I am a mom, and this is just my opinion, but in the past 10 months talking and listening to so many people, I think that many of you feel the same way I do.
We are so very sorry what happened to the victims of Jerry Sandusky. There are not enough adjectives to express how we feel - horrified, disgusted, incensed, enraged and shocked, to name a few. We would like to tell all the victims and their families how sorry we are. We wish we could have stopped this from happening.
Thankfully, Jerry Sandusky has been convicted. I wish that in 1998, the police, the district attorney and the attorney general had done more in investigating the first allegation and had followed up on him more closely. Maybe it would have prevented other kids from being hurt. I wish that once Sandusky left Penn State, he had to turn in his keys, never to set foot on Penn State property again.
It's hard to understand how three or four men, whose jobs as educators, whose primary obligation is to take care and nurture young people, knew that something was going on and did nothing. If only one of these men had done the right thing, they would be a hero who protected children.
Instead, they possibly allowed more abuse to take place and because of these actions, the reputation of a fine university has been tarnished.
But I will never understand why this current football team is getting punished for what those men did.
Penn State is much more than football. Its academic programs are outstanding. The professors are dedicated and superior. Both of my kids went to Penn State. They received excellent educations, and then got great jobs because they graduated from there.
Penn State was chosen as the top school companies like to recruit from. Penn State has the largest all-student philanthropic organization in the world. Penn State has outstanding student-athletes in many other sports. These are just some of the reasons that Penn State has one of the largest, proudest and most loyal alumni associations. It's not just about football.
All universities have sports.
Some are known for basketball, some for hockey. Many are known for football, just like Penn State. Football is not just about the players on the field. It's about the band, cheerleaders, twirlers, coaching staff, etc.
It supports all the other sports and the local community and its economy. Attending sporting events is a wonderful experience. It brings people together who might not necessarily have anything in common except for the love of their team. One of the greatest things I ever witnessed at Beaver Stadium was the first Saturday football game that was played after 9/11.
I don't know who we played or what the score was, but I will always remember standing side by side with 100,000 other fans singing the Star Spangled Banner.
Ohio University won the game last Saturday. They are a good team, congratulations, and from what I understand, our football team may have some struggles in the next few years.
Please support this team. These are the young men who chose to stay and be loyal to their school. Please support Coach Bill O'Brien. We are lucky to have him. Please do not boo the visiting team. Please show Sports Illustrated how wrong they are. They have no idea who we are and how much we love this school.
Lastly, and most importantly: Please report any incident where a child might be in a situation where he or she may be hurt.
Tina Sheetz
Hollidaysburg
Decision way off key
A word to the wise: It has been brought to my attention, that the powers that be at Penn State University have decided that beginning in 2013, any individual affiliated with the university - in any capacity, student, employee or whatever - heard singing, whistling, or even humming Neil Diamond's classic, "Sweet Caroline," will be immediately expelled, dismissed and/or fired.
And, my sources tell me, that having already declared lyrics like "touching you, touching me," to be too suggestive, these lobotomy candidates are recommending old favorites like "Wild Thing," and "Baby Got Back," as possible substitutes for the racy "Sweet Caroline." You just never know.
Ed Leipold
Altoona
