Did Joe Paterno die of guilt?
It’s pretty obvious that the stress of losing the job he had for 50+ years, as well as being associated with a pedophile, was too much for Joe Paterno’s 85-year-old body to handle.
To me, there are two different possibilities:
1. He knew what Sandusky had done, and the guilt finally killed him
2. He had been incompetent, mentally, for the past two decades, and was thoroughly shocked to be fired from his job.
I tend to believe the latter. I recall hearing that he wasn’t the same Joe Paterno back in the mid 90′s. I know ESPN and WFAN keep saying that he was in his prime in 1998, but I recall hearing that Paterno was too old to coach at least 15 years ago, and maybe longer.
I would argue that Paterno was like that Star Trek Original Series character who was a figurehead, and you come to find out that he was drugged to keep him under control (ed. note: the episode was Patterns of Force). He was propped up to give speeches, but the drugs caused him to no longer be there mentally. In the case of Paterno, his mind has been ravaged by that human condition we all face: age.
Now, back to possibility number 1. You could argue that Paterno, pre-1998, when he was still aware, probably knew Sandusky was a sick individual. Paterno, instead of turning in his defensive coordinator, used 1950′s style Lazy Man’s Ethics, turning a blind eye to Sandusky’s behavior. I’m not saying Paterno witnessed anything first-hand. However, I’m sure he heard rumors and innuendo that he did not take seriously.
I believe that the University Officials kept Paterno in charge long after his mind was gone because the Paterno name was useful for recruiting good football players to Penn State. They kept him propped up for the sake of the football program.
I also believe that, back in the 1980′s, Paterno chose to keep Sandusky around because he could coach linebackers, despite any rumors he might have heard.
I think the guilt of what he had done in the 1980′s, ignoring and possibly covering up for Sandusky, finally caught up with Paterno’s age-addled mind. Also, the job that Paterno had become part of him was ripped away suddenly, and he couldn’t handle the shock.
I think Paterno’s death is the final chapter in a Shakespearean tragedy. I have no sympathy for Joe Paterno. My condolences to his family, but no sympathy for Joe. He apparently had no sympathy when he heard stories about children that were molested by Sandusky.
It seems Paterno had the power to do something three decades ago, but he decided that coaching linebackers was more important than sparing children the living hell of being molested by his defensive coordinator. Nope. I cannot sympathize or apologize for the man.
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RIP JOE PA!
WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER!