Penn State Football: the Healing Process Begins (From an Alumni Perspective)

Today, November 12, 2011, will be a day that Penn State University will never forget.  

Today was much more than a football game.  It was much more than Big Ten battle between two perennial powerhouses.  Today's football game between Penn State and Nebraska was one step forward in the healing process that Penn State University must go through.  

As a Penn State alum, class of 2008, I have been to many many Penn State football games.  I experienced the creation of Paternoville, the epic 2005 victory over Ohio State and the 2007 hyped matchup against the Fighting Irish.  I have been in Beaver Stadium in some of its biggest games, experiencing some of the loudest and most intense crowds football has to offer.  

There have been so many emotional moments in that stadium, but, shockingly, the most emotional of all came in a moment of complete silence.

On senior day, the players showed that this scandal will not tear them apart, but has instead bound them together.  

Instead of running out of the tunnel as individuals, the team slowly walked out together, holding hands.  

The slow march from the tunnel to the 50-yard line signified something special for me.  It signified what the process of healing looks like, a long and sometimes slow walk down a road that is possible to reach alone but ultimately easier when walked with others.  

The football team showed us that Penn State truly is a family, and that healing will be brought about when everyone joins together.

After the teams marched on to the field, they both started converging towards the center of the field.

 It seemed like they were going to just shake hands and then return to their respective sidelines, but that didn't happen.  All the players, coaches and media on the field knelt on one knee and bowed their heads in prayer.  They prayed for courage, for strength to persevere and, ultimately, for healing to come to the lives of the victims.

The entire stadium stood in silence for about two-and-a-half minutes, and those were the most emotional two-and-a-half minutes ever inside the confines of Beaver Stadium.  

There was not a dry eye in the packed stadium.  That special moment put everything into perspective.  

It forced people to face and think about the seriousness of what has allegedly transpired, the pain and torment that the victims are feeling and the responsibility that we all have to ensure something like what is alleged never happens again.  

In arguably the most emotional and poignant moment in Penn State history, the entire campus stood still and focused not on football, but on redemption. 

Today Penn State showed that they are ready to begin healing.  They showed that while the road to healing will not be easy, it will not be traveled on alone.  Penn State showed that everyone is in this process together.  Healing will be hard, it will be painful, but in the end healing must take place, not only for Penn State, but also for the victims.

While Penn State lost the game, it gained the respect of those present and watching.  Penn State will heal and it will find redemption.  Today was the first step in that arduous process.