So, I was up way too early on a Saturday morning...couldn't sleep, lots to do. So I decided to get out of bed and get some work done. While checking email, I noticed that my good friend and former XTRA910 host John Cannon had written a column regarding the tragic events at Penn State. John is calling for the cancelling of today's game and the rest of the Nittany Lion season, with the possible addition of a "self-imposed" death penalty for next year as well.
If you would like to read John's entire column on the topic, and you should because I have not done it justice here, drop him a tweet @JCannonSports and I'm sure he'll find a way for you to read it.
Those of you who know John and I know that I always wanted to do a show with him, but that show most likely would not have been very exciting because I almost ALWAYS agree with him. But I do not agree in this case. I do not believe the season should be cancelled, and I do not believe a "death penalty" should be imposed. My reasoning is:
- Cancelling the football game today will not make the victims lives easier. It might indeed make them more difficult, as some crazy idiots will blame them for not finishing the season (disgusting, but it would happen)
- The firing of an iconic football coach after 200 years of service, I believe, sends a pretty clear message that the issue is being taken seriously, and that the subject of child abuse is not being washed over by the powers that be.
- John writes in his column that the victims "didn’t do anything wrong. They didn’t deserve what happened to them.” But neither did the current players on the team. And since every coach on this staff is going to be gone in a couple of weeks regardless, I think the kids on the team deserve to keep their season going. (However, I think Penn State should donate EVERY penny it makes from this game to Child Abuse charities throughout Pennsylvania…TV money, gate receipts, ad revenue…everything).
- And I don’t know why the death penalty needs to be imposed. Some very awful people did some brutally horrible things. I have kids, I understand that. But who would a death penalty be penalizing? No one who committed any of those crimes. Because no one will be left. The administration and coaching staff will all be gone. Anyone with even a hint that they had knowledge of anything surrounding this tragedy will be banished from State College. Penalizing the current underclassmen by uprooting their lives to move to some other school is not warranted. The evil men who should be punished will have paid with their careers, their livelihood, their reputation, and in some cases jail sentences (hopefully). Current students shouldn’t have to pay as well…they did nothing wrong either (at least in this context. I’m sure most of them have done something wrong, they are, after all, D1 college football players). The death penalty also hurts other athletes that have nothing to do with the football program…football funds all sports.
So…if it were me (and thankfully it is not), I would:
- Play out the season. Every dime Penn State makes in these games given to Child Abuse charities in Pennsylvania (not just passing the hat… all revenue not being used to pay stadium employees).
- Fire everyone effective at the end of the regular season…and announce it now.
- Do not self-impose any death penalty. BUT, allow any underclassmen that wants to transfer the ability to do so without restriction. If they choose to get away from this situation they should be allowed to.
- Fire everyone. Did I mention that already? Secretaries. Presidents. Coaches. Locker room guys. Anyone who may have touched a football or the operations thereof as part of this program is gone. Announce it today, effective the moment PSU's last 2011 game is over. Never has there been a bigger need for a completely clean slate.
The football program has basically given itself the death penalty anyway. It will be a long time before even a brilliant new coaching staff (and there aren't many of those)can recruit players...who would want to walk into that situation right now? What bowl game will invite this team to play?
I understand that we have no idea the full scope of this mess. More information can and will be learned that might change the situation (and thus I reserve the right to say I was wrong later). As a good friend said to me yesterday, "do you think this guy really learned this behavior at the age of 60?" We have no concept of how long this has been going on or how many victims there have been.
In the end, football doesn't matter. It isn't going to save the victims, whether they play the games or not. No one will forget this, everyone will take the issue VERY seriously, and hopefully a serious subject that needs to be addressed in this country will be dealt with.
I also believe that there are a lot of very good people in Happy Valley who frankly wouldn't mind a distraction for three hours today.
But hey, that’s just my opinion. If you have your own, or would like to call me names, follow me on twitter @chrislewisforum.
© 2012
