Around this time last year, my husband surprised me with a trip to State College.  Even though we do not live that far from there, I had never visited.

I had never been to a Penn State game.

I had never seen the field.

My hubby is a Penn State graduate and most of my family are die hard fans. 

I joked that attending a game and seeing JoePa coach was on my bucket list.

Hubby was listening.

We stayed in a quaint bed and breakfast.  We did some Christmas shopping, we attended a very cold game at PSU.



Look what a difference a year makes.

I am at a lost for words.

Here is what I know.  My heart is broken for these at risk children.  Many adults failed them. I cannot imagine witnessing the abuse of a child and not informing law enforcement.  I am deeply saddened that the coach who reminded me so much of my own grandfather will now be remembered as someone who was fire amidst sexual abuse allegations.

It will be an footnote JoePa will never escape.

Do I think he did all he was legally obligated to do?  That's debatable. Do I believe that he truly believed Sandusky was innocent?  This was a man whom he worked with for decades, I'm sure he wanted to believe he was not capable of these unspeakable acts.  Do I think JoePa did what was morally right?  Sadly no.

I suppose it truly is time to clean house at PSU.  From the president on down, including McQueary, because while he may have followed his chain of command he was the actual eye-witness and he should definitely have done more.  He is a big guy who could have intervened and taken that child to the hospital.  A report would have been filed and a pedophile would have been arrested. 

Yet as of this writing, McQueary remains employed.

This university is so much more than JoePa, but it remains to be seen if it will recover from this mushroom cloud.