Penn State Reaction

Sum it up in one sentence: It makes me sick.

I could probably stop right there and still say everything that needs to be said, but I'm more of a "glass half full" type guy, and want to take a little bit different look at this situation.  The question for Penn State now becomes, how do they move forward?  How do you put this awful chapter in history behind you and start the long process of rebuilding what you've lost?  And trust me...you will lose everything, which is not even close to what the victims have lost.  Before you sit there and whine about having to start with nothing while rebuilding your program, think about the victims for a minute. 

That being said, here's what I would do.

First of all, Joe Paterno, Tim Curly, Schultz, McQueary, the President, all need to go.  In fact, I'd get rid of the entire coaching staff, support staff, basically anyone that had contact with the program - right down to the guy that writes game recaps for the website.  I'd get rid of marketing people, associate AD's, ticket office staff - basically anyone that's not a coach for a different sport.  As for Sandusky?  He'll be in prison for the rest of his life - so off to hell with him. Start completely from scratch. 

Second, I'd tear down the building where these incidents were said to have occurred.  If you can't tear it down, a major renovation should be in order that completely rearranges everything.  Don't even let the thought creep into a recruit's mind that a sex crime might have taken place where he is standing.  Awful.

Third, I'd self-impose a massive penalty on the program.  When you think about it, what happened here makes the Pony Express at SMU look like an extra dinner at a booster's house.  In this era, you obviously can't cancel a season or anything along those lines, but I would self-impose a post-season ban for at least two years, and take all TV revenues (or at least a major portion) and set up a "victim's fund" of some sort.  Don't tell me that's too much money - if that's the case, then let's put your eight year old in a room with this monster - tell me what you would spend to stop that nightmare.  Penn State could've done just that.  They didn't.  Now it's time to pay the piper. 

And that's just to start. You're going to need some good-will on your side as you start the process. 

Finally, I'd make damn sure you learn something from this whole exercise- not just at Penn State, but the entire NCAA.  Cover-ups seem to be more and more common in college sports, and it's time for a major change in the culture.  The days of "internal investigations" into these matters need to be over.  The cost of this lesson has already been too high to bear. 

The clock is running and as of now, we are officially keeping score.  It's time to make a change.