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Tarnished Forever The internal Penn State investigation into the Jerry Sandusky mess was released last week by Judge Freeh. Needless to say, the Judge laid down the law. The four gentlemen at the center of attention were exposed at the highest level.....Graham Spanier, Gary Schultz, Tim Curley and the late Joe Paterno. The Penn State power-brokers basically took the law into their own hands and conducted business accordingly....the investigation and its findings were the first official release surrounding the ugly situation involving Jerry Sandusky and Penn State. To say that I have lost a ton of respect for Joe Paterno would be an understatement. There was no doubt he was an amazing coach over his incredible run at the Penn State football program. You can't take that away from his amazing body of work. You also can't spin that he wasn't as corrupt as they come in using horrific judgment to protect his football program and place it over the safety of innocent kids. There is such a disconnect with Paterno the iconic football coach that helped thousands of kids during his tenure.....and the Paterno that would go beyond the call of duty to protect his legacy at virtually all cost. It just doesn't make any sense. In some respects, he is very lucky that he isn't here to defend himself. The more news that becomes available, such as his negotiation for a 3 million dollar retirement package before the news of the grand jury became public just illustrates how ugly this is going to be for not only the Paterno family, but also Penn State. But one thing must be remembered...as despicable as this is for the school and the men that led them to this point.....there are kids that had their lives ruined by Sandusky and the people that allowed it to continue. Let's not lose sight of the most important issue....and that is the elimination of child abuse. It must end....and maybe, just maybe....a story as awful as the one surrounding Penn State right now could be an eye-opener for the rest of America and the world to go the extra distance to make sure our kids are safe and secure. I know there will be continued debate on whether or not the Paterno statue comes down, or if the Nittany Lion football program should be shut down.....but to be honest with you, all of those topics seem trivial compared to the kids and young adults who were abused by Sandusky. I know I'm going to do my best to keep the focus on the big picture during this entire ordeal. Hopefully, the men directly associated with this travesty will get their just due....but let's first make sure the kids are safe. I've got a busy travel schedule the next couple of weeks....and it starts with a visit down South to Birmingham, Alabama for the SEC Media Days. I'll be broadcasting on SiriusXM from the event and I'm looking forward to talking some football after all of this Penn State/Sandusky discussion. Once again, it appears that the SEC is in position for another great year in college football. The league has won the last 6 BCS titles and you've got to figure they will have something to say about who wins or plays in the title game this year, too. You've got a handful of teams to talk about when it comes to being in the Top 15.....LSU, Bama, Arkansas, Georgia and South Carolina....all of them have the potential to be Top 10 material this year. Of course, we've got to play the games.....I've never been big on pre-season polls....but I'm hard-pressed to think that those 5 teams won't be loaded and well-coached. I'm looking forward to talking with the coaches and players this week...and to experience Birmingham. I'm sure there is a BBQ joint or two with my name on it. After the SEC Media Days, I'm off to Dallas, Texas to spend some time with some friends and business associates. I love Dallas....in fact, I love the whole Texas attitude. I'm sure there will be a pit stop at the original Sonny Bryan's on Inwood Road as soon as I get off the plane. I know I can speak for all football fans....that as of Thursday, we're only 6 weeks away from the start of the 2012 college football season. After this crazy "off-season", the regular season is going to be welcomed with open arms. Next week, I've got to go to the ACC Media Day in Greensboro and then eventually work my way to Chicago for the Big Ten Media Days...I can't wait. I have enjoyed making fun of the ineptitude of Danica Patrick behind the wheel in NASCAR. Her ability to hit SAFER Barriers each week on the Nationwide Series has been spectacular...and what makes it better is listening to the NASCAR on-air suck-ups try to defend her inability to drive something that isn't an Indy Car. But I saw one of the funniest lines of the year this past week. Kevin Harvick lost the lead during the F.W. Webb 200 to eventual winner Brad Keselowski. The reason for it was due to a slower, lapped car not getting out of his line late in the race. That car was driven by Amber Cope who was 33 laps behind the leaders. After the race, Harvick said..."Every time you come up on Cope, she doesn't know whether she is going high or low....she wants to be Danica Patrick, but she can't hold her helmet." Classic.....what an insult. I also thought it was funny last week when NASCAR Chairman Brian France emphasized to the media and the fans that he didn't want any gimmicks in the sport....he wants to provide the best racing product in the world. Ask Darrell Waltrip about Danica Patrick being the "Face of NASCAR". I see where the Charlotte Bobcats have landed former Tar Heel, Brendan Haywood. The 7-footer has been laughing all the way to the bank for a decade, and now gets paid by the Bobcats. The club is also interested in securing the talents of former UNC star, Antawn Jamison, too. He's a quality guy...we'll see if he wants to come home to play. I suspect it is only a matter of time until we see Vince Carter and Jerry Stackhouse in Bobcats uniforms. Who knows, maybe the club can bring back Jeff McInnis for one more year? What is Sean May doing these days? Would Raymond Felton mind another shot in Charlotte? This is turning into one, big family reunion. The team can't be worse than their record-setting 7-59 mark from last season....but there's no way to believe they can play themselves out of another lottery appearance in 2012-13. |
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