Why Is This Controversial?

I have a long commute two days a week and often fill the time listening to sports talk radio. I mean where else can you hear updates on sports and current events as told through the purview of sports fans. The morning show is a call in one, as most are, and this morning the hot topics fell into three categories: Tim Thomas of the Bruins, The upcoming Superbowl match up between The Pats and The Giants and Joe Paterno.

Here was what I couldn't believe. People were calling in talking about what a great man he was, how of course he is being celebrated as a hero, how thousands are in State College, PA to pay their respects to a "great man."

OK. The commentators disagreed with these callers. So do I. This is a man who knew for 13 years that one of his coaches was molesting little boys. Who was told by another coach that he had witnessed the abuse taking place. Who did nothing. This is not a man to be held up and celebrated. This is a man so concerned about his own reputation that he could not be bothered to stop the sexual abuse of boys. And by remaining silent is complicit in that abuse. Paterno is not a pedophile, but he, like so many others who have stood by and allowed the sexual abuse of children to continue is just as guilty.

So while I am not glad Paterno is dead, I have a hard time celebrating the life of someone who stood by and did nothing. The children of this country have a right to be kept safe and to be given a voice. No one is talking about the victims and the impact these acts have had and will continue to have on them. All of the research shows that children who are abused suffer long after the abuse has stopped. Instead of remembering Paterno for his 409 wins, can we instead remember him as someone who played a crucial role in the ongoing suffering of Sandusky's victims?

But the final note, and maybe what frightens me more, are the thousands who defend him, celebrate him and are convinced he did nothing wrong. The message they send, is that the life of a football coach is more important then the lives of the victims. These supporters, intentionally or not, are minimizing the crimes committed and sending the message that as long as you excel in something high profile, it is OK to enable criminals. The callers defending Paterno were fired up, angry that the commentators were defiling the name of their hero...as though he is the REAL victim here. I lost some faith in human beings this morning. And I worry about the type of world I am raising my children in.