The sad story out of Penn State University got a little sadder yesterday when the university was forced to fire head football coach Joe Paterno. Earlier in the day, Paterno had seen the handwriting on the wall and had announced that he was retiring at the end of this season. My friend John Simcoe had posted that article on his Facebook page and I had commented that Paterno should have resigned immediately. I don't believe the Paterno is guilty of any crime, but I also believe he did not do enough when he was told about the accusations against Jerry Sandusky. It is a bad way to bring to a close such a brilliant coaching career.
Of course, there are people commenting that the authorities are overreacting by firing Paterno, since he has not been accused of anything. I wonder if any of those were among the ones who wanted Paterno fired in 2004, after Penn State had losing seasons in four of the previous five years. Penn State students have taken to the streets to protest the firing. I wonder if they would be there if the team was 1-8 instead of 8-1. There once was a time when athletes could get away with almost anything , but fortunately, that day has passed and players are being held accountable for their actions.
The officials of Penn State are doing the right thing by cleaning house of those who knew what was going on. Criminal charges will probably be brought against several other people for protecting Sandusky. I have no sympathy for them. Covering those crimes up is inexcusable.
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