Passing of a legend..R.I.P Papa Joe

[MegoMark71]

Sorry guys but i thought his official passing warranted a new post.
I am deeply saddened by this and I hope he is remembered for all his humanitarian efforts and how many people's lives he changed. He was so much more than just a football coach. The world has lost a great man.

[Megospidey]

yeah, I'm afraid he will be remembered the for the end of his life and the scandal that rocked his empire than anything else.

You are not only known for what you do, but for what you do not do and should have done as well.

[MIB41]

yeah, I'm afraid he will be remembered the for the end of his life and the scandal that rocked his empire than anything else.

You are not only known for what you do, but for what you do not do and should have done as well.

I have to echo Megospidey's sentiments. I can admire the job he may have done as a coach. But I can't look the other way when I see the authority he commanded and how he did just enough to cover his interests, but not enough to expose this man and spare the lives of what could be scores of kids. He understood what was happening. A man showering with a boy requires no lengthy explanation. If it doesn't come to you with that one sentence, then you have no business being responsible for the lives of kids. He had a commitment to protect those kids. And when he showed Penn State he wasn't going to create an uproar, they didn't either. It was swept under the rug to protect the program from a scandal that could tarnish the school's image.

Well, now that's too late. When Joe had the opportunity to show his "conviction" to character and doing the "right thing", he went the other way. And kids paid for that. Long after this trial is over. And long after this monster is sent to jail, these victims will still have to deal with the scars of why this happened. And why a self proclaimed man of "character" looked the other way and allowed it to continue. Character is not something you to have sell. You either have when it counts, or you don't. Joe didn't have it when it meant the most. And now he's gone. But these kids live on. Lets not forget their lives like he did.

[jacsfc]

I feel for his family. Knowing what it is like to lose a father is something I would not wish on anyone. But the legend of Joe Paterno died on November 8th 2011.

[MegoMark71]

I by no means want my statement to sound like i don't care about his role in the scandal. He alone is responsible for not taking things further. Holy crap i can't believe i'm about to say this. I can relate to the victims side cause i lived it when i was 8. I recently told my wife about my life experience with it. When the Penn St story went public it gave me the strength to talk about my own history. Till that point i had never told anyone. Sandusky deserves to fry in hell for all eternity.
Joe paterno made a massive mistake and it is a shame his legacy will always have a side note. He did so much for so many. But this one mistake is not a small one and it should not be forgotten even in Paterno's death.

[MIB41]

I wish you nothing but the very best Mark. And I am VERY sorry you had to live through a tragedy that could resemble anything like what has happened here. You have my deepest sympathies. And you have my utmost respect for having the courage to make that public.

[MegoMark71]

Thanks man i appreciate that.

[Bill]

It's good to get it out. And weirdly comforting knowing you're not the only one out there. It just takes the courage to put it out there. It is very easy for me to talk about it now, it was just getting over the hump of telling it the first time.

[4NDR01D]

Sorry it's taken me half the day to post this Mark, it didn't want to send from my phone, but I echo MIB41 sentiments, very couragous thing to talk about openly.

I'm curious if you've read Theo Fleury's book? I'm assuming, as an obvious hockey fan, that you're familiar with the story. I haven't read it myself yet, but would like to.

[MegoMark71]

Until the Sandusky thing i never even spoke about it to myself. When the details were coming out i had a ton of repressed memories that were very hard to deal with. I consider myself a tough guy with a high pain threshold. How could that kind of thing happen to me of all people. I had to accept the fact that i was an innocent kid and did nothing to bring it upon myself. At the same time my brother had been diagnosed with duchennes muscular dystrophy so my parents were busy with that and i got lost in it all. I still haven't talked to them. My wife has been amazing as i talk about it little by little. And yeah you should have seen the look on my best friends face when i dropped the bomb on him. I was at his place watching sportscenter and it just came out. I don't think either of us said anything for 30 seconds. It felt like 30 minutes. You are right though, it is easier now to talk about.

[Bill]

Ha! Yeah, you can really freak people out by just blurting it out sometimes. It's okay, just a hard thing for someone to react to, not the normal "hey, I've got a weird story" that folks are used to hearing.
I opted not to tell my parents. It wouldn't have done any good for anyone and I thought they might have felt some weird unwarranted guilt as parents will do.

[MegoMark71]

Yeah, pretty much the same reason i have never said anything to my parents.
I am familiar with fleury's story but i have not read the book. I'm still dealing with my own issues as my mind remembers stuff it put in the vault. Even writing and posting here has brought up more memories.