Osborne's legacy crosses multiple generations

There are certain things in life that have a “you can’t mention one without the other,” feeling: Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabaar, John Stockton and Karl Malone, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, Paul “Bear” Bryant and Alabama. I could go on all night but I won’t.

 

While we’re at it, include Tom Osborne and Nebraska. When the calendar hits January 1, 2013, Osborne will no longer have an active role in Nebraska athletics.

 

Osborne put together one of the most successful coaching runs in college football history before serving in Congress and taking the reins as Nebraska’s athletic director five years ago, is retiring. The 75-year-old Osborne announced at a news conference Wednesday that he would step down Jan. 1, though he will stay for an additional six months to assist in the transition to a new athletic director.

“At some point, whether you’re able to function or not, just the perception that you're getting old can get in the way,” Osborne said. “I don’t want to be one of those guys everybody is walking around wringing their hands trying to figure out what are we going to do with him? That happens sometimes.”

Osborne, who had double-bypass heart surgery in 1985, said he has no health issues that led to his decision.

“I’m probably healthier today than when I was a member of Congress. That takes a big toll on you,” he said.

Osborne’s on the field legacy alone makes him great but even though his stoic sideline demeanor told otherwise, he was a true competitor. Osborne's tenure as Nebraska's football coach, and later as its athletic director, defines multiple entire generations of Husker fans.

 

As a head coach, his record speaks for itself. He was 255-49-3, an .853 winning percentage. He won conference titles and multiple national titles. He was the conference coach of the year, the national coach of the year, he was the coach of the decade (1990s), and he is in the Hall of Fame.

 

There are many defining moments in his career. The first came in the 1984 Orange Bowl against Miami. The Huskers, who were unbeaten entering the game against one-loss Miami, rallied from a 31-17 deficit to pull within 31-30. Osborne could have kicked the extra point, tied the game and been National Champions. Instead, Osborne went for the two-point conversion and the lead. However, quarterback Turner Gill’s pass was knocked away. Granted, that play happened in the pre-overtime era but most every coach today would kick the extra point and play for overtime with no guarantee of winning or losing. Whereas Osborne (though viewed as conservative) took the approach of “to be a competitor is to play for the win.

 

Fast forward a decade later when Nebraska was consistently winning nine games a year but also losing seven straight bowl games. The same Husker fans that think he can do no wrong now wanted him run out of town on a rail. Then, from 1993-1997, Nebraska went 60-3 record and three national titles from 1993-1997. Even more than winning it was “the process” that included academic support, offseason training, nutrition, accountability, sports psychology and nationwide recruiting.  

 

As a coach, Osborne went out on top, winning three national titles in his last four seasons before retiring in 1997. Osborne may have left coaching but he served his country in the House of Representatives only to later return to athletics. In 2007, the Husker football program was not only struggling on the field but there was an obvious lack of trust with then athletic director Steve Pederson. Chancellor Harvey Perlman then fired Pederson and hired Osborne, who was like the family patriarch that you could turn to in difficult times.

 

Osborne later fired Bill Callahan after a 5-7 season and hired Bo Pelini. While Husker fans are getting restless now that the team has yet to go from good to great under Pelini, simply being good appeared light years away. Osborne and Chancellor Perlman then steered the entire program in a bold new direction with the choice to join the Big Ten conference. Those are massive, legacy building, choices. Could anyone else have navigated Nebraska to those points? Who else had the credibility?

 

Unlike other legends such as Bowden and the late Joe Paterno, Osborne exited the stage before things began to languish. He didn't want people “wringing their hands” over what to do with him. Of all the aspects of leadership, knowing how and when to exit might be the hardest for people to do.

 

It’s easy to wonder what might have happened if Osborne had stayed in coaching just a bit longer. Could he have won at the same rate and therefore eclipsed the victory counts of his contemporaries like Bowden and Paterno? It’s impossible to know but considering how both exited with some amount of acrimony, it's easy to appreciate Osborne’s choice.

 

The same could be said of his decision as the athletic director. Though Osborne is still fully capable of doing the job, maybe it’s better that he steps away before his body or mind fails him. Who will succeed him? What will their legacy become?

That remains to be seen but no one can doubt Osborne’s legacy.

