I got into an unexpected argument on Facebook with a former college acquaintance over Joe Paterno and the PSU alumni's staunch defense of him. She did her undergrad at OSU, but went to Penn State for law school.
It was cordial, but a bit heated. She said that I didn't understand the situation, having not gone to Penn State. I said that Penn State students and alumni seem to have lost all perspective and don't realize that the entire university's reputation is at stake, not just the reputation of Joe Paterno. She said I was basing my condemnation of Paterno on absolutely nothing; I countered by saying that my opinion is based entirely on the grand jury report and
Paterno's own words. I added that if Jim Tressel deserved to get fired for his indiscretions (and he most certainly did), then Paterno sure as hell deserved to get fired for his.
I really don't understand the mentality at Penn State. They're so hopelessly myopic. What really gets me is that the trustees actually did the football program a favor by cleaning house. They've based their recruiting on the Paterno mythos for so long that they don't realize that he's tainted, and recruits are no longer going to want anything to do with him.