Joe Paterno and the Fragile Nature of Human Goodness
Joe Paterno passed away Sunday at the age of 85. Joe Paterno, as I’m sure most everyone knows, was the legendary football coach at Penn State University. He won more games than any coach in the history of college football.
I know that he won one more game than I wish he had when during my senior year at the University of Georgia he defeated the Bulldogs on the Sugar Bowl costing Georgia the National Championship.
Not only was Joe Paterno a great football coach, he was known for doing things the right way. Joe Paterno was devout in his Roman Catholic faith. He was devoted to his wife Sue and was known as a good family man. He lived in a fairly modest home in State College, Pennsylvania. He walked to work every day. He had an unlisted phone number.
While his football teams were well coached in the fundamentals of the game, Paterno really stressed that his players were in college to get an education and not to merely play football. Therefore, his players went to class as they should and most earned their degrees.
Paterno also did much to elevate the academic status of Penn State University. Because of the success of his football teams many were attracted to the university increasing its standing in the world of academia.
Sadly, we know of another chapter in the Paterno story. It has been recently revealed that Jerry Sandusky, Joe Paterno’s long time defensive coordinator allegedly had inappropriate relationships with young boys. Sandusky ran a foundation for troubled youths which he allegedly used to recruit young boys for illicit purposes.
After his retirement, Sandusky was reported to have engaged in inappropriate acts in the showers of the Penn State locker room.
The incident was reported to Paterno who reported to his athletic director. Many have claimed that Paterno did not react in a strong enough manner after the incident.
That said, the authorities in Pennsylvania have said Joe Paterno committed no criminal acts and was a cooperative witness in the investigation.
In the end, Joe Paterno was dismissed as head football coach at Penn State. This angered many Penn State folks. The question simply revolved around whether he should have done more in light of the tragic circumstances.
The powers that be at Penn State said he should have done more. In the end, the coach that won more games than anyone else in the history of college football was out of a job.
Against this backdrop Joe Paterno died within a few weeks after losing his job.
While he was stricken with cancer some have said that he died of a broken heart. I have no doubt that the stress and sadness of the last few months hastened Paterno’s death.
In many ways Paterno was a victim of this tragedy. However, in the end Joe Paterno still has a profound legacy as coach and a leader who did much to enhance the lives of many.
Yet, Joe Paterno was not the ultimate victim. As much as one might mourn the sad end for him the true victims were and are the young men allegedly molested by Coach Sandusky. The harm done to them was far worse than the harm done to Joe Paterno.
In all of this we are reminded of the fragility of human goodness. Joe Paterno was a good man in the every sense of the word. Yet, even the best of people have that one flaw, that one slip, that one shortcoming that denies them perfection. So it was with Joe Paterno. As good a man as he was in the end there was that one disturbing moment.
From a Christian perspective this only points us to the need of a Savior. We can all strive to be the best person we can be.
We can strive for a perfect moral and ethical scorecard. Yet, in the end there will always be that one flaw. For most of us, myself included, there is indeed more than one.
So it is that God must do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Salvation comes from the grace of God alone. It isn’t earned. It isn’t achieved. It is God’s gift. In Jesus Christ there is the goodness that we cannot achieve.
It is in Christ that we have life and it is in Christ and not in ourselves that we find our salvation.