 

 

NCAA firm but fair in Penn State punishment

The NCAA played the role of judge, jury and executioner Monday.

Penn State football, a longtime powerhouse that was once one of the cleanest, most admired programs in college sports, escaped the so-called death penalty from the NCAA but was dealt a heavy blow that will cripple it for years to come.

The university agreed to an unprecedented $60 million fine, a four-year ban from postseason play and a cut in the number of football scholarships it can award - the price it will pay for having looked the other way while Jerry Sandusky brought boys onto campus and molested them.

The NCAA also erased 14 years of victories from 1998-2011, wiping out 111 of head coach Joe Paterno’s wins and stripping him of his standing as the most successful coach in the history of big-time college football.

I’m stunned, yet I think it was the right thing to do. The stripping of wins was what really struck me. What that said was, the NCAA felt that Penn State and Paterno were protecting the legacy of the program and the coach. The NCAA obviously wanted to make certain it was torn down. The school did that as well by taking down the statue on Sunday. Curiously, I didn’t hear anyone from the NCAA say if tearing down the statue was part of the penalties.

The NCAA needed to send a message to its members that this type of behavior in order to protect a sports program is not acceptable. If you commit a crime but don’t break company rules, your boss can still punish you. This is the worst scandal in the history of college sports.

So what are the ramifications of the scholarship reductions? Penn State can only offer 15 new scholarships per year for four years. Schools can usually offer 25. Penn State can only have 65 scholarships for football players each year for four years. Schools can usually have 85. I have no idea how Penn State ever rebuilds from this.

Penn State is not USC or Texas. The Trojans and Longhorns can attract talent because they’re in Los Angeles and Texas, where there is so much talent that kids can be convinced to stay in the state. Pennsylvania has talent but not that kind of talent. Penn State will not be able to afford to miss on any player they recruit. Getting Pennsylvania kids to stay in-state is going to be extremely difficult for the next four years. After that they’re still going to have problems because the program will have been awful for four straight years.
The fourth year of punishment is what boggled my mind. I thought they’d get whacked and take a decade to get back to respectability like Oklahoma did.

As for removing Paterno’s statue, I don’t see how it can go up anywhere on campus. His inaction and obstruction have destroyed Penn State. The entire athletic department is going to be seriously harmed by this because of the money that the football program won’t be bringing in for many, many years. They’re going to be bad for a very long time and I would not be surprised to see fan apathy set in quickly and their attendance reflect that.

The next question is, what does the Big 10 Conference do? Does it perhaps remove Penn State from the conference? Keep in mind, the Big 10 champions itself on being “more than just football.” Plus, Penn State is competitive in other sports and the academic reputation of the university is still extremely good. This simply means that Penn State will be at the bottom or near the bottom of the conference in football for several years. Until relatively recently the conference had Northwestern in that role, now it’ll be Penn State.

The only time I’ve ever seen a school booted out of a conference is when the Big East did it to Temple. The only reason the Big East booted Temple out of the conference is that the school accepted being bad at football and despite abysmal attendance weren’t willing to spend the money necessary to change that. Penn State will try to be good for the next four years and after that. They’re just not likely to win a whole lot of games despite how hard they try and the resources they spend to win.

When I look at the totality of the punishment levied against Penn State, I’d say it was fair. The only part that I somewhat question is vacating 111 wins. Perhaps the fact that Paterno was chasing the all-time wins record contributed to him and the university powers-that-be turning a blind eye. However, why punish the players for their efforts on the field?

I wish Paterno was still alive to take his punishment along with his beloved Penn State. I feel bad for Paterno’s wife to have to live through all this. It has been hard on her and she has my thoughts and prayers. Joe Paterno was the rise and fall of Penn St he could’ve taken care of this the minute he found out. I hate being mean and talking badly about the nonliving, but his wife is the one that will suffer for her remaining years.

As a Nebraska fan and alum, I would die if anything like this came out on NU but I also know that if something like this happened Tom Osborne would’ve done the right thing along with Frank Solich or Bo Pelini or Bill Callahan. Yes, Callahan had his flaws as a head coach, too many to list. However, at least by principle, he stood for the right things. They know right from wrong and to fire an assistant coach would be a far less impact of trying to keep it secret for so many years. How did Penn State think they could do this? Did they not realize these kids would grow up and start talking? To me it just put printed STUPID on Paterno’s back along with the whole university.

