How much can a retired assistant coach’s transgressions affect a team’s performance?
November 9th 2011 04:49
Penn State has been under Joe Paterno’s leadership since 1966 and stood for all the right things at Penn State University. A man who has built a legacy at Happy Valley has now come under scrutiny for the allegations connected to sexual abuse by Paterno’s former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. The saddest thing about all this is Joe Paterno’s reputation has now been shattered because of his connection to the man who at one time was in line to succeed him.
Joe Paterno is the face of Penn State athletics and one can only imagine the stress and media frenzy he will have to deal with at 84 years of age. I have not read the Grand Jury report and plan to do so but from first glance it appears Paterno did not do enough after hearing of one instance in which Sandusky was sexually abusing a young boy in the Nittany Lions’ locker room facility.
He may have technically done everything right by reporting to the Athletic Director and Senior Vice President of the school. He fell short morally because Paterno has as much clout as anyone on that campus and could have contacted police or law enforcement to put the clamps on Sandusky. Make no mistake this cannot be all laid at Paterno’s feet, but he will garner all of the attention. Now with rumors swirling about an exit strategy Penn State will play its final home game against Nebraska on Senior Day. How will Penn State’s players respond with all the distractions amidst a pretty successful season. The Nittany Lions are 8-1 and ranked twelfth in the nation right now.
There have to be two schools of thought going into this game. The first being the players will bond together and rally around the Penn State coaching staff to battle for their remaining season. Alternatively, the players could be unfocused, confused, and thoroughly rattled from a scandal that has brought an unprecedented amount of attention never before witnessed in their lives. This second school of thought seems to be the more adopted one from a gambling perspective.
It is only Tuesday but money has poured in to move the line very early in the week. Nebraska opened up as two-point favorites and that line has moved up a whole two points. That’s pretty significant line movement early in the week. With reporters and cameras scouring the practice field and their campus, how concentrated could the Nittany Lions possibly be on defending Nebraska’s option? How much energy will Joe Pa have after a mentally and physically exhausting bombardment of questions, questions, and more questions? With the amount of uncertainty surrounding the program and the rumor Penn State higher-ups are planning Paterno’s exit strategy, I’d have to think there is little the coaching staff can do from a motivational standpoint.
This game will rely on the players desire to perform and beat the Cornhuskers on Senior Day in Happy Valley. I guess you can’t underestimate the power of positive thinking or the human spirit. Flip a coin because anything could happen this Saturday at State College in Pennsylvania.
Joe Paterno is the face of Penn State athletics and one can only imagine the stress and media frenzy he will have to deal with at 84 years of age. I have not read the Grand Jury report and plan to do so but from first glance it appears Paterno did not do enough after hearing of one instance in which Sandusky was sexually abusing a young boy in the Nittany Lions’ locker room facility.
He may have technically done everything right by reporting to the Athletic Director and Senior Vice President of the school. He fell short morally because Paterno has as much clout as anyone on that campus and could have contacted police or law enforcement to put the clamps on Sandusky. Make no mistake this cannot be all laid at Paterno’s feet, but he will garner all of the attention. Now with rumors swirling about an exit strategy Penn State will play its final home game against Nebraska on Senior Day. How will Penn State’s players respond with all the distractions amidst a pretty successful season. The Nittany Lions are 8-1 and ranked twelfth in the nation right now.
There have to be two schools of thought going into this game. The first being the players will bond together and rally around the Penn State coaching staff to battle for their remaining season. Alternatively, the players could be unfocused, confused, and thoroughly rattled from a scandal that has brought an unprecedented amount of attention never before witnessed in their lives. This second school of thought seems to be the more adopted one from a gambling perspective.
It is only Tuesday but money has poured in to move the line very early in the week. Nebraska opened up as two-point favorites and that line has moved up a whole two points. That’s pretty significant line movement early in the week. With reporters and cameras scouring the practice field and their campus, how concentrated could the Nittany Lions possibly be on defending Nebraska’s option? How much energy will Joe Pa have after a mentally and physically exhausting bombardment of questions, questions, and more questions? With the amount of uncertainty surrounding the program and the rumor Penn State higher-ups are planning Paterno’s exit strategy, I’d have to think there is little the coaching staff can do from a motivational standpoint.
This game will rely on the players desire to perform and beat the Cornhuskers on Senior Day in Happy Valley. I guess you can’t underestimate the power of positive thinking or the human spirit. Flip a coin because anything could happen this Saturday at State College in Pennsylvania.
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