Deadspin has been doing yeoman work on this.
Joe Paterno Negotiated A $3 Million Ejector Seat After He Was Subpoenaed For Sandusky Grand Jury
Remember when the heroic, did-what-he-was-supposed-to-do coach Joe Paterno valiantly fell on his sword in November, and told the Penn State board of trustees that there was no need to fire him, he would resign at the end of the year? A bold move by a proud man man, right? Like much of what we once knew of Joe Paterno, this appears to be full of shit. Oh, and of course, it involves an assist from former President, Graham Spanier.
In early January 2011, Joe Paterno was subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury with regard to sexual assault allegations against his former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. According to The New York Times, that same month Paterno also began negotiating an amendment to his contract—a shocking move according to "university documents and people with knowledge of the discussions" because it was not set to expire until 2012. Specifically, Paterno agreed to a provision that would pay him $3 million if 2011 were his last season. He also negotiated all sorts of other perks for his family that Spanier eventually approved. The terms were agreed to by August; just a few months before the shit hit the fan.
And there it all is in a nutshell: A powerful icon who, thanks to a weak and enabling board and president, held an entire University hostage.
PSU really needs a wake up call.
Again, Deadspin has some ideas.
The Deadspin Five-Point Plan To Rescue Penn State Football
PENN STATE SCANDAL
JUL 13, 2012 3:06 PM
The Deadspin Five-Point Plan To Rescue Penn State Football
1. Keep playing football. With one caveat...
2. No more Grand Experiment. That phrase alone makes me wanna throw up in a sand bucket. No more hypocrisy. No more pretending you're better than anyone else. Embrace the fact that you're just Ohio State with lamer uniforms. Don't bother telling people you're doing things the RIGHT way now. That's how you got into this mess to begin with. You need to become an unapologetic football factory, as openly corrupt and greedy as the rest of them. Change the team colors to gunmetal and vibrating magenta. Bring in shitloads of juco transfers with questionable backgrounds. Have lots of agents hanging around at practice. Never let the players anywhere near a functioning classroom. In other words, act like goddamn professionals, so that people aren't dumb enough to make the program into some kind of ethical unicorn. Do everything the WRONG way. Get embroiled in ticky tacky scandals involving hookers and drugs that are far more comforting to people. That's how do to business.
3. Change the school name. Pennsylvania Tech. Remember when ValuJet had that crash that killed Rodney Culver and everyone was like, "Fuck that, I'm never flying ValuJet again"? And then they changed their name to AirTran and everything was hunky dory (except for the fact that AirTran kinda blows)? That's you, Penn State. You're like an airline, if a pilot on that airline had just raped all the passengers. When people think of Penn State, they think of little boys getting diddled in a shower. And they always will, forever and ever and ever. Jesus himself could come back 10 years from now and enroll at Penn State and all I'll think is CHRIST, I HOPE CHRIST DOESN'T GET RAPED THERE. A new name would quickly allow you to shed all that pesky baggage. Kids got molested at Penn State. NO ONE has been molested at Penn Tech! You could even incorporate it into your school seal: "Penn Tech: Molester-Free Since 2013."
4. Sell out. The Paterno Library becomes the Verizon Library Built By The Home Depot. And we can finally pick up those swooshes on the jerseys and slap them right on the helmets. With a bunch of little swoosh stickers on the back for every slobberknocker hit: I JUST DID IT®! No more of this, "Our uniforms are simple because we're good simple folk" bullshit. You're whores like the rest of them. There should be a big-ass Dorito painted at midfield in Wawa Hoagie Beaver Stadium, and every time a PSU player scores a touchdown, two Hooters girls should make out in the end zone.
5. The first person to cry out WE ARE PENN TECH gets tased. That's just common sense. It's gonna big a big change for you old PSU fans, but I think you'll comforted by the fact that you still have a football program, and that your football program will never again have its head up its own ass.
Having yielded their 2nd highest fundraising year ever, PSU feels okay by "renovating the showers" in the athletic complex.
Clueless.
Go Tree Climbers.
PS. Hope SJF is OK and she comes back as strong as ever.