The Freeh Report, Football, And Children

I took a few years off of blogging, and lately I have mostly been blogging about the books I am reading. To those who have known me a long time they know this, to newer readers, I am a big sports fan. Easily my favorite sport is football, and I love college football. I was raised on a college campus, and went to too many games to count in my youth. I'm a Michigan State fan for many reasons, and a Big-10 fan after that,. This is why I find this so hard to write.

After reading the first 30 pages of the Freeh report on the many child molestations at Penn State University there can no longer be any doubt. All the top officials at PSU, including Joe Paterno not only knew what was going on, but took an active role in covering it up, and allowing Jerry Sandusky to continue to add to his list of victims. There can be no excuse. There can be no mitigating circumstances. Powerful people conspired to allow a person they knew was a child predator to continue to attack children sexually because they wanted to avoid bad publicity. Not only did they not alert the proper authorities as demanded by law, they didn't even cut of Sandusky's access to the things he used to lure his victims, which could have been done quietly. JoPa, a man I grew up admiring because his reputation was that he always did the right and honorable thing even if it was hard, was as it turns out a huge and evil lie. This man chose to allow young boys to be raped, and raped again rather than let his program get a black eye. The easiest moral call a human being should have, and he failed, and failed miserably.

He was aided in this by all levels of PSU. From the President to the janitors. As a lover of sports, as a lover of justice, as a father I can only say that this is completely wrong in every possible way. PSU should have its football program shut down for at least 5 years. Their entire athletic department for at least 3. NOBODY involved in it in the time in question should ever be allowed to work in NCAA or younger sports again.. Many people should be charged and tried with crimes. Joe Paterno should have his name struck from the record book. Every game he was involved in should be turned into a forfeit. He should be removed from the College football Hall of Fame. His statue should be taken down and destroyed, his name taken off of every building or list except that of evil people. He should forever and always be considered a complete pariah.

Also I find it very disappointing to see my beloved Big-10 dropping the ball. Even 8 hours after the report was issued, when every news and sports organization in the world is talking of little else, going to the Big-10 and Big-10 Network pages made no mention of it at all. I couldn't even find a link to the report. This is unacceptable. The Big-10 needs to issue an apology for failure to supervise programs in its domain, and they too should punish PSU in whatever way they can. I would even consider permanent expulsion.

I love football. I love college football I love Big-10 football. There is nothing, let me repeat, NOTHING is as important as protecting children. I'll finish with this: If my child had been raped to protect the “Good Name” (How did that work out PSU?) and the authorities had done nothing, I'd be in jail right now, and some people that richly deserve it would be buried.