A coach's legacy vs. welfare of children

As details emerge about the child sex-abuse scandal at Penn State, one sickening thought that leaps to mind is that school officials might have been less likely to hide what they knew had their first priority not been protecting Joe Paterno's legacy.

Included in that group is Paterno himself, one of the authority figures who did not, in the profound words of Pennsylvania State Police commissioner Frank Noonan, fulfill "the moral requirements for a human being" by calling the police about Jerry Sandusky.

In the bubble inhabited by big-time college football and its enablers, the first instinct when scandal arises is always to protect the brand. Because that's what happened at Penn State, the school slogan, "Success with Honor," rings hollow today.

In 2002, with boys at risk from a sexual predator - allegedly a former long-time Penn State coach who continued to use school facilities - Paterno, athletic director Tim Curley and others failed to act with the urgency that such sordid circumstances demand. What were they attempting to do, other than deflect blame from the school and football program?

They didn't call the police. They didn't contact child services. They didn't try to find the boy who allegedly was molested by Sandusky in the school's shower.

In the words of blunt-spoken commissioner Noonan, while not culpable under the law, Paterno didn't accept the "moral responsibility" expected even of "the guy sweeping the building."

Paterno issued a statement the other day saying that people had been fooled and no one could have known what had happened. But enough people knew. Paterno knew something and could have done more if he had wanted to.

He's a football coach. Nobody is more of a stickler for details than a football coach. But Paterno just passed along information to his AD and left it at that. Better judgment is expected of a leader.

By now enough people have called for Paterno to resign - not at season's end, but immediately - that the notion is not in the least controversial. Penn State's board of trustees reportedly is discussing plans for his imminent departure.

Clearly, the 84-year-old Paterno should step down now. Even someone as stubborn, prideful and selfish as he is has got to see that it's the only decent thing to do.

It's hard to know, though, what infiltrates the football bubble.

Proof of how warped people can be is found in an ESPN.com story that wonders about the impact of the scandal on Penn State recruiting.

A story like that, at this time, is preposterous and almost beneath contempt. But this is big-time football, after all. Apparently, the normal rules of taste do not apply any more than the moral requirements for a human applied to Paterno and other Penn State officials.

Even after the eyewitness report of Sandusky assaulting a boy in the school showers, Paterno's former right-hand man continued to maintain an office on campus. In 2007, he reportedly dropped in on a Penn State practice with a young boy. Now there are reports that Sandusky had access to the team's weight room as recently as last week.

What have Paterno and the others been thinking? It's difficult to imagine that at least some of their ulterior motives didn't relate to safeguarding the Penn State brand. And Paterno's legacy.

It's still possible to feel some sympathy for Paterno. No one wants to see him bow out this way.

But we can't allow sentiment for a legend to cloud our view of the moral imperative of protecting our children.

Since 2002, Paterno has continued to do what he loves. Two weekends ago, he won his 409th game, becoming the all-time winningest big-time college football coach.

What do the young men who are coming forward now to say they were abused by Sandusky - nine at last count - have to show for those years?