It was my belief in the beginning and still is that Penn State should suspend its sports programs for a year in order to straighten out its house.
In my opinion, the NCAA and Big Ten sanctions are a joke. The $60 million in fines will come from the fans who foot all the bills.
Both lawyers and accountants will be chomping at the bits to get their paws on their share of that money. Administrative costs will chew up a good portion, and very little will be used for its alleged intended purpose.
I fail to see how the current players are hurt by these sanctions.
They are receiving a quarter-million dollar education for playing a game. If they are good enough and another school would have them, they can transfer to play elsewhere.
Not playing in a bowl game is no big deal. Just do what other schools on probation do - just act like the last game of the season is your bowl game. Again, if the players, individually, are good enough, they will be able to play pro ball and make a good living.
From his words/actions, the new coach has shown that he is the run-of-the-mill college coach.
It is really important to have long hair and names on jerseys.
Those were very dynamic decisions. His attempt to circumvent the bowl ban by playing a 13th game in Hawaii shows where his priorities are. He claims that all these players are great people. He has known them for six months.
The people at PSU knew Sandusky or 40 years, and they all claim they knew nothing. The new coach is the second former Patriot coach given credit for creating Tom Brady and his great offense. We know that the first coach, given that credit, was a complete failure at Notre Dame.
I have long felt that putting big-time coaches on a pedestal is foolish. They are there, number one, to win. If we can believe Dick Anderson's testimony, they spend up to 19 hours a day at work, to make sure they win.
How could they possibly know, or care about, what is going on in the real world?
I recently read a statement in the April edition of the Reader's Digest that said, "Intelligence is not what causes a person to make a bad decision. It is lack or understanding."
I believe Coach Paterno's lack of understanding led him to misread the PSU football followers.
He did not understand the overwhelming support he would receive from his followers. Keeping it in the locker room, not wanting to embarrass the school or the football program was a terrible mistake.
Finally, the legacy of Joe Paterno is a non-issue. God is the only opinion that counts.
Al Montanaro
Bellwood
PSU more than scandal
First of all, we are NOT Jerry Sandusky.
We are not Graham Spanier, Tim Curley, Gary Schultz or even Joe Paterno. We are not a coward who witnessed a child being raped and slithered off into the night, leaving that child in the clutches of a filthy monster.
We had nothing to do with anything that is going on now.
What we are is a great academic institution with a glorious past. What we are is thousands upon thousands of beautiful, bright, wonderful kids with dreams of a bright future that could ultimately change the world.
What we are is those same kids raising $10 million a year for children with cancer and now working just as tirelessly to overcome the acts of a few and raise awareness of child abuse, leading to a bright future for many other kids - kids who are involved in outreach programs all over the commonwealth, who have Bible studies in dorm rooms, who are working hard to attain an education that will enrich their lives and help others.
What we are is a first-class education with amazing programs in the arts, academics, athletics and outreach, dedicated and caring faculty members, beautiful campuses all over the state pumping millions into local economies and a wonderful Penn State community that cares and supports not just athletics, but all aspects of many programs too numerous to mention.
What we are is kids and alumni trying to understand how everything they hold dear - and know to be good - is being destroyed by the acts of a few, the media and the NCAA, and why they are being punished for things of which they, like the first victims, are innocent.
Some of the sanctions of the NCAA regarding scholarships hurt even more kids (such as those who will possibly be denied an opportunity for college because of the loss of those scholarships) thus handing Sandusky a whole new set of "victims."
Yes, most of the sanctions and fines are warranted, but anything that hurts any kid at any time is definitely not OK - and that goes for the NCAA, the media and the board and administration as well as Sandusky.
The collateral damage of some of the NCAA rulings has, no doubt, hurt the original victims even more in that they may now doubt themselves for coming forth and assume further responsibility for the hurt and damage done to others.
It may also serve to keep future victims from coming forth because of the media circus they know would follow. So much for abuse awareness programs. What happened was unforgivable, but destroying an entire institution is not the answer.
Yes, we still are Penn State - always have been, always will be and damn proud of it.
As for Sports Illustrated's cover, "We Were Penn State," don't you dare use us in the past tense.
Sandy Harshberger
Altoona
