Penn State Without Football
Penn State Without Football
http://espn.go.com/espn/commentary/stor ... ll-culture
Originally Published: November 11, 2011
One remedy: Penn State without football
These are desperate times for the university. They might require desperate measures.
By Lester Munson
ESPN.com
Archive
They fired the president of the university. They fired Joe Paterno, their legendary coach. They allowed the athletic director and a university vice president to at least temporarily leave their jobs.
It's a start.
But the trustees who govern Penn State have more work to do. Much more work.
If the university intends to cleanse itself of the toxic culture described in agonizing detail in the report of the Pennsylvania grand jury that issued the indictments in the allegations of a sexual abuse scandal involving former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky, the trustees must continue to scour the athletic department and remove all who placed Penn State football ahead of the safety and welfare of needy and vulnerable young boys.
It was, after all, a culture that, under Paterno's unquestioned leadership, apparently enabled Sandusky to perpetrate his alleged atrocities on an unknown number of boys in these ways, according to the grand jury report:
• Allowed him systematic access to these children.
• Ignored obvious signs of perversity.
• Provided locations (weight room, sauna) and events (bowl games, road trips) for Sandusky that were irresistible to troubled boys in State College, the ultimate college town.
• Covered up for Sandusky whenever the possibility of detection arose.
• Ignored legal and moral obligations to take action that would embarrass the supposedly impeccable football program.
Despite the astonishing revelations of the past several days, it will not be easy for the trustees to do what they must do. They will face Paterno's legions of fans and his significant influence metastasized through the university, based both on his decades of success and his generosity to the university community. It is difficult to estimate the extent of the role Paterno's image and presence will have on the effort to change the athletic department culture.
Another reason it won't be easy for the trustees is that instead of recognizing their failures, some of the principals involved in the scandal are parsing and rationalizing what happened. The athletic director and the university administrator are claiming that a graduate assistant who, according to the grand jury, saw Sandusky raping a child in an athletic department shower in 2002, did not mention anal sex to them in his reports. It might have been simple horseplay, they suggest.
As the trustees continue their work, they must purge the culture of the denial and the delusion that apparently allowed Sandusky to operate with impunity for years. They must establish an atmosphere of responsibility and accountability in a culture that encourages coaches, staff and students to do what is right instead of the bare minimum required by the law. One way to help make that happen is to institute seminars and training sessions that define the basic duties of citizenship and establish a new standard of behavior for all members of the university community. Instead of assuming that people will do the right things, the university's management must define what the right things are and create an atmosphere in which that proper behavior is encouraged.
And the trustees must do this work publicly and definitively. Their investigation must be detailed and transparent if they hope to eliminate the old and re-establish an atmosphere of integrity in the football program.
As the trustees attempt to reset the priorities of the university and its football program, here are some things they must do:
• Investigate the Second Mile Foundation. Founded by Sandusky in 1977, it allegedly provided him with a continuing supply of young boys. The foundation is not formally a part of the university, but it uses the school's facilities for its camps and is intertwined with the football program in numerous ways. Can the foundation be salvaged? Should it be shut down?
CIVIL LIABILITY
• Re-examine the investigation of another shower incident, this one in 1998. Why was no action taken after a probe by the police and a child welfare agency? What was the role, if any, of this incident in the "retirement" of Sandusky from the football staff in 1999?
• Examine the role of attorney Wendell Courtney, identified in the grand jury report, who was the university lawyer during the 1998 investigation and then moved to the Second Mile charity as its lawyer, where he served during Sandusky's alleged predations.
• Analyze the accounts of the victims described in the grand jury report (and of any additional alleged victims who come forward) to determine what staff members knew about Sandusky and these boys, and what the staff members did nor did not do about it. Determine if there is reason for any of these staff members to continue their employment with the university.
• Consider the cancellation of the football program for a period of at least two years. It might not be possible to establish a new culture without the total elimination of the old one. A two-year hiatus might be the only way to eliminate a systemic problem. How important is football to an institution of higher learning that serves 95,000 students and is supposed to be dedicated to the pursuit of excellence? When Tulane University was caught in a basketball point-shaving scandal in the mid-1980s, the university leadership eliminated the sport for several years to allow a complete renewal of values. When the U.S. Congress discovered a series of abuses in 2008 in its page program, which was designed to offer opportunities to young people, the members of Congress agreed to eliminate it altogether.
All of that is a tall order for the trustees. They demonstrated exemplary citizenship and fortitude when they dismissed Paterno and university president Graham Spanier on Wednesday night. As they continue their work, it is most important that they do it publicly and transparently. They cannot allow an atmosphere of denial and cover-up to continue. If their investigation uncovers embarrassing things, they must be forthcoming in describing them in detail and in public.
