Penn State: A Parent's Point of View

If you watch the News tonight, the top headlines are of course the Colorado shooter being in court for the first time, and the Penn State scandal.

I've already talked on one of these subjects, and from my title, I'm sure you know what this post is going to be about.

Before I begin, I'd like to state that this is purely my point of view on the subject as a new parent. I've never attended, wished to attend or plan on attending Penn State.

What Jerry Sandusky did is unforgiveable. 

I don't think anyone can discount that. 

The fact that he founded a charity to serve underprivileged at-risk children and then used that charity to prey upon his victims is incredibly sick. Beyond sick.

And now, to find out that Joe Paterno and several others did know what was going on and didn't do enough to protect those children might as well be just as sick. 

The NCAA passed down a punishment to Penn State including:

1) $60 million fine, representing approximately one year of football revenues. These funds will go to child sex abuse awareness programs.

2)PSU begins a five-year probationary period, with the NCAA reserving the right to implement further punishments.

3) 4-year bowl game ban.

4) Scholarship reduction, cap lasting four years.

5) Any entering, returning football student athlete can transfer immediately. Presuming academic requirements are met, these potential transfers can play immediately.

6) PSU vacates all wins from 1998-2011. The loss of 111 career wins drops Joe Paterno from atop the all-time wins list to 12th.

Penn State also removed their statue of Joe Paterno.

Some people say that this punishment isn't harsh enough.

Some people say it's too much.

And then there are those, that say Joe Paterno died shortly after being fired from Penn State because of all this. That he's gone, so why put this on the shoulders of a dead man. 

Well here's why.

Because if my son went to a camp and had any of the horrifying things happen to him that happened to the victims, I'd want anyone and everyone involved to be punished to the greatest degree. Not only punished for what they did, but also to prove that NO ONE can get away with hurting children. 

I think about the victims and how they must feel about the punishments. Perhaps it's very little, but it's something in the way of justice. 

Sexual abuse and child molestation fall very personal to me. I know a few people that have been abused and I'm certain that out of the three that I know, maybe one got justice for it? 

And then I think about all those players that had their wins "stripped" by the NCAA because of something their coaches did. Those players that shed blood sweat and tears for those wins and now they're removed from the record books.

I mourn for the innocent. 

For the victims.

For the players. 

For the students and alumni of the school that are ashamed of someone they once looked up to.

So yes. Joe Paterno is dead. And yes they are punishing a dead man. 

But it's necessary.

For the victims.

A good friend of mine is a recent Penn State graduate and I don't think she could've said it better:

"As a Penn Stater, I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, Penn State is an amazing university, it's not all about the football program as many outsiders would describe our 'cult' to be centered around. It's about Creamery ice cream, basking in the sun on Old Main, cursing the Blue Loop driver for pulling away when you chase him down in the rain, going to West just for the cookies, supporting all the university athletic teams, making friends and memories you will never forget and some you can't quite seem to remember, getting breakfast at Irving's, walking to class in tsunami rain and multiple feet of snow, wearing a stupid green hat at The Phyrst on your 21st birthday, counting down the winter until daylong season, raising millions of dollars for pediatric cancer year after year, having a faculty that cares about you and hanging a degree on your wall that you are proud of. And we are proud. There is a reason it is "We Are" and not "I am"... We are a family, we support each other and our university. I can honesty say I know I am not alone when I say we, the Penn State community, want to move forward and support the righting of the wrongs that occurred for too long."  -Dana Reeser

Penn State is strong.

Penn State will recover from this.

The victims will just take a little longer to recover.

And the victims... THEY are the ones we truly need to worry about.