Penn State will be a lightning rod for the foreseeable future

If there is one thing that bears watching outside the confines of Nebraska football is, “how will fans around the nation receive Penn State when it plays its games on Saturdays?”

Of course, Husker fans will root against Penn State on November 10 when the Nittany Lions come to Lincoln. Since Penn State (like Nebraska) is in the Big 10 Conference, that’s all the excuse Husker fans need to root against Penn State. I could also bring up Mike McCloskey’s catch when he was “clearly” out of bounds in 1982 but how many fans under age 35 really remember that play? Then there was the 2002 game where Penn State routed the Huskers 40-7 in Happy Valley where various Nebraska fans were treated rudely by Lions fans.

In case you have been living in an igloo the last six months, Penn State has been a lightning rod because of the child abuse sex abuse scandal centered on former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky’s sexual assault of at least eight underage boys on or near university property. After an extensive grand jury investigation, Sandusky was indicted on 52 counts of child molestation dating from 1994 to 2009, though the abuse may date as far back as the 1970s.

Per the findings of the investigation, several high-level school officials were charged with perjury, suspended, or dismissed for allegedly covering up the incidents or failing to notify authorities. In the wake of the scandal, school president Graham Spanier was forced to resign, and head football coach Joe Paterno was fired late in the season. The trial of Sandusky on 52 charges of sexual crimes against children started on June 11. Four of the charges were subsequently dropped, leaving 48 counts remaining. On June 22, Sandusky was found guilty on 45 out of 48 counts of sexual abuse. Sandusky faces a minimum sentence of at least 60 years — at his age, effectively a life sentence.

The discovery of Sandusky’s crimes triggered a criminal investigation by the local United States Attorney, as well as a Department of Education probe into Penn State's response. Both investigations remain ongoing. The report of an independent investigation conducted by former FBI director Louis Freeh and his firm stated that Spanier and Paterno, along with athletic director Tim Curley and school vice president Gary Schultz, had known about allegations of child abuse on Sandusky's part as early as 1998, and were complicit in failing to disclose them. In so doing, Freeh said, the four men “failed to protect against a child sexual predator harming children for over a decade.”

I don’t think Paterno is an evil person, and for most of his life lived with integrity but his mishandling of the Sandusky case has came back to haunt him, big time. He misused his power and influence. It’s sad for all the young boys who were abused and by Penn State as whole keeping this issue hidden since 1998 is just plain unacceptable. By doing so, they allowed more young boys to be abused.

The report stated they found no evidence that any of the leaders, Paterno, Spanier, and so on, ever sat down with Sandusky. It was discussed doing that, but no one did. Did it bother Paterno that Sandusky still had an office there, was still doing work for his foundation? Paterno can’t answer that question now, but how could he allow that to happen on his watch?

I am sure all Universities are redoing their policies and procedures as we speak. The number one lesson is, don’t cover up, take action quickly, call the authorities right away, and let the chips fall where they may. They should have told Sandusky immediately that he is not allowed back on campus, even way back in 1998. Back then the Campus Police did basically a cursory investigation. That should not have been handled by them, it should have been an outside investigation. Plus, nobody asked or appeared to be concerned about the boys. They were more concerned about saving Sandusky’s reputation and of course their own.

As the season nears I wonder how college fans around the country (not Nebraska fans or fans of other Big Ten teams) will view the Penn State football team? Will they have distain for the program and root against them or will they feel for the kids and new coach and root for them?

They are opening against an excellent Ohio team that would appear to be the favorite to, at minimum, win the MAC Eastern Division. Therefore, opening the Bill O’Brien head coaching era with a loss is not out of the question. 

There will be several camps: 1) Those who will revile pretty much everything having to do with Penn State, 2) Another that minimizes what happened, and, 3) Those who nuance it taking the view that the perpetrators are gone, so move on. However, I think outside of Penn State most people are pretty turned off by the football program. Bottom line, Penn State football will be a divisive issue for a long time to come. A cloud of disgrace will haunt the program and team for years, right or wrong.

