The Paterno Report: Therapeutic for Supporters, Others Unmoved - jmik58's Blog

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The Paterno Report: Therapeutic for Supporters, Others Unmoved Stuck

Posted on February 11, 2013 at 03:00 PM.

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Although he passed in 2012, the battle for JoePa's legacy will live on for years.

Few things in this world are as black and white -- pure good or complete evil -- as they are often presented.

As hard as it is to say, Jerry Sandusky most likely was a very nice person to many people and completed various acts of kindness -- contributing to the disbelief of what was secretly going on in his life. Similarly, Joe Paterno's legacy until 2012 was one of near angelic accord; but we all learned (or were reminded) that there truly is no such thing as a hero, only ordinary men.

Just as such, investigative reports are as unique as the people behind them. If the Freeh Report was the prosecution's case in the court of public opinion, then the Paterno Report was the defense's rebuttal. One appears to reveal the darkness while the latter tries to white-wash over the top. Neither can be taken at complete face value.

According to supporters of Joe Paterno, the Freeh Report lacked details sufficient to include the late coach in the at-fault category for the Sandusky scandal. The argument in support of JoePa, in their own commissioned report, is one of questioning the credibility of the Freeh report's jump-to-conclusions nature. But that doesn't mean the findings of Luis Freeh, et al., was wrong -- the family and Paterno supporters just don't like how the dots were connected.

In reality, however, the Paterno report isn't going to stir much movement in the hearts of the nation. Opinions are already galvanized. Those on the side of including JoePa in the circle of guilt won't see much of a reason to change their stance. Likewise, those in support of Joe will only use this time and the Paterno report as evidence that backs up what they've felt all along.

But really, nothing is going to change. It's simply a therapeutic move for the Paterno group. The thought of letting JoePa's final mark be one that could blot out the sun was too much to accept. Their good-as-gold contrast isn't something that most of the nation will buy though.

The answers most likely lie somewhere in the middle where the knee-jerk emotional animals inside of us have a hard time seeing. Nothing so complicated as us can be defined as black or white, pure good or evil.

What matters are the things that are kept in the gray.

Sound Off: Does the Paterno report change anything for you?

Justin Mikels is a staff writer for Operation Sports. Give him hell in the comments or on Twitter: @long_snapper

Comments

# 1 Retropyro @ Feb 12

No person at Penn State had more power or influence than Paterno. This is a man who when the program was in a lull and people were saying it was time to leave, showed just how powerful he was. When the AD and school president came to his house and quietly hinted that he should consider stepping down, he stood, escorted them to the door and said he would forget they said anything and so should they.
In a technical sense he did all he he lawfully had to do in reporting it to his "superiority", but realistically he did not have a single superior at that school. Everything Penn State started and ended with Joe Paterno. He should have dealt with it both from his position of authority at the school and from a moral obligation.