterno about the situation.

There also remains some question as to what exactly McQueary told Paterno about what he saw and whether he was clear enough in his description to relay to Paterno, then 75 years of age, the haunting gravity of what had transpired.

That in no way absolves Paterno of moral culpability in this case, but it does illuminate McQueary's complicity. The lion's share of the responsibility should still fall on Paterno either way, as he was the face of Penn State football and the man on whom practically the entire university relied.

But still, if JoePa's role in this scandal—which, as far as anyone knows at this point, was secondary—was enough to cost him his job after nearly 62 years in State College, then McQueary's place in it all should be more than enough to get him ousted from the entire region.

McQueary now stands as the lone figure of name in this fiasco who remains employed by the university. As such, he is the last direct tie that can and should be cut to accelerate the grieving, rebuilding and rebranding process that will soon go into full swing at Penn State, if it hasn't already.

If nothing else, McQueary must be let go immediately to ensure his safety and stem some of the anger over Paterno's firing that's lingering among the student body. McQueary has already been told that he will not coach against Nebraska on Saturday after receiving multiple threats, likely of violence and bodily harm.

While the game against the Cornhuskers is the last at home for the Nittany Lions this season, McQueary's well-being could still come under fire if he is anywhere to be found around campus. Especially given the outrage that thousands of Penn State students expressed after hearing of Paterno's firing on Wednesday night.

The last thing the university needs is for thousands of angry and confused 18- to 22-year-olds to once again take to the streets, with the danger that a select, stupid few will seize the opportunity to vandalize property while bringing greater shame upon Penn State as a whole.

At this point, it's a matter of damage control for the few high-ranking university officials who are still standing amidst this chaos. Severing ties with McQueary is clearly the most logical next step to take in that direction.