Tom Knott: Paterno’s wins come at a cost
The saintly Joe Paterno has allowed the Penn State football program to be sacrificed at the altar of victory, the only barometer that truly matters in college football.
This is the latest remaking of a coach who is defying time and his critics.
The 81-year-old coach was routinely charged with being too old and out of it after his teams compiled a combined 7-16 record in the 2003 and 2004 seasons and the program had enjoyed only one winning season in five.
The unacceptable slide was overcome with stronger recruiting and perhaps a blind eye to the background of potential players. The evidence indicates such a practice.
Forty-six Penn State football players have faced 163 criminal charges since 2002, as detailed on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” in July. Twenty-seven players either were convicted or pled guilty to 45 counts.
Paterno, of course, denies that he and his staff have overlooked the character issue with recruits. It is merely coincidental that the success of the football program has increased in proportion to its legal difficulties.
washingtontimes.com
9/8/08
