A half-century in the making, Joe Paterno’s impeccable reputation was shattered in a matter of days.
He’s out of a job, and his name has been scraped off the Big Ten title trophy. He’s been taken to task by everyone from the president of the United States to his good friend, Bobby Bowden. Flaws in his program, once barely whispered about, are now an open topic. Although Penn State says it isn’t touching Paterno’s statue outside Beaver Stadium, the fact that someone even asked indicates how far his stock has fallen.
The admirable graduation rates, the players who were as good off the field as they were on, the financial support for Penn State that had nothing to do with football — all of it has been undone by the one thing Paterno did not do. Go to the police with an abuse allegation.
“This is a scandal large enough that this is going to hang on his legacy,” said Frank Fitzpatrick, a Philadelphia Inquirer columnist and author of two books on Paterno and Penn State, including the new biography, “Pride of the Lions.”
“It’s incredibly sad, I think. That’s not to excuse what he did or say he doesn’t deserve it,” Fitzpatrick added.
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