So Much For Culture Change At Ped State

[Symphony Steve]

Any realistic expectation that Paterno and football would cease to define the institution have, to put it mildly, been delayed. Check out this column:

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/08/01/bernstein-penn-state-rally-defiant-insulting/

For those of you not inclined to read the whole thing, here's an excerpt:

Now, it seems like they (Penn State leaders) needn’t have bothered, a day after they allowed 3,000 fans to gather at the football office for an organized pep rally. The marching band played, defiant placards waved, Sue Paterno appeared like some kind of deposed queen of the rebel alliance, and Freeh and Emmert were nowhere to be heard.

Wait – they can be seen, though, on the new t-shirt marketed to fans that has their faces next to that of PSU president Rodney Erickson. The back of the shirt says FOREVER 409 – a rejection of Paterno’s wins since 1998 being officially vacated – and the front says “THE FREEH STOOGES.”

More galling were the visuals, provided by the Harrisburg Patriot-News. Players posed in front of the Lasch building with young boys in Penn State jerseys. Think about that for a moment – smiling youngsters standing innocently with their Nittany Lion heroes at the very scene of multiple rapes and assaults at the hands of a monster who used such access to players as bait to ensnare victims.

Fair use prevents me from quoting more, but read the entire sickening scenario for yourselves. Where the bleep are the grown-ups?

 

[Townie72]

I'm unsurprised that portions of the PSU community feel that the NCAA sanctions are excessive and the panicked response of a public opinion driven bureaucracy.

I'm unsurprised because I have always scoffed and --- and personally refused top recognize --- the NCAA's vacating of the SU's 1990 Lacrosse National Championship.

Oh, I know the crimes are of a different magnitude. But there has to be some limit on the shame and punishment PSU has to endure. I doubt some will ever be satisfied with the degree of penitence displayed.

 

[Faegan]

I'm unsurprised that portions of the PSU community feel that the NCAA sanctions are excessive and the panicked response of a public opinion driven bureaucracy.

I'm unsurprised because I have always scoffed and --- and personally refused top recognize --- the NCAA's vacating of the SU's 1990 Lacrosse National Championship.

Oh, I know the crimes are of a different magnitude. But there has to be some limit on the shame and punishment PSU has to endure. I doubt some will ever be satisfied with the degree of penitence displayed.

It would be nice if there were ONE DAY where the entire community there could, at the very least, just and not have a rally or something else similar.

 

[StopCoolio]

Let's check back in and see how the culture is doing after a half a decade or so of losing seasons. The lunatics will always be there but it's the casual fans who will hop off the bandwagon and find better things to do with their Saturday afternoons.

 

[Townie72]

It would be nice if there were ONE DAY where the entire community there could, at the very least, just and not have a rally or something else similar.

So you want some sort of Day of Atonement? It's actually not a bad idea ... an event dedicated to an expression of "We know this was wrong and heinous". Of course if they filled the stadium with people all flogging themselves with branches, it wouldn't be enough for some. And there would always be 100 people outside protesting and guess which group would get the press coverage.

In accepting the NCAA sanctions, I thought that what the PSU president was trying to impart. That he didn't represent everyone on Campus and in the community isn't surprising.

I had to laugh at the original poster who complained about the lack of adults. That scale in Justice's hand doesn't have all the weights in one tray

 

[NKR1978]

I'm unsurprised that portions of the PSU community feel that the NCAA sanctions are excessive and the panicked response of a public opinion driven bureaucracy.

I'm unsurprised because I have always scoffed and --- and personally refused top recognize --- the NCAA's vacating of the SU's 1990 Lacrosse National Championship.

Oh, I know the crimes are of a different magnitude. But there has to be some limit on the shame and punishment PSU has to endure. I doubt some will ever be satisfied with the degree of penitence displayed.

All taking the wins away accomplishes is to hurt the insane Paterno family and the pathetic people in their fan base who deified him. His wins don't go away but he's not sitting at the top of any list any more and that pisses those idiots off.

It's the only thing the NCAA could do, aside from shut down their program, that hurts their community.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2

 

[dollarbill44]

Let's check back in and see how the culture is doing after a half a decade or so of losing seasons. The lunatics will always be there but it's the casual fans who will hop off the bandwagon and find better things to do with their Saturday afternoons.

Well, they don't have many apple orchards, so I guess that means raking leaves will take over their Saturdays.

 

[Faegan]

For the life of me, I can't believe incoming recruits that are still choosing to waltz into that mess. If I were there parents, I would make them take visits elsewhere. Ultimately, you have to let them make the decision, but there is no way I would allow them to go back and visit State College until they visited a few other campuses and explored their options.

