Come on though, Paterno was probably the most famous college football coach, and he had just become the winningest coach of all time. He IS Penn State, for all intents and purposes.
I keep hearing this. Paterno was (and is) a very reserved and private man. He lives in a modest house. I personally never liked him, though his wife is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. Paterno has never been known to exercise his influence or his power, and I don’t believe that police give more weight to hearsay reports if they come from a famous coach.
I understand the argument that Paterno has some sort of “power” over State College, but having lived there for six years I never saw or felt that. He may be revered as a public figure, but he’s just a normal guy in the offseason.
I can tell you also that Paterno ISN’T Penn State. They are the corrupt Board of Trustees (who I called the Penn State Politburo). They are people like Terrell Jones and Graham Spanier. They are a bastion of corrupt and politically correct liberalism. The school would be a hell of a lot better off if it were just Paterno.
The problem with this (and this scandal has drawn in far too many conservatives) is that it sacrifices a good man so the corrupt liberal establishment can continue.
There in lies the problem. Paterno was at Penn State too long, he had developed a cult following. Sure, Paterno's football team was a great force for rallying alumni school spirit, afterall, he was a constant, something to remind the alumni of the good old college days and open their wallets. But, Paterno should never have reached the height of reverence and following that put him above all Christian moral ethics and the law.
Mighty convenient they waited until he got the record.
Who held this information until he broke the record?
Yeah, and the first paragraph of any future biography will note his cover-ups of child rape. What a legacy.