What should Penn State do now? This is a question which demands a whole host of answers across a wide range of issues. Some answers are easy and can be immediately put into practice; other answers depend on the knowledge of Joseph Vincent Paterno (what he knew, when he knew it); still other answers will have to wait until the legal system runs its course. With this being the case, let's provide the easy answers and then briefly touch on the other less attainable ones.
In light of an event this sickening and soul-crushing, actions are part of the proper response, but so is the manner in which they're carried out. This case is far too tangled and multi-faceted to be wrapped up in days or even weeks. It will take a great many months at the very least to process, investigate and prosecute. Therefore, the realm of what can immediately be done is limited, but within that realm, Penn State must act with the decisiveness that was so conspicuously absent from 1998 to the present day.
First, all the Penn State lifers who played a role in allowing Jerry Sandusky to roam freely must go. It's not up for debate or discussion because explanations aren't necessary in this case. The good ol' boy network so manifestly evident in State College must be thoroughly shattered and swept out of town. The only uncertain point is Paterno. If it is the case that he knew anything about Sandusky's deviant and despicable behavior - or the mere possibility of it - while Sandusky was still an employee (before retiring in 1999), Paterno should resign this very second and turn himself in to local authorities. If Paterno did not aid or abet Sandusky while Sandusky was still his defensive coordinator, JoePa should be allowed to finish the regular season, but once the regular season ends, that should be it for Paterno. There is now no good or legitimate reason for him to stay on as Penn State's coach in 2012. None. That's another point which shouldn't require much of any elaboration.
Second, this Saturday's home finale (senior day) against Nebraska needs to become a time when perspective, demeanor and decorum loom large. The great wisdom people in human history, the great moral and spiritual teachers (with Jesus very much a part of this long tradition), emphasize the way in which people and groups carry themselves. Jesus, for instance, told people not to be glum when fasting. Dietrich Bonhoeffer tried to assassinate Adolf Hitler, but he held that goal firmly in mind while also realizing that by attempting to kill another human being, he was putting himself at the mercy of God and falling short of a purely Christian standard. This admitted weakness led Bonhoeffer to express the idea that if he ever did succeed in assassinating Hitler, he would turn himself in and meet the occasion without any joy or happiness. He would accept the consequences of his actions and be willing to pay the price of imprisonment if need be. Accepting the consequences of bearing personal or communal shortcomings is the very act that must emerge in this last Penn State home game of 2011, this Twilight Zone environment in which football will - and should be - the last thing on anyone's mind in University Park, Pennsylvania. Penn State University should tell its marching band to stay home. The sound effects should be muted. The game should be stripped bare of any particularly celebratory or elaborate gestures, defering to the Penn State seniors and quietly thanking them for their contributions to the school. Any rah-rah pomp and circumstance, however, must not emerge. The halftime presentation should be 15 minutes of silent reflection, a time for a community to consciously come to terms with the unspeakable harm that has befallen many young and fragile lives. PSU President Graham Spanier's foolish statements over the past weekend are consistent with a rah-rah "We Are Penn State!" attitude that, if carried into this Saturday's game, would slip right back into a celebratory spirit that is not appropriate at this point in time. Spanier's championing of the institution he works for - over and against the victims of horrific crimes committed under (and because of) his neglectful watch - is so chillingly reminiscent of the American Catholic Church's denialist response to the sex-abuse crisis when it mushroomed in 2002. This Saturday, that "defend and promote the institution" mentality must be visibly and thoroughly expunged from the Nebraska game. Precisely because this will be the last game - the only game - at Penn State before a whirlwind of changes greet the football program means that it's the only occasion in which the university can send a proper message to the world. This message must take ownership of shame and moral humiliation. It must take ownership of the evil that was allowed to flourish because of willful administrative protectionism. If Penn State treats this as just another gameday, it will fail on a scale that's hard to imagine.
Finally, in keeping with this notion that lavish celebrations are not in order at this point in time, it would certainly be best for the Penn State community and football program if a bowl game was rejected. Traveling, tourism, booking hotel rooms, and going to the expense of participating in a bowl game would not be right for a school that has betrayed a public trust, the trust of its students, alumni and donors. It's fair to allow this team - these kids - to play for a Big Ten championship if the Nittany Lions win their division, but a bowl game is a bridge too far and a display of inappropriate excess. Shutting down the season after Thanksgiving (or the first weekend of December) would hasten Paterno's departure and bring about the necessary process of overhauling a cancerous athletic department, eradicating the deep-set sickness that has turned Penn State University into a place of profound darkness in these colder than cold days.
Other answers to problems, other responses to questions, can wait. For now, the above answers offer a good start. In these next few days - especially through Saturday - one hopes that a school and its icon will do the right things for the right reasons under circumstances that are so horribly, grievously wrong.
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