Penn State Scandal: Dallas Cowboys' Sean Lee Provides Proper Perspective

Sean Lee of the Dallas Cowboys was among many former Penn St. players in the NFL obliging reporters by giving his thoughts on the scandal at his alma mater.  Many players gave relatively mild, middle-of-the-road reactions to the scandal.  Meanwhile, Lee took a strong stand.

Lee gave remarks that would stir pride in towering figures of social justice like the late El Salvador Catholic Archbishop Oscar Romero.

The Cowboys linebacker told reporters on Wednesday:

"

When it comes to the whole situation, it's just shocking. It's extremely sad and you pray for the families and you pray for their families and you hope justice is done. Hopefully, once justice is done, Penn State can move on and be the great university that it is. This really doesn't represent our university. This isn't what we're about and I think from this point on we can move on.

"

Lee said the right things. First, he expressed sadness. Second, he professed sincere prayers for the victims and their families. Those prayers might have seemed sanctimonious if not for the last part of the sentence. Lee hoped for justice.

Justice is the essential part. Uttering hope for justice is important to state understanding of the gravity of the situation. This shows that Lee understands that the case is about doing justice for the victims—not for Paterno.

Lee indicates that he understands that Penn St. will see its image tarnished. He mentioned that Penn St. must endure it. Saying that Penn St. can move on "once justice is done" acknowledges that this will be a process for Penn St.

Granted, he said that it wasn't representative of the university. That's understandable coming from anyone who came from Penn St.

Surely, BP employees wanted to believe that the oil giant always put safety first.

While Lee had known Jerry Sandusky, the former Penn St. defensive coordinator who is facing charges for sexual abuse, Lee had the restraint to refrain from speaking on his relationship with Sandusky. This was a keen choice by Lee. He wouldn't have wanted to be seen as glowing about an alleged sex offender.

Eyes would have rolled if Lee had reflected happily about his relationship with Sandusky. Chicago Bears defensive lineman Anthony Adams was given grief on WSCR AM 670 Chicago for speaking positively of Sandusky, for whom Adams had played before Sandusky retired in 1999.

Adams said, "So I don't know what's going on there now, but when [Sandusky] was coaching there at Penn State, when he was coaching us, he was always very respectful, very professional and just somebody that's a role model."

Even words that might seem innocent can catch fire. Sometimes it's best to say nothing as Lee did.

Lee didn't go as far as Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Paul Posluszny—who said, "We had an opportunity to be right, to solve a problem, to fix something, and we didn't."—but recognized the failure of Penn St. to do the right thing. He pointed out that Penn St. acted unjustly.

Recognizing injustice isn't easy for football people. Football is an environment in which individuals are prone to a militaristic group think mentality. Rising above that takes courage. A person must recognize an ethic that isn't always present in the environment.

Cowboys fans should be proud that Lee took such a strong stance. Lee represented the Cowboys well in providing remarks on the scandal. Cowboys fans can appreciate that Lee used the chance to speak for justice.