The tragedy of Joe Paterno

Being a son of the West Coast, my knowledge of Joe Paterno and the football cult that cocooned him at Penn State for six decades is scant. I will therefore pass on commenting about his firing in connection with the horrific rape of children allegedly committed by Jerry Sandusky, his one-time coaching assistant. But Joe Posnanski, a Senior Writer at Sports Illustrated, knows a great deal about Paterno. For the past several years, he's been writing a biography about the legendary coach. Obviously, Posnanski now has the grim ending for his book. Breaking his silence today, he has written what I think is the definitive take on the firestorm now engulfing Paterno. Posnanski is no apologist. He is appalled at Paterno's failure to stop Sandusky's alleged crimes. But he is also disturbed that Paterno (who has not been charged with any crime) is being unfairly castigated by the media and in the court of public opinion. It's worth a read.