I would suspect that most college football fans will root against Penn State for the next couple of years, or so.

Unless it directly involves Nebraska, I don't care about Penn State one way or another.

Unlike Paterno, Osborne's legacy still intact

Sometimes the present in other places can make you think of the past within your circle.

Remember years ago when, as Nebraska fans, we would gnash or teeth at why various people around the nation defined him more by his defense of running back Lawrence Phillips than his sterling 255-49-3 record that included 13 conference titles and three national titles?

More on that scenario in a moment but since last Friday’s ESPN report on CNN, reports have shown that former Penn State head coach was a much bigger enabler in what has become the “Penn State scandal” that anyone wished to believe.

Various reports have surfaced and have indicated high-ranking university officials, including Paterno and Graham Spanier, the former Penn State president who served as Nebraska’s chancellor from 1991-95.

The report becomes a serious indictment of Paterno because they have strongly suggested he influenced a top university official to avoid notifying child welfare authorities of a 2001 incident in which then-graduate assistant Mike McQueery witnessed Jerry Sandusky, who was Penn State’s defensive coordinator, abusing a boy in a locker room shower.

CNN reported that Spanier, athletic director Tim Curley and vice president Gary Schultz discussed and later rejected plans to alert authorities about the shower incident. Citing emails from 2001, CNN reported that Curley wrote that he changed his mind after speaking with Paterno.

On June 23, Sandusky was found guilty of sexually abusing 10 boys and was convicted on 45 of 48 charges. Those offenses only scratch the surface in describing the lives he damaged along the way.  

The motivation, according to the findings of the investigation, was simple and unconscionable: “avoid the consequences of bad publicity.”

During his 61 years at Penn State, Paterno became a beloved figure well beyond his 409-136-3 record. He and his wife, Sue, donated more than $4 million to Penn State, and funded the school's library that bears their names. Paterno died of complications from lung cancer on January 22, 2012.

Turning to Osborne, his biggest negative and positive defining moment came in 1995. On the field, Nebraska field its best team in program history if not college football history. The Huskers went 13-0, smashed Florida 62-24 in the National Championship game and its closest win was by 14 points (35-21 to Washington State). Phillips became an early front-runner for the Heisman Trophy. During the Huskers’ win over Michigan State in their second game of the season, Phillips had 206 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 22 carries. After two games on the season, he was averaging more than 11 yards per carry and had scored six touchdowns. After the team had returned from East Lansing, Michigan, Phillips was arrested for assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Kate McEwen, a basketball player for the Nebraska women’s team. Phillips was subsequently suspended from the Husker football team by Osborne. The case became a source of great controversy and media attention, with perceptions arising that Osborne was coddling a star player by not kicking Phillips off the team permanently. Osborne defended the decision, saying that abandoning Phillips might do more harm than good. In Osborne’s view, the best way to help Phillips was within the structured environment of the football program. Osborne reinstated Phillips for the Iowa State game, although touted freshman Ahman Green continued to start. Phillips also contributed against Kansas and Oklahoma.

Osborne, despite pressure from the national media, named Phillips the starter for the Fiesta Bowl, which pitted No. 1 Nebraska against No. 2 Florida for the national championship. In the game, Phillips rushed for 165 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries and also scored a touchdown on a 16-yard reception in the Cornhuskers' 62-24 victory. The performance boosted Phillips’s draft stock. With Osborne’s encouragement, he decided to turn pro a year early.

At the time, Osborne’s critics suggested that he re-instated Phillips to “win the National Championship.” Nothing could be further from the truth because WITHOUT Phillips Nebraska smashed two Top 10 opponents (Colorado 44-21 on the road and Kansas State 49-24 at home). If Osborne was so “win at all costs” then why would he bring Phillips back in those games. I’ll concede that Osborne should have thumbed Phillips’ ass off the team but not because he was a “win at all costs coach.” Nebraska beats Florida in the National title game with or without Phillips because the Huskers were a more complete team.

My argument for kicking Phillips off the team was because he had various minor incidents; Osborne gave Phillips every chance he could to rehabilitate himself.

So why do I justify Osborne and not Paterno, you ask?

