Penn State is in my DNA. My grandfather played football there. My father played on the baseball team. Aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews – all of us are Penn State graduates and consider ourselves better off for the education and experience we received.
But the scandal that now clouds this proud institution demands swift, firm, and yes, painful action.
The Board of Trustees should order an internal investigation to determine who knew what about the allegations concerning Jerry Sandusky and what did they do about it. The goal of this investigation is not to mimic the criminal case. It is to unravel what is apparently a culture of silence, of looking the other way, of protecting careers and reputations regardless of the harm that might be inflicted on others — in this case, vulnerable children.
At the same time, the Board must decide whether President Graham Spanier, who was informed of an alleged incident in 2002, can truly lead Penn State in what is arguably its most trying moment. If Spanier himself participated in the cover up, how can the university possibly convey an image of integrity and transparency?
The Board must also decide the question about Joe Paterno. Paterno may have passed on the information he heard about the 2002 allegation to Tim Curley, the Athletic Director. But if he did nothing else, he badly failed his own moral and ethical standards that had served his university and football program so well.
This story is only beginning to unfold. It is bound to become messier and uglier as more details surface. The sooner the Board of Trustees acts decisively, the more confident the public will be that Penn State is committed to restoring the honor and respect that’s been so badly shaken.
