Penn State Football: How Scandal Forced Change in School's Identity

The devastating scandal that took place at Penn State University has made the Nittany Lions reevaluate their image, which means they'll be focusing less on football. 

Things kept getting worse at the school, and when new accusers stepped forward against Jerry Sandusky, Penn State had to do something.

Football was the focal point of the scandal, because Sandusky, the former defensive coordinator, allegedly abused young boys in the team locker rooms. 

Administrators have had to make drastic changes, and now it's reached the point where football must suffer. 

No, the Nittany Lions aren't doing away with their program, but they might as well be. Football, along with Joe Paterno, has been the identity of Penn State for so long. Now the school is turning a new leaf, and it didn't really have much of a choice. 

To get past these tragic events, the Nittany Lions must look forward, and acting president Rodney Erickson knows the best way to do that is to try and get the attention toward something other than football. 

That, of course, will not be easy because of everything that has occurred, but it does help that the season has ended.

Erickson told the USA Today that he looks to change the school's image from football to a "world-class research institution." 

"We are going to learn from this tragedy" Erickson said. "We are not going to run away from the issue of child abuse."

Putting all the attention toward its actions of helping abused victims is a must for Penn State. For starters, Erickson told the paper that they plan to establish "a national Center for the Protection of Children to conduct research and provide treatment to sex abuse victims across the country."

This is a great move for the university. Erickson plans to use the money the Nittany Lions receive from bowl game revenue to help get things going. 

Starting fresh was the right approach for the Nittany Lions, although this news from Erickson will have a great impact on the school finding a new football coach.

Since the plan is to move away from that, expect a lesser-known coach to get the job. Nobody should be hired from within, because it doesn't get rid of all the problems. Questions will be raised as to whether or not they knew something, and Penn State doesn't need that.

Once a prominent figure in Big Ten football, the Nittany Lions will soon become bottom-dwellers of the conference. 

Penn State will try to no longer be "Linebacker U," but stepping out of the shadows of this scandal will take a long time.

Still, how they're handling things now lets people know they're serious about transforming the university.