I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
Inside the Assembly Room, located in the corner of the basement of the Nittany Lion Inn, I sat listening in disgust as Franco Harris and Anthony Lubrano discussed Joe Paterno and the Board of Trustees with a lively audience of around 150. Most attendees were part of the recently established group called Penn Staters for Responsible Stewardship, whose goal is to reform the Board of Trustees and find "justice" for Joe Paterno.
Late Wednesday night, Pete Thamel and Mark Viera of the New York Times published an article that addresses the Penn State Board of Trustee’s decision to fire legendary football coach Joe Paterno. The Times had spoken to thirteen of the thirty-two board members, who up until this point, have remained silent. For over three hours, they attempted to recall the tough decisions that led to the termination of Paterno and former Penn State president, Graham Spanier.
They say that every hero has one single moment in their life that defines them.
For Joe Paterno, a man with 2-national championships and 409 career wins, that moment may have come outside a small ranch house at the end of McKee Street instead of on the football field.
Success with honor. These three words are so simple, yet they mean so much to everyone involved with Penn State. While most other collegiate athletic programs have faced the downfall of scandal over the years, Penn State has stood as a pillar of integrity, as the “shining program on a hill.” It was all a lie.