Alone in the Car: Penn State Football and Joe Paterno

When this story first hit the news stands, I was furious. It seemed to me no one was interested in protecting the boys, the victims in this horrific crime. I still stand by that. In fact, I think it has gotten worse for the victims. How people can come after these teenagers is beyond me. I admire their courage.

I want to write about the adults associated with the university side other than the coach, particularly the current university President, Board of Trustees, Governor, and others who are so obvious in trying to protect reputations that have long since as they say "left the building". Your only concern now should be concentrating on the victims' welfare.

Now to Coach Paterno. My anger was certainly towards him because of the standards I knew he stood for. It made it all the worse for a man of such high respect to be part of such a back alley story. But there it was in bold print. He knew it and let the victims down by not doing enough.

I don't think a Coach Paterno in his '40s or '50s would have just reported it to his superiors. I believe him when he said to the Washington Post reporter he didn't know what to do. Some people can act like their 40s and 50s in their mid/late '70s, but I am just not sure Paterno could. I think if this had happened when he was younger, Paterno would have acted differently. He would have done more: to the coaches, to help the victims, to be more involved on the police side, athletic office side, etc. etc. The football players that knew him then knew of his fire, passion, and commitment on and off the field to what a man was supposed to be. Paterno led by example. He would not have been so passive. He had gone from Coach to Joe, from standing down on the field yelling at the referees to sitting up in the box.

Each person should know when it's time to move on. This is especially true when dealing with Employee Stock Ownership Plan in businesses. The owner is going to sell the company to the employees but the heartstrings are having a hard time watching others run the show. Either run the company or not, don't do something in the middle.

Our panoramic view can change throughout our life. It doesn't have to be the same view. In fact, I certainly hope the view you had at 16 is not the same view you have at 36! Evolve, take the essence of who you are (personality plus experience) and take the next step. See what is in your sphere of influence and do some good there before moving on. Touch someone else's life for the positive. Actions don't have to be giant steps that make the news. Many good works go unnoticed. But please, don't be passive.