Rest in peace, Joe Paterno. You will indeed be missed.
However ...
When I heard the beloved former Penn State coach died Sunday, I felt a great deal of sadness, not just for the man affectionately known as JoePa and his family, but also for the man's legacy.
Make no mistake, that legacy has been tarnished.
Think about it. Two months ago, coach Paterno was seen as a great man who stood for solid, old-fashioned values. He continued coaching well into his 80s and even though he'd handed many of his responsibilities over to his assistants, he was still a tough old warhorse in high-water pants and black athletic shoes, boldly walking the sidelines at Penn State games.
He was an icon. JoePa was college football's grandpa.
Sadly, all that changed on Nov. 5, 2011. That's when disturbing news came out of State College, Pa., alleging former Penn State assistant Jerry Sandusky had sexually abused several boys, most of whom had come through Sandusky's "Second Mile" program for underprivileged kids. A number of the incidents took place on the Penn State campus, even after Sandusky retired but still maintained a relationship with the football program.
The news spread quickly and was sickening enough to grab the country's attention.
The allegations against Sandusky, JoePa's former defensive coordinator and one-time heir apparent, were positively disgusting. And when it was discovered via a grand jury report his bosses at Penn State, including the school's senior vice president Gary Schultz, athletic director Tim Curley and Paterno himself, knew about the incidents and possibly covered them up, the bucolic town of State College was turned upside down.
Over the past few days I've read several columns and heard numerous television reports suggesting how sad it is JoePa's reputation has been sullied by this ugly mess. Now that he's gone there is concern JoePa will be remembered not for his 46 years as Penn State's head coach, but for the sickening scandal that ultimately cost him his job.
And it's true, it's all very sad. But you know what else is sad? Child abuse of any kind, sexual or otherwise; innocent boys growing up with all the emotional baggage that comes from such abuse; and adults, whose job it is to protect young lives, who fail to live up to their obligations.
Those things are much more heartbreaking than JoePa's damaged reputation.
Look, I know it wasn't Paterno who abused those boys. I know Sandusky's the real villain here. But even JoePa himself said he wished he'd done more. Unfortunately, he said it after the scandal broke and he was well on his way to losing his job.
All indications are, at the very least he knew Sandusky was doing something inappropriate with these boys and it was happening within the confines of JoePa's football department.
Apologists have said he did all he was supposed to do: he told his supervisors what he'd heard. That argument is so weak it doesn't even deserve a response.
Rather than rehash the time line any more than we've already done here, let's now take a more positive tack. Let's ask: What if any good can come from this tragedy?
For starters, I hope everyone can see what happens when one person -- even as stalwart a person as Paterno -- has too much power. As he advanced in age some of his "bosses" at Penn State attempted to get him to retire, but he wouldn't listen. He essentially refused their "requests" to step aside and they were either too powerless or too fearful to do anything about it.
Secondly, JoePa simply stayed too long. For a while, most college football fans loved the fact Paterno was in his 80s and still coaching. It was such a feel good story. But in the wake of this scandal, it's plain to see the folly in it.
He was no longer capable of keeping tabs on program and if the allegations are true, it allowed Sandusky to go unchecked as he carried out his sick crimes.
As a sports fan, I admire all that coach Paterno stood for and I appreciate all he gave to college football. I still respect his legacy.
However ...
There's just no getting around that fact it's been forever tarnished.
Jim Burton is the Standard-Examiner's sports columnist. He also covers the Utah Jazz and the NBA. He can be reached at 801-625-4265 or at jburton@standard.net. He tweets at http://twitter.com/jmb247
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