Joe Paterno Fired: Don't Let Scandal Crush Your Opinions of JoePa

Yes Joe Paterno should have been fired for his negligence in the whole Jerry Sandusky scandal. Let’s get that out of the way right away.

That doesn’t mean you need to wipe out six decades of work this man has put in. Aside from antsy college students that don’t have any kids and are looking for an excuse to rage, it's universally agreed upon that JoePa should have been fired for his role in this scandal. Yet you can detect the sense of sorrow and shock when his former players say as much on TV.

The respect for the man bleeds through the screen.

Paterno is as well respected as any person in the state of Pennsylvania, and potentially the entire college football world. He has touched life after life since coming to Happy Valley in the 1950s. He has taught kids the way things should be done. Paterno has always led by example and has inspired thousands of 18- to 22-year-old kids during his tenure.

Sports Illustrated’s Joe Posnanski has currently been living in Happy Valley for the last few months as he gathers information for a biography on the most successful head coach in the history of college football. He paints a picture of a man that has done far more than most people could ever imagine doing:

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Joe Paterno has lived a whole life. He has improved the lives of countless people. I know. I’ve talked to hundreds of them. I walk by the library that he and his wife Sue built almost every day. I walk by the religious center that tries to bring people together, and his name is on the list of major donors. I hear the stories, the countless stories, of the kindnesses that came naturally to him, of the way he stuck with people in their worst moments, of the belief he had that everybody could do a little bit better—as a football player, as a student, as a human being. I’m not going to tell you these stories now, because you can’t hear them. Nobody can hear them in the howling.

"

With the way Penn State handled the situation Paterno was clearly the scapegoat. The 84-year-old was helpless. I’m not giving him any sort of free pass, none what so ever, but tow men have been arrested on perjury charges and neither one of them is named Paterno. Oh, and may I remind you that Sandusky is a free man right now living by an elementary school, according to SportsByBrooks.

There are far worse people to be angry at right now.

Don’t blame the old man.

Hundreds of kids rallied on his front lawn, and what did Paterno say?

“Go home and study.”

He may have made a grave error, but you can never question his heart and intentions.

Paterno deserved this ending, but don’t let that cloud your memory on the overall body of work.

JoePa deserves better.