Anyone catch this OTL report on ESPN? Looks to be a couple days old now. http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3506616&categoryId=2378529&n8pe6c=2 PSU looks horrible after this report. Since 2002, 46 players charged with crimes.. 163 separate counts. Punishments for particular fight covered in report were "expelling" them for the summer, but still allowing to work out for the fall. Total Joke... We're talking felonies and they don't miss any substantial time...Not a single game, not a single down. When questioned about the arrests, Joe Pa's favorite thing to say was that they are conducting a "Witch Hunt." Makes me wonder if Paterno has any control over this team. Edit: My bad on wrong forum. Thanks mods.
45 guilty plea's/convictions, PF. This morning, two players featured on OTLs report were kicked off the team.... hmmm
Just as a cross note with my own team the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, our TE was charged with a drink driving misdemeanor and has been suspended by the team indefinately..
Most of those convictions are the same shit that happens on any campus. Drunk and disorderly. PSU is a party college. It's not hard to get into trouble and most of the time, trouble seems to follow players. ie: players are constantly being goaded into fights. I'm not defending the players but this is being totally blown out of porportion. Joe Pa is right. All this shit is a witch hunt because there are those in this area that keep badgering that he's too old, he's too lenient, blah blah blah. They want another national championship and are finding every stupid excuse they can find to make their accusations legit against Paterno. They want a young coach. Blaming Paterno is getting to be a mantra to some. Some local rags are constantly calling him out, other rags are defending him.
There's sort of a problem with what you're saying -- this isn't happening at ALL major football programs. Penn State and Arkansas are completely falling apart right now because of players behaving like idiots. Texas and Tennessee are also huge party schools and you don't see players from these two schools constantly getting into fights and into trouble. There's a lack of control at Penn State. If Penn State football was completely under control, this "shit that happens on every campus" wouldn't be effecting its players and its well respected program. Something has to change.
I agree with some of what you're saying. There does seem to be a lack of control on campus. In earlier years, Joe would toss your ass off the team in a second if there was even a sniff of trouble about you, and he was adament about the players having passing grades. Maybe Joe is too old for this unruly generation coming up. But he'll always be a hero in my eyes. Maybe he should allow his assistants more power on handling problem players? I don't know <shrugs> I just don't think he should shoulder all the blame.
