Penn State Scandal: Storied Program Is Forever Doomed

The Penn State scandal went from bad to worse in a little over 24 hours, and the events that have taken place since the news broke has forever damaged one of college football's most historic programs. 

The Joe Paterno era is over in a way no one would have ever imagined, leaving Penn State to try and repair its broken image. 

That task will be difficult, especially since the problems aren't going to go away for a while. This is the biggest scandal is sports history, and Penn State will struggle to get back on top. 

If you haven't heard what happened, be prepared for your emotions to spiral. 

Former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was arrested last weekend for allegedly using his charity, Second Mile, to molest young boys on Penn State grounds.

In 2002, a graduate assistant, later identified as current Penn State receivers coach Mike McQueary, witnessed Sandusky sexually assaulting a young boy in the Penn State showers. 

Instead of calling the police or stopping the abuse, McQueary told his father and then told Paterno the next day, who then told his superiors. 

Unfortunately, the incident was never reported to the police, and Sandusky was a free man. 

While Penn State has recently cleaned house of everyone involved, including Paterno, McQueary remains on staff. 

This is another reason why the Penn State program is forever tainted. How they can keep him and let everyone else go just baffles me. 

If you haven't read the grand jury report on Sandusky, I highly recommend it. Be forewarned though, as it is graphic and extremely disturbing. All sorts of emotions will sweep over you with each page, and if you don't find yourself outraged then you have no soul. 

In that report, it gives the details about McQueary and what he saw. Here is a excerpt of the 23-page report.

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The graduate assistant was shocked but noticed that both Victim 2 and Sandusky saw him. The graduate assistant left immediately, distraught.

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McQueary kept quiet for nine years before testifying. He had ample time to tell the police what he saw, but he never did.

I don't know how he lived with himself for all those years, knowing Sandusky, a child molester, was not behind bars. 

Sandusky was still a prominent figure around Penn State for many years after what McQueary saw, which indicates that the two of them had to of seen each other from time-to-time, which certainly makes matters worse. 

This scandal elevated to new heights in the last few days with students rioting in the streets. Seriously, who reacts like this? 

The image of this storied program that Paterno took decades to brand is now ruined. The alleged actions of Sandusky will never be forgotten, which greatly hurts Penn State.

How the Nittany Lion students and administration have handled this scandal have also contributed to Penn State's downfall.

It will be a long time before Penn State recovers from this ordeal, as this scandal will remain in the minds of many for years to come. 

After all, as long as McQueary is on the Penn State staff, he is a constant reminder of the Nittany Lions' failures. Plus, Sandusky's trial won't be quick, which means this scandal will still be a hot news item much longer than Penn State wants.