As the governing body of the university, the trustees must find and hire a new president and a new football coach. In theory, the trustees would hire the president and allow the president to hire the coach. But given Penn State's history, the coach very well could be the more important personnel move. As they search for a president and coach, the trustees must find leaders with the character and integrity required to undo the damage and establish a new order of priorities that goes beyond X's and O's and bowl games.
If the trustees can complete this work in the same way they made their decisions on Paterno and Spanier, they will be on their way to establishing a new model of "Success with Honor."
Lester Munson, a Chicago lawyer and journalist who reports on investigative and legal issues in the sports industry, is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
Originally Published: November 11, 2011
One remedy: Penn State without football
These are desperate times for the university. They might require desperate measures.
By Lester Munson
ESPN.com
Archive
They fired the president of the university. They fired Joe Paterno, their legendary coach. They allowed the athletic director and a university vice president to at least temporarily leave their jobs.
It's a start.
But the trustees who govern Penn State have more work to do. Much more work.
If the university intends to cleanse itself of the toxic culture described in agonizing detail in the report of the Pennsylvania grand jury that issued the indictments in the allegations of a sexual abuse scandal involving former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky, the trustees must continue to scour the athletic department and remove all who placed Penn State football ahead of the safety and welfare of needy and vulnerable young boys.
It was, after all, a culture that, under Paterno's unquestioned leadership, apparently enabled Sandusky to perpetrate his alleged atrocities on an unknown number of boys in these ways, according to the grand jury report:
• Allowed him systematic access to these children.
• Ignored obvious signs of perversity.
• Provided locations (weight room, sauna) and events (bowl games, road trips) for Sandusky that were irresistible to troubled boys in State College, the ultimate college town.
• Covered up for Sandusky whenever the possibility of detection arose.
• Ignored legal and moral obligations to take action that would embarrass the supposedly impeccable football program.
Despite the astonishing revelations of the past several days, it will not be easy for the trustees to do what they must do. They will face Paterno's legions of fans and his significant influence metastasized through the university, based both on his decades of success and his generosity to the university community. It is difficult to estimate the extent of the role Paterno's image and presence will have on the effort to change the athletic department culture.
Another reason it won't be easy for the trustees is that instead of recognizing their failures, some of the principals involved in the scandal are parsing and rationalizing what happened. The athletic director and the university administrator are claiming that a graduate assistant who, according to the grand jury, saw Sandusky raping a child in an athletic department shower in 2002, did not mention anal sex to them in his reports. It might have been simple horseplay, they suggest.
As the trustees continue their work, they must purge the culture of the denial and the delusion that apparently allowed Sandusky to operate with impunity for years. They must establish an atmosphere of responsibility and accountability in a culture that encourages coaches, staff and students to do what is right instead of the bare minimum required by the law. One way to help make that happen is to institute seminars and training sessions that define the basic duties of citizenship and establish a new standard of behavior for all members of the university community. Instead of assuming that people will do the right things, the university's management must define what the right things are and create an atmosphere in which that proper behavior is encouraged.
And the trustees must do this work publicly and definitively. Their investigation must be detailed and transparent if they hope to eliminate the old and re-establish an atmosphere of integrity in the football program.
As the trustees attempt to reset the priorities of the university and its football program, here are some things they must do:
• Investigate the Second Mile Foundation. Founded by Sandusky in 1977, it allegedly provided him with a continuing supply of young boys. The foundation is not formally a part of the university, but it uses the school's facilities for its camps and is intertwined with the football program in numerous ways. Can the foundation be salvaged? Should it be shut down?
CIVIL LIABILITY
• Re-examine the investigation of another shower incident, this one in 1998. Why was no action taken after a probe by the police and a child welfare agency? What was the role, if any, of this incident in the "retirement" of Sandusky from the football staff in 1999?
• Examine the role of attorney Wendell Courtney, identified in the grand jury report, who was the university lawyer during the 1998 investigation and then moved to the Second Mile charity as its lawyer, where he served during Sandusky's alleged predations.
• Analyze the accounts of the victims described in the grand jury report (and of any additional alleged victims who come forward) to determine what staff members knew about Sandusky and these boys, and what the staff members did nor did not do about it. Determine if there is reason for any of these staff members to continue their employment with the university.
• Consider the cancellation of the football program for a period of at least two years. It might not be possible to establish a new culture without the total elimination of the old one. A two-year hiatus might be the only way to eliminate a systemic problem. How important is football to an institution of higher learning that serves 95,000 students and is supposed to be dedicated to the pursuit of excellence? When Tulane University was caught in a basketball point-shaving scandal in the mid-1980s, the university leadership eliminated the sport for several years to allow a complete renewal of values. When the U.S. Congress discovered a series of abuses in 2008 in its page program, which was designed to offer opportunities to young people, the members of Congress agreed to eliminate it altogether.
