You Zohners have carried on a fascinating, civilized debate about Penn State on this blog. I’d like to ask a question to further motivate discussion. Here’s the deal. Some of you, with just cause, are against the idea of the NCAA punishing PSU football when, in a sense, this was not a football crime. It was a flat-out crime. Some of you say the NCAA should have kept its nose out of this sad affair and left it to the… Read More »
Do you think the penalties for Penn State were enough? I don’t. I think PSU should have received the death penalty. Stripping the Lions of those victories in the past is off the point.
This morning, Penn State took down the Joe Paterno statue. Some people think it’s the wrong thing to do. I think it’s the right thing to do. His football program became too big and that led to a horrible cover up of what Jerry Sandusky did. Paterno also got too big and he forgot his mission is to educate and set a good example. I bet lots of college football coaches are like that, although I know of no others… Read More »
Here is the opening to my Monday column advocating the death penalty for Penn State football: This is about that two-faced, fallen idol Joe Paterno and his monstrosity of a football program and how he and others disgraced a good university. It’s also about the so-called death penalty for Nittany Lions football — well deserved. But first I want to talk about religion. When I want a religious experience, I go to an old, stately synagogue in downtown Oakland. Other… Read More »
I was watching ESPN this morning after the Freeh Report came out, blasting Penn State officials, including Joe Paterno. Matt Millen came on to discuss Paterno, whom he played for in college and clearly admired and maybe even loved. Millen said all the bad things people say about Paterno do not reflect the man he — Millen — knew. Millen said the university president dropped the ball by not going to the authorities. It seemed to me Millen was trying… Read More »
There has been much spirited and intelligent debate on the Cohn Zohn about the horror at Penn State. I suggested Penn State cancel the remainder of this season, and we discussed that. As an interim measure I suggested PSU and Nebraska should cancel their game (last Saturday) as a gesture of honor and mourning to the molested boys. We discussed that too on the Zohn. So, I want to share this Sporting News article with you. Nebraska coach Bo Pelini… Read More »
Please bear with me — I am adding to the Cohn Zohn discussion of whether or not to cancel the rest of Penn State’s football schedule this season. I already have lost the debate — no one is canceling anything. But I have more to say on the subject, anyway. Thoughtful people on both sides of this issue have written into the Zohn. Many of you said “innocent” people should not get punished for what others perpetrated. By innocent people… Read More »
Boo on Penn State students. Thousands of them took to the streets to demonstrate against the firing of Joe Paterno, who deserved to get fired and should have been sacked years ago. Paterno gave an example of being a moral void. Yet these students demonstrated against the firing. How vacant they are in light of what happened on their campus with little boys. When I was a graduate students at Stanford the whole campus demonstrated against the Vietnam War. And… Read More »
Lots of Zohners disagree with my suggestion that Penn State cancel the remainder of this season’s schedule. Even the great Fred Garcia disagrees and when Fred disagrees I take pause. With all due respect to all of you, I’d like to try again and I admit I may be wrong. But this is a serious issue worthy of serious, grown-up and polite debate — all of which we have here on the Zohn. Lots of you say canceling the rest… Read More »
They should cancel the remainder of the Penn State football schedule this season. It’s not enough that they fired Joe Paterno and the school president and some other guys are under indictment. This whole thing happened because Penn State football thought of itself as more important than the university, young children, decency, the law. There was a coverup to protect the football program at all costs. Now the football program should pay a price and the students at Penn State… Read More »
