There’s a scene early in the movie Gladiator where aging Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius approaches Maximus about assuming the throne in Rome. Maximus, not believing himself a politician and simply wanting to go home to his family, demurs at each opportunity. That leads to this memorable exchange between the two:
Marcus Aurelius: Won’t you accept this great honor that I have offered you?
Maximus: With all my heart, no.
Marcus Aurelius: Maximus, that is why it must be you.
Yes, that movie was less than historically accurate and is more noted for simulating dozens of grisly deaths for our entertainment (and were we not entertained?), but that statement by Aurelius hit on something quite real: Aspirations to grandeur are quite often character flaws in and of themselves, and the absence of those aspirations can be one of the greatest indicators of impeccable character.
This, then, brings us to Penn State, where a report came out on Sunday night that in negotiations over Joe Paterno‘s contract resolution, Penn State offered to rename Beaver Stadium after the late Paterno.
A source close to the Paterno family says renaming the field would still be “a tremendous and humbling honor,” but it “has always been a fan-driven matter. It was never important to Joe.”
So in January, when Penn State tried to use the issue as leverage to get the family to sign a full release in exchange for paying the full contract, the family didn’t budge, the source said.
Now, look. Of course Joe Paterno never cared about having his name on the stadium or field. That sounds like one of the least Paterno-esque aspirations possible. He put his name on scholarships and libraries and academic programs. That’s what was important to him.
And that’s why Penn State must honor him at some point with a renaming: because he was a good enough man that he didn’t even want it for himself.
With that all out of the way, I also agree with the Paterno family’s stance. Renaming the field or stadium for JoePa would be a truly great honor, but that entire discussion has no business being a part of negotiations over whether the Paternos file suit or not. It’s not a bargaining chip. There’s no honor in that.
At a school like Penn State, with a coach like Paterno, isn’t honor what a renaming ought to be about?
I also don’t think much good can come of a lawsuit—it’s almost impossible that either party could come out of that looking anything but worse in the public eye—but to try to sweeten Paterno’s final severance package with a stadium/field renaming in exchange for a full release from litigation smacks of pure cynicism. The world has enough of that already.
