By Logan Bradley

Oh how quickly the great fall. This past week, Penn State University Head Football Coach, Joe Paterno’s undying legacy of winning with honor has come to a screeching halt. Former Penn State assistant coach and Paterno’s heir apparent, Jerry Sandusky, was accused of molesting 8 kids over the span of the last 15 years. Apparently, back in 2002, an assistant approached Paterno telling him of one of the incidents he had seen occur. Paterno went to the athletic director at the time but made no contact with law enforcement. Bad move Jo-Pa.

Reading the grand jury testimony (The testimony has very graphic content, and may not be suitable for some) is the single most sickening thing I have ever read. To do the things that Sandusky did to these innocent victims is barbaric. Sandusky had a life that many could only have dreamed of, these kids never even got to begin living theirs. Something like that is unforgivable for anybody who knew even the slightest information on things that were going on. No mercy should be shown just because it’s a legendary football coach.

All it takes is one incident to tarnish the image of a legend. Yet this one was a big incident. Paterno hoped to finish the season with “dignity and determination”, but Penn State wisely thought otherwise firing the coach. Jo-Pa has been not just the face of Penn State football for the past 46 seasons as head coach, but also a key figure in the game of college football.

The reason this in particular is so disappointing is the things that Paterno stood for. For the past six plus decades he has been coaching and mentoring young men, preaching character and honor. Joe, what could you possibly have been thinking? There is no way that this could have been kept under wraps forever. Many other forehead-smacking things have happened lately in college football, like Ohio State players illegal selling of team merchandise, or USC’s Reggie Bush and family receiving benefits during his playing days, but nothing quite like this. College sports have always been something that has brought many together, incidents like this tear us apart, and for good reason.