It’s very simple, while I do not condone any type of domestic abuse, an adult partner might be threatened and in some cases might be scared to go to the authorities but at least they know how to do it. Also, in the case of Phillips and his abuse, McEwen was no angle in this matter either. Osborne stated in his book titled “On Solid Ground” that he had warned both Phillips and McEwen to stay away from each other because their relationship had become toxic. Also, Osborne had taken plenty of chances on at-risk kids like Phillips and made a difference. Unfortunately, Osborne hurt himself in terms of how he was perceived but I don’t think he should be defined by it.

Do Paterno do more good in than his life than bad? Yes. I still believe that. After Paterno’s passing, I blogged on this very sight about how his legacy was complicated:

http://napavince.blogspot.com/2012/01/paternos-legacy-complicated-definition.html

So why is it not so complicated now? I can justify loyal friendship for just about anything. Let’s say Sandusky (for the sake of discussion) gets in a bar-room fight or gets frisky with a woman with unwanted advances or even embezzles money from the University. I can overlook those because no one is defenseless. Those boys he molested were in no position to be defended but Paterno had been made aware on multiple occasions and chose to do nothing.

Well, at least Osborne still has his legacy intact.

Paterno's legacy a complicated definition

As we mourn the loss of former Penn State football head coach Joe Paterno, one thought crosses my mind.


OK, hold the tasteless humor for later but serious, we’ve all seen stories of 90-year old couples living out their lives together, and then when one of them passes away, the other one goes within

about six months. It’s almost as if the survivor loses their will to live after their love of 60 years, their constant companion, is gone. Paterno’s love for the last 60 years was Penn State football. When it was taken from him, you wonder how much it affected his will to live. The cause of death is cancer, but I think it may have been hastened by the loss of his love.

Paterno died Sunday at a State College, Pa., hospital, suffering in his final days from lung cancer, broken bones and the fallout of a horrific scandal that not only cost him his job, but also his trademark vigor and a portion of his good name.

The question is, how will the 85-year old Paterno be remembered? For most of his life Paterno conveyed three basic messages (honor, ethics and education) but all of that changed on Nov. 5, 2011, when a grand jury indicted Paterno’s former defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky, of multiple counts of sexual abuse of children.

Many, including Penn State’s Board of Trustees, believed Paterno could have and should have done more to stop Sandusky, especially after allegations of misconduct arose in 2002. Within days Paterno was fired from the program and school to which he’d become synonymous.

People can say what they want about the scandal but you can’t take away the fact of how many lives he has touched and how important he was to college football. Paterno will be missed and the Penn State sidelines will never be the same.

Though I believe the powers that be at Penn State were justified in dismissing Paterno, I can’t help but feel bad for him on some level. He clearly made a huge mistake in not doing more when he found out about Sandusky and he was clearly negligent but I think overall he was a good man and coach. Sandusky deserves most of the blame and I hope he rots. Sandusky needs to have his ass kicked and fed to the vultures.



I may have rooted against Penn State more often than for them it was more from the understanding that Paterno was going to have his team ready to play. We have lost a true legend of the sport and a truly remarkable human being.



To say he handled the situation poorly would be an understatement; however, his accomplishments will be in the record books without an asterisk by them. Most will forgive him in time just watch. It might be a long time, but it’ll happen.

Today's events in Happy Valley truly epitomize sports

Does anyone know a good cardiologist? The game alone between Nebraska and Penn State, which the Huskers prevailed 17-14 took my breath away. Heck, I entered the game 39 years old but after today feel like I’m 65.

As a Nebraska fan and alum, of course I am thrilled the Huskers won because they needed to bounce back after last week’s disappointing 28-25 home loss to Northwestern. However, speaking as a sports fan, you can make the argument that the outcome was secondary. The week leading up to the game was headlined by Penn State’s devastating scandal that led to the firing of head coach Joe Paterno and several others.
The game closed a tumultuous week that began with the arrest of former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky on shocking child sexual abuse charges. Major college football’s winningest coach (Paterno) was pushed out in the aftermath.

