Best Roof Talk Ever — We're all off the field

We’re all off the field

When the Penn State scandal broke this week, I was really bummed out about it. It had nothing to do with a love or respect for Joe Paterno (or any kind of significant lack thereof). It was because I had the misfortune (or in hindsight, perhaps blessing) of going to a school without a football team.

Hell, my university’s team name was The Purple Violets until 1984.

I grew up in Pittsburgh, though, and about half of my class of 700 went to Penn State, including my twin sister and her fiancee. Everybody always talked about Joe Paterno. He was the football divinity of State College. I had been to Happy Valley once to help move my sister into her quad. I was familiar with the place.

To me, JoePa always seemed like more of a cherished collegiate figurehead than a Belichick-esque football coaching powerhouse of terror. I admired the way he ran his program - the lack of last names on the jerseys and the insistence on discipline on and off the field. I identified with that. I grew up as a wrestler and spent a couple years playing football as well. My best coaches were ones that helped me become a better, stronger person. After talking about the importance of winning the next game or match, they always stressed that we were there to be the best that we could be, that without the bettering of us as individuals, the team as a whole will eventually fail.

So although I was engrained with a certain level of school pride growing up, it was hard to lose sight of the importance that came with knowing I was a young man in society who represented my team on and off of the field.

And what does “off the field” really mean?

Just a part of the human race as a whole, I suppose.

Too often people, even while encouraging unity and tolerance, continue to classify themselves in ways that keep them separate from the population as a whole. The world is split into teams and it’s everyone against everyone else. ‘Uniting’ is not about finding unity, as it were, but more about growing stronger to defeat those who see things differently than you.

Before a presidential election, a candidate will try to unify the party to take on the other one. After an election, a President will try to unify the country if he can convince us that we all have a common enemy.

Being as apathetic about politics as I am about college football can make this whole ordeal frustrating at times, especially when one side is cheering the defeat (or worse, moral defeat) of their opposition.

Aren’t we all technically on the same team? I mean, sure, there are things we would like to see happen to those that disagree with us. Sure, it’s natural to revel in their hypocrisy, even when it means dissolved marriages and broken hearts (things that probably would have been dissolved or broken eventually, right?).

But what about in the case of the Sandusky child abuse? Hell, let’s call it what it was. The media may not be comfortable saying “child rape” but I don’t think that should stop me. I mean, it makes me shudder to even think about those words next to each other. It disgusts me more than just about anything else I can think of.

Isn’t that one of the worst crimes that one can commit?

So how can Penn State students and alum still pledge loyalty to JoePa? Trust me, I am friends with many a Penn State fan on Facebook and otherwise. And I saw a lot of solidarity posts that, summed up, read in three parts:

1. This scandal is really sad
2. We are bigger and better than this scandal (as a whole)
3. WE ARE! (Penn State) (worst team cheer ever? thanks, we know)

However, I can look at those posts, and, while shaking my head, attempt to understand. These kids who spent four years living and breathing blue and white don’t want to let one incident tarnish their school’s reputation, and they sure as hell don’t want to let themselves be defined by it either. I get that.

But honestly, if a dozen or so kids were molested and/or raped at the hands of a superior, couldn’t the school pride just wait? Couldn’t the support for the other 45 years of Joe Paterno’s head coaching just go on hold for awhile?

I mean, seriously, where are the priorities? Are they actually more concerned with protecting the reputation of their demigod than seeing that justice is served for innocent children and respect served to the victims of the crimes?

And, alternately, the opposition from Penn State haters was even more revolting.

Many people called for the resignation of Joe and the humiliation of the Penn State administration, though I knew their loyalties were probably just as much (if not more so) aligned with Pitt or OSU as they were with prosecuting sexual offenders. (note: this is perhaps a bit of an assumption. Sorry, just call em like I see em.)

I have heard from some current Penn State students regarding this post from earlier in the week and a lot of them say that they’re getting taunting messages from kids from other rival schools.

One student, Jillian, wrote this to us:

In the midst of all the the hate-laden tweets and messages my peers and I have received, the worst part of it all is the disgusting jokes bloggers and “journalists” have been making.

So, yeah. Additionally, many people online were making light of the situation. Some linked to Sandusky’s very unfortunately titled memoir, Touched, saying that it was hilarious that it actually existed. People who were obviously not very well read on the situation were cracking jokes about whether Joe was still alive at all.

And so whether it was adamant support over someone who might have, in a roundabout way, enabled a child abuser or someone whose cries of foul were more influenced by their hatred of a campus than a call to uphold basic human principles, this week has just gone to shit. It’s gone to shit on almost every single side of the table.

And Joe Paterno, for the record, remains probably the worst thing about this week (besides Jerry Sandusky and all of his alleged crimes, of course).

I have seen a lot of men do terrible things to protect their legacy. George said an interesting thing to me the other night. He said, “How arrogant and idiotic he had to be, returning to coach year after ill-advised year, knowing full well that this scandal could still erupt and yet still wanting to hold on to his legacy regardless.” I agreed at the time, but in the light of more of his actions, I can see what George really touched on. This is a guy, who, in the wake of this uncovered scandal, warmingly addressed Penn State students on his lawn, made a couple supremely ill-informed (and definitely not planned) remarks, before LEADING EVERYONE INTO A PEP RALLY CHANT.

Watch the video here. Go ahead, we’ll wait.

And as I said, I don’t know if you heard me or not, is, you know, the kids who were victims or whatever they want to say, I think we all ought to say a prayer for them. It’s a tough life when people do certain things to you. But anyway, you’ve been great. Everything’s great, all right.

“It’s a tough life when people do certain things to you.”

Uh, what in the shit is he even getting at with that line?

That has to be the worst thing ever said by an authority figure about a sexual scandal in the history of sexual scandals, let alone a child abuse scandal. How was he not fired on the spot for that display of utter, insane bullshit?

And yesterday he announced that he was retiring at the end of the year, and I was furious. Absolutely, 100% furious. I would have actually preferred him saying that he doesn’t believe he’s at fault and that he would stay as long as they would let him. THAT I would have at least respected him for.

But here he is, knowing he’s caught in a moral dilemma, yet deciding to stay invested in a team and deny his responsibility as part of the human race. His desire to win the game outweighed social responsibility.

And this, friends, should put all thoughts to rest.

Joe Paterno is not a great leader of men.

How I long for the days in middle school when, even as a 12 year-old, coaches taught the importance of standing up for what’s right over the importance of winning. Out of all of the moments of interacting with my coaches, the ones I actually remember were not the attaboys for good plays I made on the field, it was when they came to me and said that they could see that I had heart.

It’s a shame that such a revered figure in football had to be outed this way.

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This all being said, not all PSU students are idiotic, not all bloggers are insensitive, not all PSU rivals are assholes, and even Joe Paterno and Jerry Sandusky deserve the chance to have their names cleared, et al. Also, I know how tough it would be to have your four years of college scarred by a massive scandal, and so our thoughts are with PSU students and, I guess, Alumni.

But primarily, our hearts are with the families and victims associated with this terrible tragedy.

And we close with a message from PSU quarterback Matt McGloin.