When does punishment become vengeance?

At what point does punishment become blind vengeance?

More than most I am sickened, saddened, disheartened and angry at what the PSU leaders have done because of my connection to the university. It has played a role in some form or function for the majority of my life. Knowing Sandusky's disgusting behavior was allowed to happen makes me sick to my stomach every day. And worse, knowing that people we trusted believed in and looked up to, who we expected to do the right thing if faced with such horrible acts only worked to protect their own power, money and prestige is beyond reprehensible and makes me and many other alumni angry beyond belief.

Each time I see an article or a social media post filled with vitriol and derogatory, defamations or just viciously mean statements about Penn State, it feels like a personal attack. Even worse is seeing such output by people who never went to Penn State. All they see is the evil that was allowed to perpetrate. They don’t see the good done at and by the university, and feel the heart wrenching agony of knowing that good is now permanently overshadowed. They do not have the memories of time there that are now forever tarnished by this tragedy and the ensuing unpardonable cover up. This hurts us too. But you know what hurts more? Many of us agree with EVERYTHING people say. Most Penn State alumni feel exactly the same way those without Penn State ties feel, but it’s so much worse because it's  so personal . For us, it feels like a family betrayal. And that makes it all the worse, because it feels like we're attacking ourselves.

Allow me to try to help those who never went to Penn State to understand how this feels to those of us who did. Here’s what everyone sees:

Jerry Sandusky systematically molested children utilizing his position and influence at Penn State, and Joe Paterno, Gary Schultz, Gram Spanier, Tim Curley and others worked to stifle investigations and cover it up.

Here’s what we see:

An uncle on the other side of the family systematically molested children, and everyone’s favorite grandfather, some cousins and a few family friends worked to stifle investigations and cover it up.

It’s that personal.

There's no penalty harsh enough, nor will there ever be. Nothing will ever wipe away the stain this has put on the university or give those children back their innocence and lives. Penn Staters are just as shocked, disgusted and angry as everyone else, if not more. But I ask how many others must suffer for the hubris of a few? More castigation is demanded, including shutting down the football program. But it wouldn't punish those who perpetrated these crimes. In fact, all punishment thus far has hardly touched the individuals most responsible.

For all the evil and wrongdoing that surrounds the last decade of Penn State football, it’s prominence and prestige through the years brought in money for the university. Money that improved facilities, funded all other on campus sporting programs, and made improvements to campus life and education. It brought in money that grew a small land grant school into a world class research and education center. Sure, shutting down the program would send a clear message to every other university and further discipline Penn State. But what good will this do other than increase the collateral damage of lives destroyed by the actions of a few? How many innocent bystanders must suffer until everyone else has a clear conscience when watching sports?

Many tried to defend keeping the football program always put forth the notion that such an action would do more damage to the student athletes who played no part in this tragedy. However, that is an empty argument as ultimately they will not suffer terribly. The football players now have a choice and opportunity to go elsewhere and pursue their academic and sporting careers, and some I’m sure will. These athletes will want to compete at schools where they have the opportunity for post season play, for national recognition and the potential to move on to professional careers. 

A true reason to defend keeping the program would be that those who will be punished by further sanctions are the local community and the general student population. The student body and university will find funding, donations, gifts and other income sources dry up due to public resentment. These losses will impact facilities, the caliber of professors, other intercollegiate sporting programs and materials needed to educate. The world class research the university does will be impacted severely, which hurts all of us. Who knows what breakthroughs in science and medicine will now be lost. Students and professors will leave, and many potential students will no longer consider Penn State when looking at higher education institutions. This will impact the level and quality of education that can be had at Penn State for years, and possibly decades. One of Joe Paterno’s few legacies that may survive was his devotion and dedication to education. The sad irony amongst all this is that his actions, and inactions, may do more damage to education at Penn State than all his good work ever built.

And yes, while student athletes, professors and other students with the means can go elsewhere for employment or education, the local community cannot. Many people and businesses throughout the area depend upon the University for their livelihood, and many businesses use football weekends to turn a profit for the year. These people cannot leave, this is their home, and this is their life. You can punish Penn State all you want until the end of time, but these are the people who will feel the true brunt of any punishment. 

