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| A legend is out |
The latest scandal to hit college football may be the king of all scandals. Penn St. is the latest university to deal with a public relations nightmare much like Oregon, Miami, Auburn and Ohio State dealt with over the past year. Unfortunately this scandal is hands down the most disturbing and outright disgusting story I have read in a long time. While those investigations involved illegal cash benefits, tattoos and recruiting agencies this story is about sexual assault and molestation with at-risk teenage boys. I will preface this article by saying that we are still dealing with allegations but if even half of what is alleged is true, I have no problem sending Jerry Sandusky away for the rest of his days.
Once the story broke I have to admit I was pleased that another university was taking the spotlight off of Ohio St. for awhile. I posted things on my Facebook and Twitter accounts such as “ESPN had better lead with this stroy for a month considering the attention they gave to Ohio St.” and “how does that little tattoo scandal look now?”. That was before I read the Grand Jury indictment and found out just how awful this case was. It was literally the most horrifying 23 pages I have read in a long time.
After that document put things into perspective I can’t bring myself to dance on the grave of Penn St. (even if their fans are some of the most obnoxious around). The trauma and embarrassment these young boys must have felt is unimaginable. I can’t even fathom the years of therapy it would take to get over an episode like that. If you want to experience the horror of this story go ahead and read that indictment but it is not for the faint of heart.
After that document put things into perspective I can’t bring myself to dance on the grave of Penn St. (even if their fans are some of the most obnoxious around). The trauma and embarrassment these young boys must have felt is unimaginable. I can’t even fathom the years of therapy it would take to get over an episode like that. If you want to experience the horror of this story go ahead and read that indictment but it is not for the faint of heart.
I’m not going to cover the specific allegations or cover the ugly details of this case. This is a football blog and that is what I want to talk about. You can find all of that other stuff with one click on the internet. I prefer to cover what implications this will have on Penn St. for the rest of the season and how it will impact Ohio St.
We all know what Ohio St. needs to get into that inaugural Big Ten championship at the end of the season (assuming OSU is allowed to participate). The Buckeyes need to win their remaining 3 games and Penn St. needs to lose 2 (including the one in Columbus next week). Even before this story broke I thought this scenario was plausible.
The Nittany Lions have a back loaded schedule that includes games against Wisconsin and Nebraska. Those are tough contests even under the most favorable of circumstances. I am not sure how PSU is going to react this Saturday. On one hand the team may rally around Paterno (a sickening thought in my mind considering his actions) and come out on fire. On the other hand, Nebraska may come into Happy Valley and lay the wood to a team and campus in shambles. If I was a betting man, and sometimes I am, I would go with the latter. I just don’t see how this scandal won’t be a thorn in the side of that team this weekend.
The Nittany Lions have a back loaded schedule that includes games against Wisconsin and Nebraska. Those are tough contests even under the most favorable of circumstances. I am not sure how PSU is going to react this Saturday. On one hand the team may rally around Paterno (a sickening thought in my mind considering his actions) and come out on fire. On the other hand, Nebraska may come into Happy Valley and lay the wood to a team and campus in shambles. If I was a betting man, and sometimes I am, I would go with the latter. I just don’t see how this scandal won’t be a thorn in the side of that team this weekend.
It’s a shame that this story broke right in the middle of a great season by PSU. They control their destiny in the Big Ten and if OSU were to catch them, I wouldn’t want to do it with this as a back drop. There is nothing that can be done about that now. I am a Buckeye through and through so I want the team to succeed no matter the circumstances. I do feel bad for the current players on the Nittany Lion roster. They had nothing to do with this clusterf#$% but they are the ones that pay the price. No matter how good or bad the team does from here on out, the questions will be predominately about the dark cloud that hovers over Happy Valley. That isn’t fair but that is the way the media works.
Ohio St. travels to West Lafayette this weekend to take on Purdue. That sounds like a lay-up but upon closer review, the Buckeyes are only 2-2 over the past decade at Ross-Ade Stadium. Everybody remembers the disaster 2 years ago so Fickell should have his bunch ready to go. Assuming OSU can handle its’ business against the Boilermakers, everyone’s attention will be firmly planted in Central Pennsylvania. Can Nebraska head into a media circus and come out victorious or will the team that played Northwestern last week show up? I don’t have the answer for you but it will be quite a sight in Happy Valley. Let’s hope the Huskers can come out on top to set up a showdown in the shoe the following week.
