karent wrote:
He counts as a jock, not a teacher. Do college coaches even teach?
You be the judge princess.Penn State Stiffens Its Neck, Intends to Keep Statue Memorializing the POS Whose Silence Exposed Untold Numbers of Children to a RapistThey have not learned a thing.Quote:
(ESPN) — The embattled members of Penn State’s Board of Trustees quietly have decided to leave Joe Paterno’s statue standing — at least for now and, some hope, forever, according to sources with firsthand knowledge of the trustees’ private discussions this week.
The trustees’ reluctance to remove the statue is motivated, in part, by a desire not to offend alumni and students who adore the late coach despite the damning findings of his role in the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse cover-up detailed in the Freeh report, the sources said. Some trustees also said in interviews they want to resist being pressured by the media into a sudden decision about such an emotionally charged issue.
“You can’t let people stampede you into making a rash decision,†a trustee said. “The statue represents the good that Joe did. It doesn’t represent the bad that he did.â€
Although some trustees said in discussions Thursday and Friday in board meetings in Scranton, Pa., they believed the statue eventually would have to be torn down, most quickly reached a consensus it should remain standing in the coming weeks and months, trustees and a person briefed on their discussions said. Some trustees went even further, insisting Paterno’s statue outside Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa., never should be removed.
“It has to stay up,†said another trustee. “We have to let a number of months pass, and we’ll address it again. But there is no way, no way. It’s just not coming down.â€
Since the Freeh report revealed Paterno’s role in covering up child sexual abuse allegations against Sandusky, former coaches, commentators and members of the public have demanded the Paterno statue be torn down immediately. Some have also called for the removal of Paterno’s name from the university library; the Paterno family donated more than $4 million to the university. . . .
A sign on a wall behind the statue reads: COACH EDUCATOR HUMANITARIAN. At the statue’s feet, someone placed a homemade sign that says, “Remember: He was a man. Not a god!!!â€
Few have been more adamant that the statue should go than Bobby Bowden, the former Florida State coach. “You go to a Penn State football game and there’s 100,000 people down there and they see that statue and you know doggone well they’ll start talking about Sandusky,†Bowden told The Associated Press. “If it was me, I wouldn’t want to have it brought up every time I walked out on the field.â€