Who's To Blame for Penn State?

If you've been living in a cave or under a rock you haven't heard of the hideous crime that came to light last week at Penn State University and their football team.

Jerry Sandusky, a former long time defensive coach for the staff of Joe Paterno allegedly, sexually assaulted a number of young, vulnerable boys, one in the shower of the football team's locker room on the grounds of Penn State.  In essence, Sandusky raped these boys who he had literally "cut out of the herd" for his choosing.  These boys were selected out of a nonprofit started and run by Sandusky called "The Second Mile".

There are a number of people being implicated as the investigation begins to point fingers at those being guilty for doing nothing to stop Sandusky,  Most of these individuals had prior knowledge of Sandusky's transgressions but turned a blind eye.  As of November 15, 2011 it's clear that there will be more information coming to the forefront by investigators of individuals who played a role in letting this monster prey on these innocent children.

The list begins with a graduate assistant who was an eyewitness to the 61 year old Sandusky having alleged sexual contact with a ten year old in the shower.  The grad assistant is reported to have done nothing at the time of the assault.  He ran home and called his father and asked what he should do.  Keep in mind please that this assistant is an adult man yet he failed to do the right thing.

Then there is coach Joe Paterno.  After being told by the grad assistant of the assault, Paterno also failed morally to take action.  Paterno did call the Athletic Director of Penn State who also did nothing but call the college president.  HELLO did anyone ever think of calling 9-1-1?  Did the grad assistant ever think of shoving Sandusky to the floor, grabbing the young victim and running to safety?  Am I to assume that if the same ten year old was hanging out of a burning house he would have called another adult to ask what to do?

Keep in mind that Sandusky ten years earlier had been up on charges for child molestation but witnesses were kept quiet.  And if you've never heard, the prosecutor for that case later came up missing.  As in he was never seen again missing.  It wasn't until this past July that he was legally declared dead.

The Grand Jury report is online and you can read the details of this case.  I warn you in advance it is a very difficult read...but before you begin to feel sorry for the 84 year old grandfatherly Paterno, you should make a good faith attempt to understand how dastardly this crime was by everyone who was involved.

So listening to the stories of this incident got me to thinking in a different light.  If you're a college football fan there's a good chance you're not going to necessarily agree with my opinion. Keep in mind, I've played ball, been a fan and coached.

While watching ESPN's Sportscenter, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, listening to local sports reporters, radio talk shows, everyone basically share the same thoughts about this case.  Never mind if you're a liberal, conservative, independent, Republican, Democrat, atheist, Catholic, Jewish...well you get the picture.  This crime crosses all legal and moral boundaries.

So who's to blame for what happened at Penn State?  Well for Penn State in particular we now know some of the names.  More will come out in the investigation.  But here's my take on this whole story.
The people not being mentioned as being a part of the bigger picture of such crimes are:

YOU and ME

Yep...you and me.  Now before you get offended and say you would never have anything to do with something like Penn State hear me out.  Let me share some thoughts...

Thought #1  College football is a sport that builds statues to "living" coaches and players.  If you need any more evidence that college football is in the midst of a new era of blind extravagance and euphoric self-congratulation all you have to do is start counting statues.  A growing number of schools across the nation have decided that they aren't content to reward coaches by paying them millions of dollars or retiring a jersey number.  The University of Oklahoma, of which I have ties to, is becoming statue central.  OU has four statues of their Heisman trophy winners with former quarterback Sam Bradford's on the way.  OU also plans statues of four coaches including current head coach Bob Stoops.

It's one thing to support Marshall University's decision to display a memorial to the members of the 1970 football team who died in a plane crash.  But when a conversation about football statuary starts to veer towards the likes of Nick Saban, Danny Wuerffel, and Tim Tebow, it's probably time to stop, locate the nearest bag, and breathe into it.

Thought #2  Coaches have way too much power...period.  When a newspaper reporter asked a college administrator who was the most powerful man at Penn State, he hesitated and then said, "Well I suppose the college president but really it's Joe Paterno."  Really a school with an enrollment of over 95,000 students is led by what happens on campus by an 84 year old football coach?