What truly took my breath away was the pregame prayer at midfield, in which both teams gathered together. The prayer was led by Nebraska running backs coach Ron Brown. It’s not unusual to see two teams gathering at midfield for a prayer but it’s generally reserved for after the game. Keep in mind; emotions about the scandal were so raw that there were musings about cancelling the game. How raw? Raw as in fans and media members alike voicing very spirited displeasure. Raw as in people to “Not So” Happy Valley, Pa., rioting in the streets.

I still maintain my belief that this game should’ve been played. I can understand being concerned about safety but we’re talking Happy Valley, Pa., not the beach at Okinawa. In fact, I’m even more adamant in retrospect. Of course, it was a difficult week for Penn State players, coaches, administrators, fans -- basically anyone associated with the school. Heck, it’s difficult for any human being, especially if you have kids. I’m a father of three toddlers under age 5 and if my kids ever encountered anyone as vile as Sandusky I’d want him fed to the vultures.

But seriously, what the hell good was going to come of cancelling the game? It wasn’t going to do the victims any good. And why penalize players who were in middle school or younger when these heinous acts allegedly occurred?

OK, so neither one of these offenses are going to be mistaken for Oklahoma State and Oregon but it was an entertaining game between two iconic college football programs that created a diversion from the disturbing week that was.

The game did not even have a trace of players getting chippy. It was two proud football programs that preached sportsmanship before the game through prayer and practiced what they preached during and after the game.

I also have to give a game ball to the Penn State fans. During the week, Nebraska fans worried about receiving hostile treatment and for good reason. There were a segment treated rudely at a game in Happy Valley in 2002 that Penn State won 40-7. On this day, Penn State fans were passionate in supporting their team and gracious to the Nebraska fans that made the trip.

Brown’s actions evoke being a class act and at Nebraska we are blessed to have Tom Osborne, Bo Pelini, and others in leadership positions that represent the University of Nebraska and the state of Nebraska in such a positive way.

On the field, I’ll remember the heart-stopping finish but on this day, I’ll remember the display of honor and respect before and after the game even more.

Playing the game is the right thing to do

Saturday’s game in Happy Valley, Pa., between No. 19 Nebraska and No. 12 Penn state has a “the show must go on” feeling.


In case you have been living in a cave the last 72 hours, Nittany Lions head coach Joe Paterno was fired by the Penn State board of trustees Wednesday night despite saying he would retire as coach after the football season ended, brought down by the growing furor over the handling of child sex abuse allegations against an assistant coach. Penn State President Graham Spanier was also ousted. I won’t go into details because you can read my previous blog entry: http://napavince.blogspot.com/2011/11/huskers-head-to-penn-state-but-will.html I also made my feelings for Paterno abundantly clear. Plus, you can get all the coverage you want by the ESPN talking heads.

Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne, who is also a coaching peer of Paterno, issued a statement regarding Saturday's game with Penn State:

“I am saddened to learn of the recent events at Penn State and we will continue to monitor the developments on their campus. We will hold the alleged victims and all those involved in our thoughts and prayers.

“We have had a number of inquiries from fans regarding the circumstances at Penn State and the conditions they might expect in attending the game. UNL Chief of Police Owen Yardley is in touch with the Penn State police department and we have talked with interim Penn State Athletic Director Mark Sherburne. We have visited with Penn State security and we understand they are enhancing their security efforts for Saturday’s game and are taking extra precautions to ensure that all players, coaches and fans are treated in a respectful way. We also appreciate that there is a student-led effort at Penn State to respectfully welcome Nebraska fans to Beaver Stadium and into the Big Ten Conference. We know that our fans will reciprocate and display good sportsmanship toward Penn State’s fans and players.”

According to the Lincoln Journal Star, Osborne told a crowd of reporters Thursday evening he has not spoken with Paterno since he was fired as Penn State's coach on Wednesday.

"I might try to give him a call tomorrow," Osborne said.

Osborne was asked what he thought about the situation with Paterno.

"Well, this is difficult, for everybody, for everybody who knows Joe, everybody who cares about Joe, difficult," Osborne said. "But it is what it is. I just don't know enough of the facts of what happened. I don't know if anybody knows everything that has happened. We tend in our culture to rush to judgment. I feel bad about him and his family. I feel bad about the people who were victimized, very bad about them. I work with kids a lot and that's something we have to all be concerned about is our children."