 

[rrlbees]

More galling were the visuals, provided by the Harrisburg Patriot-News. Players posed in front of the Lasch building with young boys in Penn State jerseys. Think about that for a moment – smiling youngsters standing innocently with their Nittany Lion heroes at the very scene of multiple rapes and assaults at the hands of a monster who used such access to players as bait to ensnare victims.

Nobody is thinking at that place. They don't seem to care about the "perception" they are displaying about this whole thing.

 

[RF2044]

This is precisely why some were advocating stricter sanctions with more teeth.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

This is precisely why some were advocating stricter sanctions with more teeth.

yep agreed, still playing games and having a team, still gives these whackos a platform

 

[baggerbob]

I was for shutting the program down, but when the NCAA decided not to, I felt it was ok. Then we had people who felt we should cancel the series, and I admit I didn't think it was a good idea. Bees I apologize, you are right we should never play them again.

 

[RF2044]

I was for shutting the program down, but when the NCAA decided not to, I felt it was ok. Then we had people who felt we should cancel the series, and I admit I didn't think it was a good idea. Bees I apologize, you are right we should never play them again.

Good post.

 

[billsin01]

For the life of me, I can't believe incoming recruits that are still choosing to waltz into that mess. If I were there parents, I would make them take visits elsewhere. Ultimately, you have to let them make the decision, but there is no way I would allow them to go back and visit State College until they visited a few other campuses and explored their options.

I'd let them make their own decision ... on any program not named ped st.

 

[billsin01]

So you want some sort of Day of Atonement? It's actually not a bad idea ... an event dedicated to an expression of "We know this was wrong and heinous".

In accepting the NCAA sanctions, I thought that what the PSU president was trying to impart. That he didn't represent everyone on Campus and in the community isn't surprising.

I would have been cool with the death penalty for psu but since they didn't get it, I don't mind the fact that they are resuming some sort of football activities. I mean, they didn't get shut down and there is too much money at stake to simply close up the shop (especially since the whole regime is gone).

I think the issue is more the perception at this point. Having Paterno's wife and allowing the t-shirts (which they can at least publicly ask students and fans not to wear) shows a lack of awareness. I actually agree that a Day of Atonement kind of thing would actually be a cool thing. Maybe as the season gets closer? At least acknowledge the tragedy here (the real tragedy, not joepa's record, etc).

But I'm not sure why anyone felt there would be wholesale culture change. Let's be honest -- that ain't happening anywhere, including SU. Too much money to just start recruiting ivy leaguers. All we can hope for is that all universities involved in big time athletics -- not just ped st -- make sure they put safe-guards in place to at least try to avoid a situation where their big-time programs are trampling the most basic of rights (i.e. the right not to be molested in the lockerroom or raped in your dorm room or murdered).

 

[SU2NASA]

I'd let them make their own decision ... on any program not named ped st.

or Ohio State.

 

[retro44]

it's time to call in the CDC to see if there is some mutant gene that originated in happy vally that causes grown men to rape little boys and their fans acts in ways like some communities would when they are ranked no.1 in quality of living.

 

[Louie&Bouie]

I grew up in and graduated from high school in NW PA. My high school has produced 23 D-1 football athletes, including Ben Maljovec, who played here at SU.

The best athlete I have ever seen in my lifetime was a kid named Jeff Erickson. He was recruited by all of the Eastern programs, some more heavily than others. Jeff was a Senior when I was a Sophomore. He was a God on the football field. Better, faster, and stronger than anyone I have ever seen in the scholastic ranks.

In Jeff's last game as a senior, he tore two tendons in his right wrist. Basketball season was approaching, but Jeff was not going to miss his Senior year on the court. Despite playing the entire year with his right (shooting hand) in a cast for the entire year, he averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds per game. Most amazingly, he shot over 70% from the free-throw line. Shooting left-handed.

Jeff accepted a scholarship to Rutgers. He lettered (and started) at center for RU in three different seasons (87-89). RU played twice @ PSU during that time. During one of those two games, during pre-game intros, Jeff was waiting with his teammates to come out of the tunnel. As they arrived at the head of the tunnel, leading out to the stadium, he saw and felt a fan spit in his face. Jeff looked up, and recognized a person from our hometown. I'm sure the individual didn't realize that it was Jeff, but that image has always stuck with me.

PSU has never been classy. Nor will they ever be.

"And that's all I really have to say about that."