The sport of college football is certainly no stranger to scandal. It seems as if new information comes out every season with regards to a program paying players or providing them with improper benefits. In light of what is happening at Penn State, however, those things seem insignificant.
Former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, who retired in 1999, has been charged with 40 counts of felony sexual abuse charges against young boys. Sandusky had allegedly been involved with this type of behavior since 1998.
All of the children who Sandusky allegedly abused he met through the Second Mile Foundation. The organization was meant to help young children, but it seems Sandusky used his clout within the group to exploit young boys.
Sandusky’s actions first came to the knowledge of Penn State officials in 2002 when current Nittany Lions wide receivers coach Mike McQueary witnessed Sandusky sexually abusing a boy in the locker-room shower.
McQueary, who was a graduate assistant at the time, reported the incident to head coach Joe Paterno. In turn, Paterno notified atheltic director Tim Curley. Despite the graphic details of what allegedly happened, none of the parties involved reported Sandusky to the authorities.
Say what you will about programs like USC and Miami (FL) that have been found guilty of having boosters pay off players in recent years, but that pales in comparison to what is happening at Penn State. In all honesty, college players probably deserve to get paid anyway, so providing improper benefits isn’t a huge transgression.
What has happened at Penn State, though, is nothing short of sickening. First and foremost, the actions of Sandusky are deplorable. If found guilty, then there is no reason why he shouldn’t live the rest of his life behind bars.
Perhaps just as disturbing, however, is the fact that neither Paterno nor Curley reported the incident to the authorities after McQueary brought it to light. It’s hard to blame McQueary since he was just a graduate assistant, but people in a position of power need to take action.
There is no doubt in my mind that Penn State’s non-disclosure was a cover up in order to protect the program’s legitimacy. The truth of the matter is, though, that the backlash would have been far less had Sandusky been reported immediately.
Instead, Penn State comes off looking like an institution that knowingly protected a child abuser. Whether they felt the evidence was sufficient, if there was even an inkling that Sandusky had done something inappropriate with a child, it should have been reported.
Paying players has been done for years, and until this point, the biggest scandal in college football history was probably SMU’s “death penalty” in 1987. The Mustangs essentially had to start their program from scratch after that, but the same likely won’t happen to Penn State.
It remains to be seen whether the NCAA will discipline Penn State at all. Even if they don’t, though, the school’s legacy has been tarnished. Sandusky’s actions may not have broken any specific NCAA rules, but it is far more egregious than giving some college kids a couple bucks to live off of.
