Thread for Hippos to mock Penn State

[Sgt PSN]

No wonder the economy sucks.  Wrong kind of profits. 

[ice grillin you]

Perhaps Penn State never was all it was cracked up to be. Joe Paterno talked a noble game, but everything the university stood for—the Grand Experiment and all that—has turned out to be a sham. It pains me to say this because I admired Paterno and thought he was different, but Joe Pa is a hypocrite and a fraud.

The allegations of child sex abuse by former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky are shocking and disgusting enough. But the years-long effort to essentially turn a blind eye to the scandal by Paterno and other university leaders points to a culture that lost sight of what it claimed to be all about.

Paterno and his myth makers went to great lengths to portray Penn State as having higher standards than other universities. "I don't like to put myself up as a do-gooder," he said 20 years ago. "But I am." Sorry Joe, but do-gooders don't do the bare minimum when informed that a fellow coach raped a boy in the school shower.

Warren Buffett famously said: "It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it." Penn State and Paterno proved that theory to be true.

A scandal like this—as shocking as it is—would not be such a surprise if it occurred at the University of Miami or one of the many other schools known for routine violations of NCAA rules, low graduation rates, and athletes-turned-criminals. That says more about the state of college sports these days and how the influence of money has corrupted many campuses.

Add Happy Valley to that list. It's not just the Sandusky scandal. Penn State's football program has amassed quite a rap sheet in recent years. Consider: From 2002 to 2008, 46 Penn State football players have faced 163 criminal counts, according to an analysis by ESPN. Twenty-seven players were convicted or pleaded guilty to 45 counts.

The players have been charged with a variety of crimes ranging from sexual assault and brandishing a knife to making terroristic threats and several DUIs. In one incident, a group of about 15 football players broke into an apartment and beat up several students after one of their teammates and his girlfriend was involved in an altercation. One student was reportedly attacked with a beer bottle, another was struck with a wooden stool, while a third was kicked in the face.

The charges against the players involved in the apartment melee were either withdrawn or bargained down. The sexual assault charge against another player was also withdrawn.

Are these incidences a sign that the rules didn't apply to Paterno's football program? This much is clear: Paterno's Grand Experiment, as he called it, of melding football excellence and academic integrity has turned out to be a farce. There may have been a time when Paterno maintained those two ideals. But the hero worship of Paterno combined with calls for his retirement, mounting pressure to win, and the big bucks generated by the football program likely conspired to blur the lines.

There is no doubt Paterno was a great coach who had a positive impact on many of his players, who graduated at higher rates than players from most other football schools. He helped put the university on the map both athletically and academically. Paterno backed up his words with hefty financial gifts to the university, which helped build a library wing and support other academic efforts.

Those are all good deeds that are a big part of the measure of the man. But Paterno clearly dropped the ball on the Sandusky case. He was Penn State. More so than the athletic director or the president, Paterno had the ability to put a stop to Sandusky's alleged misdeeds.

Instead, Paterno passed the buck. But as the other scandals show, all has not been perfect at Penn State for some time. In fact, the effort to protect Paterno's legacy resulted in his and Penn State's undoing.

[phattymatty]

hope he has time to read a lot of miami hate mail.

[ice grillin you]

as an institution an athletic dept. or just a fan i would never act like i was better than anyone else...because its gonna happen to you...it may be next week or next month or in five years but its gonna happen

of course raping children is different but i really could care less what my teams employees do...i always used to laugh my ass off at eagle fans who would kill the cowboys for doing drugs and and wildin out duriing their dynasty

who the farg cares...id trade joe banner getting busted for running a drug cartel out of his office for the eagles to win one superbowl much less three....sanduskys problem was that he was using second mile to prey on and pimp out little kids when he should have been using it as a way to pay better players to come to penn state

[Drunkmasterflex]

Joe Pa has a "treatable" form of lung cancer.

[Eagaholic]

wow
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/18/joe-paterno-lung-cancer-scott-treatable-disease_n_1102071.html


Man, how the mighty have fallen.

[ice grillin you]

i would have been happy with that news if the scandal hadnt already fired him

now it almost feels like piling on

[Sgt PSN]

I think this is for sympathy. No doubt he has it, but if the Sandusky thing didn't come out, no one would know about this until after the season.

[BigEd76]

opened as a 16-pt underdog at Wisconsin.....down to 14.5

[ice grillin you]

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The alleged victim who sparked the child molestation case against Jerry Sandusky has been forced to leave school due to bullying.

The alleged victim -- referred to as Victim One in the 23-page grand jury presentment -- was forced to leave school midway through this senior year after fellow students at Central Mountain High School, about 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Penn State University, reacted harshly to the firing of head football coach Joe Paterno.

The now 17-year-old's family psychologist, Mike Gillum, told The Harrisburg Patriot-News the name-calling and verbal threats became too much.

[phattymatty]

what did his parents think was going to happen giving him the name Victim.

[hbionic]

His name is Victor Timothy.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

It's not his fault.

It's not his fault.


It's not his fault.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

This game is the 2nd most embarrassing moment in recent Penn State history.



#1 was me Tebowing in front of the Corner Room, of course.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

ESPN reporting that Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen is the leading candidate.