All of that is a tall order for the trustees. They demonstrated exemplary citizenship and fortitude when they dismissed Paterno and university president Graham Spanier on Wednesday night. As they continue their work, it is most important that they do it publicly and transparently. They cannot allow an atmosphere of denial and cover-up to continue. If their investigation uncovers embarrassing things, they must be forthcoming in describing them in detail and in public.
As the governing body of the university, the trustees must find and hire a new president and a new football coach. In theory, the trustees would hire the president and allow the president to hire the coach. But given Penn State's history, the coach very well could be the more important personnel move. As they search for a president and coach, the trustees must find leaders with the character and integrity required to undo the damage and establish a new order of priorities that goes beyond X's and O's and bowl games.
If the trustees can complete this work in the same way they made their decisions on Paterno and Spanier, they will be on their way to establishing a new model of "Success with Honor."
Lester Munson, a Chicago lawyer and journalist who reports on investigative and legal issues in the sports industry, is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
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KirkHerbstreit
- Official BleacherCoach
- Posts: 1739
- Joined: October 7th, 2009, 8:45 pm
Re: Penn State Without Football
It pains me to think that Penn State could end like Pitt has for the past 30 years......Without Football!
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bleacherbum
- Official BleacherCoach
- Posts: 576
- Joined: November 16th, 2010, 5:36 pm
Re: Penn State Without Football
I'll take 30 years of bad football which in the grand scheme of life means absolutely nothing.and still have my dignity Hail to Pitt. You happy now Kirk
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KirkHerbstreit
- Official BleacherCoach
- Posts: 1739
- Joined: October 7th, 2009, 8:45 pm
Re: Penn State Without Football
I don't know how to tell ya bub but I didn't commit the crimes and still have my dignity. There are a hell of a lot more good people at Penn State than bad. Quite a few people made a horrendous error in judgement to protect their status. It doesn't reflect jack squat about the people of Penn State. It has given Pitt fans something to be excited about for the first time in their lives, though, so congrats.
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bleacherbum
- Official BleacherCoach
- Posts: 576
- Joined: November 16th, 2010, 5:36 pm
Re: Penn State Without Football
KIRK you been throwing chum in the water on every post. Figured I'd give a little nibble I knew you would jerk the rod hard.sorry you missed moving on to the next hole.
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KirkHerbstreit
- Official BleacherCoach
- Posts: 1739
- Joined: October 7th, 2009, 8:45 pm
Re: Penn State Without Football
I really don't speak redneck. But, I'd say I pretty much spoke my mind about Penn State and what I have thought about the whole situation. I think it's sick, disgusting, and handled wrong. The university is removing the people who had any part of it and will continue to do damage control for the next decade+. The fanbases getting enjoyment out of this, in my opinion, is just as sick. There is a big difference between and opinion and an agenda.
Re: Penn State Without Football
Don't lump all Pitt fans !! We are not excited. We are saddened
Re: Penn State Without Football
I completely understand those who feel the urge to extract a little verbal payback onto all of the Penn State fans who have so cheerily rubbed everyone else's noses in their success for the last thirty years, all the while using words like honor and integrity.
PSU fans, I hate to say it, but you had better get used to it. This isn't over by a longshot. Never again will this football program be looked at with honor, integrity, etc.
And furthermore, everyone who is a PSU fan needs to quit proclaiming that the healing has begun. For whom? The victims??? We still don't even know how many victims there are... and please tell me how a football game going to heal being raped! PSU has been playing football for years while Sandusky's victims have been suffering. A stadium full of blue shirts and now everything is fine? Get real.
PSU fans, I hate to say it, but you had better get used to it. This isn't over by a longshot. Never again will this football program be looked at with honor, integrity, etc.
And furthermore, everyone who is a PSU fan needs to quit proclaiming that the healing has begun. For whom? The victims??? We still don't even know how many victims there are... and please tell me how a football game going to heal being raped! PSU has been playing football for years while Sandusky's victims have been suffering. A stadium full of blue shirts and now everything is fine? Get real.
Re: Penn State Without Football
Are Big Ten football teams still locked into certain bowl games every year, based on how they finish in the conference??? Is there a chance that PSU could not be invited to a bowl game this year, based on all the negative publicity that PSU has generated???
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WALTER4
- Official BleacherCoach
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- Contact:
Re: Penn State Without Football
say_oww wrote:
And furthermore, everyone who is a PSU fan needs to quit proclaiming that the healing has begun. For whom? The victims??? We still don't even know how many victims there are... and please tell me how a football game going to heal being raped! PSU has been playing football for years while Sandusky's victims have been suffering. A stadium full of blue shirts and now everything is fine? Get real.
show me how NOT playing football is going to do anything either.
The Flyers are just like the Titanic. They both look good until they hit the ice
Help Control the Poor Population. Have those on wellfare spayed or neutered
Help Control the Poor Population. Have those on wellfare spayed or neutered