Go to YouTube and watch the ESPN segment entitled, "Nick Saban Explains his Alabama Job."  Listen carefully to what's said in that clip.  It's also reported that when Saban's jet landed in Alabama the day he accepted the head foot coach's position that people lined the roads and chanted his name.

Thought #3  College football is a cash monster!  It has taken on a life of its own.  Coaches are paid millions of dollars.  If you don't think money plays a role in this whole fiasco called college football you would be wrong.  Go back and read about Southern Methodist University and that scandal.  Read how the college regents, the college president, boosters, players, the governor of Texas, and yes even George Bush had a role.  Read about Eric Dickerson and the hot car his grandmother "bought" him.  SMU received the death penalty from the NCAA and to this day 20+ years later has not recovered.  All because of a group of greedy power hungry old men.  

Thought #4  Intelligent, rational, good-hearted people who attend and support college football as fans are willing to offer blind trust to mere men.  And that my friends is where you and me are complicit.  Joe Paterno is a man.  Bobby Bowden, long-time Florida State football coach with his "dadgum" folksy way is a man.  Nick Saban, Tom Osborne, Steve Spurrier, Barry Switzer, any coach is just a man.  Ask Jim Tressel what happened this year at Ohio State when the power of the position went to his head.

The power granted to football coaches by the thousands if not millions of fans, boosters with big bucks, and other funders is dangerous and bad things can happen as we have witnessed at Penn State.  As fans we are at least partially responsible for the consequences of what occurs on our college campuses. We empower mere men to go beyond being football coaches...and in some cases would it be wrong to say we create coaches with a god complex?

So Penn State played Nebraska this past weekend.  As Nebraska fans prepared to travel to College Station to attend the game the question they were asking Coach Osborne was should they wear their red shirts.  Was it OK to wear red?  These were adults, 40, 50, 60 years old asking!  Really!  The last time anyone asked me what color would be appropriate to wear...was...well my daughter when she 7 years old.

And what were some of the Penn State fans wearing at the game?  They were wearing a t-shirt that read:

"You have Jesus...We have Joe-paw."

Enough said.

Pray for those who are the true victims.

Now Where Did I Put My Memory

One of the simplest but most powerful habits I have established in my life is to write things down.  Why is it so important?


1) If your memory is anything like mine it's a leaking bucket.
I have noticed when reviewing old notes how much my memory can leak.  The memory isn't all that reliable.  Every time we remember something we recreate what happened rather than just replay a film from our mental archives.  So we need some kind of system outside of ourselves.


2) Ideas don't stay for long.
Fine or awesome ideas can pop up at the strangest times but they tend not to stay for long in your head.  So you need to capture them fast or they are gone in the wind.


3)  Written goals are very important.
One thing a lot of very successful self-improvement writers go on and on about is the importance of having written goals.  A written goal brings clarity and focus.  It gives you direction.  And by rewriting your goals you not only reaffirm what your goals are you may also find new insights that bring more clarity and focus to your goal and life.


4)  To remind yourself of what to focus on.
Often we get caught up in our everyday business and lose track of what is most important.  To keep yourself on track - instead of just keeping yourself busy with low-priority tasks - simply write down a reminder that can stop your thoughts when you see it and guide you back on track again.  It can for example be your current goal.  I also like reminders like: "keep things extremely simple" and "what is the most important thing I can do right now?"  Write down your reminder and put that reminder where you can't avoid seeing it throughout your day.


5)  Unloading your mental RAM.
When you don't occupy your mind with having to remember every little thing - like how much milk to get - you become less stressed and it becomes easier to think clearly.  This is, in my opinion, one of the most important reasons to write things down.  Feeling calmer and more relaxed does not only improves your health but also makes life easier and more smooth and effective.


6)  Get to know yourself and your life better and improve long-term focus.
You can use a journal as a way to keep an overview of your thinking over a longer span and to recognize both positives and negatives in your thinking and actions.
By writing things down you can help yourself to spot trouble and get yourself back on track and keep yourself there within a larger time frame.  Or your journal may tell you something that you haven't really paid much attention to about yourself and/or about your life.  And so this can bring clarity.


So here are some of the most important reasons why I write everything down.  How to capture your thoughts?  Well, that's up to you.  Try different ways and find the ones that you feel most comfortable and effective with.