Lori Falce: Penn State penance, 10 years later
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On Nov. 5, 2011, retired Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was arrested for child sex abuse after a statewide investigating grand jury indicted him on 40 counts of various crimes. More would be added later.
It was a moment that indelibly stained the university and fractured the alumni community into camps. Some wanted to fix what was broken while others wanted to recapture what was lost.
Ten years later, Penn State is once again playing games at a high, respected level. Before a string of three tough, close losses, the team had risen to No. 4 in the rankings this season. It is recruiting well and turning out good players, including first round draft picks like Saquon Barkley.
The stadium is still packed. The tailgating is epic. Penn State is back, baby!
Is that a good thing?
Don’t get me wrong. I am such a Penn State fan, my blood is blue and white. I thought my heart was going to explode during the record nine overtimes against Illinois in October. Nittany Lion football is part of my soul.
But because I love my school and my team, I have to be honest when they fall down. Ohio State deserved to win last week. Illinois played a great game two weeks ago, and, while I’m hoping we run the table the rest of the season, I won’t be shocked with another loss.
By the same token, there is a lot to look at critically with what has happened in the past 10 years — especially these last seven years since the penalties levied against the university by the NCAA started to be lifted. The first concession was giving back the ability to participate in postseason play, which was announced in 2014, just two years after Sandusky’s conviction on 45 of the 48 counts against him.
Neither the team nor the fans should have to pay for crimes they didn’t commit, but it isn’t out of place to look at what aspects of fan culture may have made it possible for abuse to either occur or to hide. Penn State has taken steps in this regard, with not only universitywide training but the creation of the National Center for Child Maltreatment Studies and the Child Maltreatment Solutions Network.
But anyone who deals with child abuse, neglect or sexual abuse can tell you that the most important aspect of stopping this behavior is opening eyes to it. There is no substitute for vigilance.
These are not just Penn State problems. They are Michigan problems. They are U.S. gymnastics problems. They are the problems of the Catholic Church and Boy Scouts and other venerable groups that just haven’t come to light yet because child sexual abuse flourishes in dark corners where no one looks. There is no better penance for Penn State than being the champion of looking in those corners.
The camps among alumni still exist and probably always will. What needs to be appreciated is that the best way to fix what was broken during the scandal is to realize that the breakage occurred long before anyone was paying attention. The best way to recover the lost reputation for “success with honor” is to care more about the honor than about the success.