Penn State Scandal: Did Administrations Make Right Call Playing This Game?

In the midst of one of the biggest scandals in college football history, the Penn State administration had a difficult decision to make. They fired head coach Joe Paterno after 46 seasons for his alleged part in the scandal.

The fans' reaction was that of anger and resentment toward the Penn State board of trustees. A protest was immediately assembled and eventually damage was left in the wake.

The mixture of the fans' anger and the public’s outcry over the scandal led to many calling for the Nittany Lions to cancel the game, while others challenged them to cancel the season.

The outcry for canceled games was understandable—this situation was bigger than football. The best PR decision might have been to cancel today’s last home game and go from there.

However, the best PR decision is not always the best decision. Canceling the games was not going to heal the wounds that had been inflicted upon the victims.

What it would have done is punished innocent people. The seniors deserved to take the field one last time in front of their home crowd. They deserved a chance to work their way into the Big Ten championship.

If you're Penn State, you were going to have to play the first game after the scandal broke at some point—why rob the players who have sacrificed for the university?

I believe the Penn State administration has failed miserably during this process. Was it wrong to fire Paterno? No. However, they have made one mistake after another during this process. If you are going to fire the president and one of the top coaches in NCAA history, you should fire everyone who was involved.

Paterno made a mistake, and his firing was the consequence. However, he has given more to the university than perhaps any other person on the face of the earth—he deserves more than a phone call. They should have looked him in the eyes, thanked him for his time, but they had to put the university first.

With that said, I commend them for not canceling this game. I commend the fans that supported their team on a somber day. I commend the players for leaving it on the field.

This story is long from over. There is going to be a scar that will always remain from this situation. Victims will struggle with the pain, at some level, for the rest of their lives.

At least the seniors were not robbed of their final home game and season. It is the first step in the road to recovery for the fans, players and school.

The end is nowhere in sight—but at least the first step has been made.