Published: August 04, 2008 10:21 am            

Reading between the Lions | Penn State’s football program tarnished

The irony was not lost on us that these two headlines appeared in this newspaper within 48 hours:

“U. of Florida tops party school list; Penn State takes No. 3 spot”

“College football: Troubled Lions tossed from team”

Some people are saying that problems on the Penn State football squad – and there have been many in recent years – should all be laid at the feet of head coach Joe Paterno – that the top man at the program should get the Lions’ share (pardon the pun) of the blame.

An ESPN report, picked up by The Associated Press and other news agencies, says that 46 Penn State football players have been charged with a total of 163 criminal counts since 2002. Those charges resulted in 45 convictions and 27 guilty pleas, ESPN reported.

Within days, Penn State kicked two players off the football team. Was that move a reaction to the ESPN report?

Both had already been disciplined by the university for their roles in an on-campus brawl last year.

However, police said that the two players have now been connected with an off-campus party earlier this summer.

The Penn State football program, once hailed as virtually squeaky-clean, now seems no better than many other college sports programs across the land.

Or professional teams, for that matter.

When you hear “Cincinnati Bengals,” do you think about talent on the field or troubles away from the field? Or, does the name “Pacman Jones” conjure images of interceptions or accusations?

Here are two more recent news tidbits worth mentioning:

West Virginia was ranked right behind Penn State, at No. 4, in the “party schools” list.

Two WVU basketball players were arrested at a Pirates game this past week. They were accused of underage drinking and “scuffling with police” at PNC Park.

And bad behavior is by no means just a sports problem.

On July 24, a Penn State student was charged with public drunkenness and other offenses for breaking into Penn State’s football building late at night. He was not a member of a sports team – just a kid celebrating his birthday by breaking the law.

We wonder: Do Penn State alumni and students hail the school’s “party” ranking and moan about football players getting into trouble?

When Thunder in the Valley concluded in Johnstown, we praised organizers, police and visitors for a lack of problems, even though alcohol consumption is part of the event.

That cannot be said everywhere.

As a society, we’ve got work to do.

Clearly, some of us – athletes and otherwise – need to grow up and make better decisions.

Should Paterno retire from coaching? Perhaps.

That decision will be made this fall by the coach and the university.

But we’re not naive enough to think that the bad news involving Penn State football players will suddenly end with one coach’s departure.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.