Not surprising, Osborne took the high road. On another note, there had been rumors that the game might get cancelled due to the volatility of the situation that included student demonstrations as well as a TV news van being tipped over. Questions have also been posed in terms of should the game be held at a neutral site? Should Nebraska fans fear for their safety?

I don’t mean this to be crass but there is no ryhme or reason why the game should not be played and with this short of notice would it really be practical to move the game?

From a human standpoint, yes, it will be hard to watch the game and not be thinking about the victims and what a sick son of a bitch Jerry Sandusky, the former longtime Penn State defensive coordinator who allegedly committed these heinous crimes of sexual misconduct. Sandusky needs to have the crap beaten out of him and fed to the vultures.

However, there are more salient reasons why paying the game is the right thing to do. LJS columnist Steve Sipple wrote that “They should play the game as a gesture of compassion to the victims in a child sexual-abuse scandal that rocked the Penn State campus this week following a grand jury's indictment of former PSU defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. He has been charged with molesting eight boys over a 15-year span, with some of the alleged assaults occurring at the Nittany Lions' football complex.”

Now that we have established what a sick puke Sandusky is, the reason you play the game is because the football players on both rosters didn’t do anything wrong. Let them play and don’t penalize them for the wrongdoing of others. The individuals involved in these events are gone. I do not see how cancelling the game would have served any justice. Some say football is so small when compared to these horrific events and they are correct. However, these unspeakable things take place everyday in this country. Penn State’s issues took place over 10 years ago and the individuals involved are out.

Game will be decided on mental focus, not scandal

The game will continue. In case you are wondering, there still is a football game scheduled at Beaver Stadium in Happy Valley, Pa., between No. 19 Nebraska and No. 12 Penn State.


When Nebraska made its decision to enter the Big Ten Conference, this matchup was one that made college football purists smile. Both programs have remained status quo as far as uniforms that have changed very little. That aspect is very refreshing compared to the Star Wars age uniforms like Oregon and Maryland. Both programs have also had iconic coaches: Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne for Nebraska. Joe Paterno for Penn State.

Sadly, Paterno was fired by the Penn State board of trustees Wednesday night despite saying he would retire as coach after the football season ended, brought down by the growing furor over the handling of child sex abuse allegations against an assistant coach. Penn State President Graham Spanier was also ousted. I won’t go into details because you can read my previous blog entry: http://napavince.blogspot.com/2011/11/huskers-head-to-penn-state-but-will.html I also made my feelings for Paterno abundantly clear.

The story surrounding Saturday unfortunately is not about how Penn State’s stingy defense matches up against Nebraska’s quarterback/running back combination of Taylor Martinez and Rex Burkhead. It’s not about how will Nebraska bounce back from its disturbing 28-25 home loss to Northwestern. This week has been about the sexual abuse scandal that is surrounding Penn State University. It is unequivocally the top sports story. Even more than the NBA lockout. Gee, what a tired act that is.

I was talking to a college friend of mine who lived in the same residence hall as I did at the University of Nebraska on Tuesday. This friend intimated that he was “worried about this game. Can you imagine our players losing Tom Osborne’s last game?” Of course, this conversation came Tuesday night, before Paterno was ousted. With Paterno gone, defensive coordinator Tom Bradley has been named the interim head coach.

When it comes to sports teams entering a game with distractions, I find that the script is already written, it’s just a matter of what the outcome is and which script fits best. If Penn State wins, the angle becomes “they were galvanized and wanted to win it for JoePa.” If Nebraska wins, the angle becomes, “Penn State had too many distractions.” I say BS; football games are decided by who makes more plays and fewer mistakes. It also comes down to mental toughness and the ability to block out distractions.

Remember 1995? Perhaps the best team Nebraska ever assembled had several distractions throughout the season off the field whether it was Lawrence Phillips, Christian Peter or Tyrone Williams. That Husker team still went 13-0 and pounded Florida into submission in the National Title Game 62-24. However, that was also before the Facebook, Twitter, and text message era. Yes, you had the internet and message board but you also didn’t have current and former players facebooking, tweeting, message boarding, etc., so it was much easier for players and coaches to insulate themselves from distractions. Granted, the internet and message boards existed but were not en vogue even remotely like now.

