ESPN recently paid a visit to the Penn State campus for a taping of “Outside The Lines” and what the network found was rather staggering. The self-proclaimed “World Wide Leader in Sports” might expose head coach Joe Paterno for losing grip of his football program.
The numbers were damning but no more so than the responses from coach Joe Paterno.
The show found that since 2002, 46 Penn State players have been charged with 163 criminal complaints. Forty-five of those complaints resulted in guilty pleas or convictions. Of the 46 players charged, 27 pleaded guilty or were convicted.
More recently, to show the problem is getting worse, 17 players were charged in 2007 with 72 crimes. Nine charges resulted in guilty pleas. The numbers screamed about a lack of control by the coaching staff and a lack of discipline by the players.
To those who have followed Paterno closely in recent years, his response also was expected.
“I think you’ve done an awful lot of probing which bothers me that you might be on a witch hunt,” he said.
The article points out that even though he says he still is “hands on” with his program, Paterno has often admitted that he now works mostly from home. The article goes on to list specific examples of how Paterno might be completely out of touch with this generation.
But even so, JoePa has done more good than bad for college football, including demanding above-average scholastic achievements from his student-athletes, as well as donating his time and money to help fund a library at PSU. Still, a report like this is eye-popping to say the least.
