With each passing day it becomes more clear that no one is going to hold Penn State accountable for the actions of the men they choose to lead their University. As such, it is time for us to act as a community.
If they wont shut it down, we must shut them out
Let me start by saying I am a hard core college football fan. I probably watch 40+ games BEFORE bowl season and I try to get all the bowls in either live or on DVR. I also have a dear friend who is a Penn State Alum, former cheerleader, who adored Joe Paterno. She is devastated by this and I feel for her but not as much as I do for the victims.
Here is the letter I wrote to Kansas State Athletic Director John Currie:
Dear Sir,
I am writing you today to ask you to take a stand for all that is good, right and clean about college sports. It is not with joy but sadness that I am asking this. I am asking you to publicly state that Kansas State will not schedule Penn State University in any sport as long as the football program continues. If they wont shut it down, we must shut them out.
What happened at Penn State was not an accident. It was not an aberration. It was not a horrible mistake. It was the result of a deliberate decision. A decision by the “leadership” of that University to choose to protect their football program instead of children. This was not a mistake of judgment. It was a well thought out plan to deny, deceive and cover up in order to ensure the football program could succeed. As such, their actions cannot be allowed succeed in protecting the football program from harm.
It is unfortunate that I even have to ask this. In a perfect world, the new “leaders” at Penn State would have already closed their football program. In a perfect word, the NCAA would have already barred them from competition. But like the “men” who decided to trade child rape for football wins, both seem to be more concerned with protecting football than doing the right thing.
I believe Kansas State is better than those who would actually weigh the pros and cons of closing down football in this situation. I believe that if the same thing occurred at Kansas State there would be no question of what the right thing to do was. I also believe that Kansas State has the proper transparency and checks in place that this could never occur at Kansas State. Those policies of transparency and checks are not an accident, they are leadership. Now I am asking you to lead again.
State publicly that Kansas State University will not schedule Penn State in any sport as long as the football program remains unpunished. Request the Big 12 Conference follow your lead and do the same. If they wont shut it down, we must shut them out.
v/r
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Lieutenant Colonel, US Army
Political Science, 1994
I encourage all of you to write your university ADs and ask them to do the same. Encourage them to take a stand since it is clear no one at Penn State or the NCAA will. Maybe if they do it will shame leaders at one or both to step up. Maybe it will give those who might be hiding dark secrets elsewhere the courage to step forward.
From 1977 to 1999 Jerry Sandusky was one of the top Defensive Coordinators in football - pro or college - and yet after he was forced to retire NOT ONE school or pro team offered him a job. Unless you believe in blind luck, "the word" was out on Sandusky and lots of ADs knew not to hire him. Now those ADs need to do the right thing and take some responsibility by taking a stand.
If they wont shut it down, we must shut them out.