Remember 2007? Perhaps the worst Nebraska team since post-1960. That team had the talent but underachieved to a 5-7 season. It also had numerous distractions centering around the job status of athletic director Steve Pederson, head coach Bill Callahan and defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove. That Husker team lost six of its seven games in supremely decisive fashion.

Look at pro sports; the week that Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis died they beat the Houston Texans 25-20. The angle became, “They did it for Al. They just won, baby!” However, if Oakland safety Michael Huff does not intercept Texans quarterback Matt Schaub in the end zone, the angle becomes, “The Raiders were weighed down by too many distractions.”

By no means am I dismissing the “distraction factor.” Even though, for lack of a better term, Paterno’s mistakes of omission rather than commission does not directly affect the Huskers, Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini will need to get his team focused on the task at hand. Keep in mind; this was a Husker team that lacked such in an inexcusable home loss to Northwestern.

Nebraska players and coaches are not going to get asked ad nausea about the situation like Penn State. Especially with the Huskers being the visiting team. Penn State players will be asked about this situation everywhere they turn whether it is at school or outside of practice.

In one respect this game does not change for Nebraska even if you remove the Penn State scandal from the equation. It would have been a challenging and important game regardless.

The bottom line is that this game will not be won by the team that is more talented or has the better offense of defense this season. The team that wins this game will be the team that is able to put the scandal to the side and focus on the team on the opposing sideline.

Huskers head to Penn State but will Paterno be on the opposite sideline

The Nebraska Cornhuskers head into Happy Valley, PA, for a crucial game against Penn State Saturday. The question is, will Joe Paterno still be Penn state’s head coach?


Before, you puke up your last meal, that is not a misprint. Paterno’s tenure will reportedly soon be over, perhaps within days or weeks, in the wake of a sexual abuse scandal that has implicated university officials, according to two people briefed on conversations among the university’s top officials, according to the New York Times.

Jerry Sandusky, a former Penn State defensive coordinator under Paterno, has been charged with sexually abusing eight boys across a 15-year period.

Paterno is under fire, as he should be, for failing to involve police when he learned in 2002 of an allegation of one assault of a young boy — around age 10 at the time.

Two top Penn State officials were charged with perjury and failure to report to authorities that they knew of the allegations.

Granted, due process has not taken place as far as being proven in a court of law and in the age of social media and message boards things do get vastly distorted. However, it is my understanding that it was an intern that notified Paterno and he then told Penn State athletic director Tim Curley.

The layers of culpability are vast, assuming the allegations are true to the extent they are being reported. Something happened, just a matter of to what degree. Paterno might not have been involved in the matter other than being a link in the chain of communication. Paterno is a coach, not a policeman or investigator.



If the intern felt that a crime was committed, the intern could call the

police. It is my understanding that at no time was it made clear that a crime was

committed but that Sandusky’s conduct was “inappropriate.” Of course it’s inappropriate, it’s also illegal.

As for Paterno, he may have fulfilled all of his legal obligations, however, when he noticed

that nothing ever came of it, he should have notified the police. If I found out my brother was taking advantage of a child, I would report him immediately, and it should be the same way with employees. This is a disgustingly grotesque situation that Paterno should have taken care of, but he did not do so which is why he probably will no longer be employed by the

end of the month, if not the end of the week.

When people think of a college football program lacking institutional control, the recent examples are Reggie Bush and USC along with Jim Tressel and Ohio State.

Just before the 2006 draft, reports surfaced raising questions about whether Bush's family received gifts in violation of NCAA policies.

Ohio State suspended Tressel for the first two games of the 2011 season and fined him $250,000 for failing to notify the school of NCAA violations involving Ohio State football players and a financial arrangement with Edward Rife, owner of a local tattoo parlor, who was at the time under investigation by the FBI for drug trafficking. The arrangement, which resulted in five Ohio State football players being suspended, involved trading championship rings, jerseys and other football-related awards for tattoos.

With Penn State, the lack of institutional control does not even begin to describe it. It’s one thing to protect adults that we have blind spots for but to let this happen to kids, there is no defense at all.