Following breaking news of the scandal that broke mid November 2011, Joe Paterno was quoted saying "It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.” He is now dead 3 months later, complications of lung cancer or maybe a broken heart.
In case you missed it, I usually do, here's the skinny. Joe Paterno fondly know as JoePa, is considered the winningest coach in college football coaching Penn State for 46 years.His coaching style focused on character, academics and honor first and championships second. Mid season of 2011 JoePa's former assistant, Jerry Sandusky, was accused of molesting 10 boy over 15 years and some of them in the football building itself.
What does that have to do with JoePa you ask? Well another graduate assistant reported to JoePa seeing such abuse going on in the shower of the football complex way back in 2002. JoePa praised the assistant for doing the right thing by telling him and took the information reporting it to the school and left it at that.
When I look at it from his point of view, maybe he did do what he thought was his responsibility at the time. His boss, "the school" has some responsibility too. Right?
Is that what you or I would have done? I have never been in those shoes but I think if it had been his own child that this had happened too, he would have followed up. JoePa's response was that " this sort of thing was not usually heard of back then." Maybe it didn’t. Maybe he had such belief in his employers and that they would do the right thing that he just left it at that.
I feel sorry that after all of his life contributions, JoePa died before the scandal was resolved and before he could be vindicated.
That could have been any of our children in that same situation. I would like to think that adults, teachers and coaches are there to not only teach our kids but to protect them from hare. If it were my child that were abused I think I would have done something more so so why not do it for someone else's child?
That reminds me of the movie "A Time To Kill" starring Samuel L Jackson, Matthew McConaughey, and Sandra Bullock. That was a great movie and you should rent it if you have not seen it.
So Really!What would you do? Really? What would you do?
Don't just wish you had the benefit of hindsight because now you have it.
Don't let your life end like JoePa's did. Make all that is wrong in your life right before the hindsight kicks you right in the face.
