We Are…
As 2011 draws to a close…
These were the first words I wrote for this column on my legal pad last Wednesday, November 9th, while waiting to see my cardiologist. Already a bit anxious, writing the old-fashioned way seemed therapeutic, if not a good use of my time. Type-A personalities, please stand up.
At the time, I’d planned to summarize several of the memorable moments that will characterize this year for me…DE Civil Unions, high school mentoring, wedding plans, starting a new company (Flair!), unique real estate transactions, etc.
Surprisingly, those were the only words I was able to get out before Dr. Qureshi entered the room. Grade-A bedside manner, we began with cordial conversation but within a minute or so, he changed course by saying, “there are a few things concerning me.” Needless to say, I wasn’t expecting that.
For a month or so, I thought I’d pulled a chest muscle at the gym, causing the pain I’ve felt since. I was apparently wrong. Fast forward, a week later, at the age of 45, I can now add a cardiac catheterization to my list of 2011 memories. Fortunately, the surgery was successful and I’m recovering well at home as I write these words.
Returning to last Wednesday…once back home and processing what lies ahead to address the heart issue, I turned on CNN as a distraction, only to hear that ominous music and see “Breaking News” flash across the screen. I had feared this over the past several days and, in an instant, that moment and that day became forever embedded in my mind.
“We are…” is the start of a four word phrase that Eric and I, as well as thousands of other Penn State alums and fans around the world, have chanted with exuberant pride for decades. As many of you know, we met there in the spring of 1989 and have shared over 22 years together since. It is, without a doubt, the greatest gift my alma mater could’ve ever given me.
Until a week ago, we’ve only ever been proud of our beloved Penn State. Like so many, we’re not proud today. Instead, we are embarrassed, we are hurt, and we are outraged at the heinous actions of former Defensive Coordinator, Jerry Sandusky, charged with 40 counts of child-sex abuses over a span of 15 years, and by the irresponsible inactions taken by other University officials as a result.
Of the individuals involved, our emotions, and conflictions, run deepest for Joe Paterno, the legendary football coach who was fired by the University’s Board of Trustees, despite not being charged with any crime and having followed established University procedure.
Without question, he could have and should have done more. Turning this matter over to authorities alone wouldn’t have indicted Sandusky but it would almost certainly have prevented other victims from experiencing his heinous actions. Yet it never happened. That’s the hard part for Penn Staters.
To this point, the PA Attorney General has said Paterno fulfilled his legal obligation by turning over what he knew to his superior. The problem is the Penn State family has come to expect more than just “fulfilling an obligation” from Paterno. The question now is what exactly did he know? Only time will tell, we hope, as we are yearning for the truth so that justice may be served.
For years I’ve defended the position that Joe be allowed to coach as long as he wants, saying we will never again see another coach, on any level, last more than half a century at the same school. Today, I feel betrayed and rather foolish for my loyalty. And I’m not alone.
Says Penn State alum and ESPN journalist, Dana O’Neil, “The 84-year-old man with the Coke-bottle glasses and the high-water pants personified Penn State and what is right about sports. And more, he never let us down. That’s why Penn Staters are simply devastated right now. There is a terrible sense of disappointment about what wasn’t done and what should have been done.”
Over the course of his 61 year career, Joe Paterno has likely made thousands of decisions which have directly made a positive difference on the lives of thousands of players, and indirectly on the lives of thousands more as a father-figure to a Penn State family that extends well beyond the University itself. His legacy will now be tarnished, if not ruined, by at least one decision I, and many others, wished he’d made differently.
The day after his firing, I spoke to my oldest Penn State friend, Gary Fisher. Together we tried to process this unimaginable situation. He reminded me:
We are…ranked among the top 15 public universities.
We are…the largest student-run philanthropy in the world.
We are...the largest alumni association in the nation.
We are…more than three university officials and two athletic department members.
We are…more than this scandal.
We are…Penn State, and we’ve always been more than just a football team.
Please understand these words are in no way an attempt to rationalize, validate or defend the actions taken, or not, by any one individual involved directly, or indirectly, with these horrific events. For me, these words are therapeutic, and likely symbolic to countless Penn Staters. Suffice to say, we all want justice for the victims and their families as soon as possible. Our hearts and our prayers are with them.
We must now work to ensure such a tragedy never occurs again, at Penn State, or anywhere else. We owe it to the victims, their families, ourselves, and to future generations. Otherwise, we will have learned nothing, both as an institution and as a society.
Chris Beagle, a realtor in Rehoboth and former mortgage officer, serves on the Board of CAMP Rehoboth. Email Chris Beagle