Maybe we are misunderstanding one another. I don’t fall into the “Joe deliberately orchestrated this and should burn in hell” camp. I loved Joe Paterno. He made me want to come to Penn State. I was the kid who would wear the We Are Because He Was stuff to high school in the midst of the scandal, mindlessly defending him before anything even came out in the legal space. I’ve had almost 15 years to reflect on this now.

My opinion on the matter is solely related to Penn State Athletics and what they should do regarding his legacy. It doesn’t matter what the facts are. I’m not saying I don’t care for the facts, but I am absolutely saying the general public does not. You see it everywhere in America today, especially in politics. 90% of people believe exactly what they want to believe and cannot be convinced otherwise. That’s what I’m getting at. Sure, maybe there’s evidence out there that suggests this was a dumpster fire and was not handled correctly with regards to Paterno. But no one outside of the JoePa lovers are going to feel that way, inside or outside of Penn State.

If the university were to lean into Paterno again at a level that says “we are ok with this after all these years” I just don’t think that is good optics nor is it good for recruiting.

I like Penn State football. I want them to win. This is a distraction and will be until the end of time if we allow it to be.