Perhaps you feel fine by this, and blame the community and their blind devotion to college football and sports culture for helping create the atmosphere where something like this could happen. I don't believe that. Power and money creates a culture where these things happen, sports just happened to be backdrop in this case. If sports culture is truly the to blame, then perhaps we should do away with all college athletics.

I know what you're thinking, that would be wildly overreacting because this situation is different. It was the deification of Joe Paterno perpetrated by the university and community that allowed him to become too powerful and untouchable. That the cult of personality that surrounded, and still continues to surround, Paterno created an atmosphere in which people were too afraid to dare go against the legend which allowed him to rule unchecked. By destroying what is left of Penn State football, that will guarantee this kind of tragedy will never happen again. Do you really believe that something like this can never happen again? This blind devotion to sports and deification of coaches is happening right now, in numerous colleges across the country. As an example, Alabama put up a statue of current head coach Nick Saban, who hasn't been there 10 years let alone 61 years. You think that isn't dangerous deification in light of all that happened at Penn State? Considering Saban's and Alabama's track record with the NCAA, I imagine it will be only a matter of time before that statue topples in disgrace.

If sports culture were solely to blame, then to make sure this never happens again we should dismantle other football mad college towns that live and die on college football just to be safe; places like Ann Arbor Michigan, Columbus Ohio, Lincoln Nebraska, College Station Texas, Gainesville Florida, Tuscaloosa Alabama, Bloomington Indiana, Lubbock Texas, Morgantown West Virginia, Starkville, Mississippi. That list goes on and on, and I'm sure some of the most ardent and vocal detractors of Penn State went to one of the schools in the above towns.

I'm not defending or excusing Penn State or its failed leaders nor questioning the the punishment that has been meted out thus far or the punishment yet to come. But let me just point out to those who feel the NCAA's  penalties weren’t enough; the punishment has just begun. The trials of Schultz and Curley are upcoming, and most likely Spanier will face charges. With any luck, so will current governor Tom Corbett, who is already being questioned about campaign donations he received from The Second Mile organization, Sandusky’s charity, the money Corbett earmarked in his state budget to go to the organization after he was in office (that money was never given to The Second Mile) and why the investigation into Sandusky moved so slowly while Corbett was the state Attorney General, but moved so quickly once he secured his governorship. Plus, I’m sure there will be other sanctions handed down by both the Department of Justice and Department of Education who have yet to weigh in with their investigation results.

For the Penn State community, the punishment will never end. These tragic actions will be forever a part of the university and the lives of all past, present and future students who attend there. The pride we once felt at having a “clean” football program and having “success with honor” is forever gone. Our pride in our school has been irrevocably shaken and will never return to where it once was. At one time it was something special to be a part of the community of Penn State; it was like being a part of a family. You felt close to everyone, despite the size and stature of the university because we had a common bond. You felt confident in knowing that while other schools will cheat and lie to win at all costs, will break rules and hoard power and money, those things would not happen at Penn State.

We as alumni must now live with the fact that those very things, Sandusky’s horrific acts and the unconscionable cover up that followed indeed happened at our school. We must live knowing that forever this will be mentioned whenever someone brings up the name Penn State. And it will not matter if people are talking about the wonderful education that can be had there, or their research facilities or the philanthropic endeavors of the school and the students who go there, none of that will mean anything to many people for a very long time. All they will think of when they hear Penn State is about child rape, institutional cover up and abuse of power. We must live with people looking at us differently when they learn our alma mater because the inexcusable horror perpetrated there. We must live with the shame that now goes hand in hand with Penn State every day. You feel there hasn't been enough punishment? Well those of us with Penn State ties know the reprisals will never end.  I hope that fits somewhere on the list of acceptable amount of punishment. 

At this point, I would prefer to all the energy people have put forth in impotent rage and righteous indignation regarding the penalties handed down to Penn State by the NCAA and put that rage and anger to good use. How about using that energy to do something to help the child victims, or working with a cause or organization that helps victims of abuse. Do something positive to ensure something like this never happens again instead of useless venting. Sadly, amongst all the public outcry and rage that continues to swirl around PSU, it seems the child victims are being swept into the background, forgotten and out of sight yet again. And wasn't that the problem in the first place?