Corpses Don't Take Questions

Columnists, commentators, and the masses have spent the last few days yelling at a bronze man who doesn’t hear their rage.

Instead the statue of Joe Paterno everyone is so mad at still walks towards Beaver Stadium with its finger raised. The metallic embodiment of the deceased coach stands against the cloud of darkness that has engulfed Penn State.

Trustees have demanded that the bronze man remains standing. They want the statue to symbolize the good Paterno did for Penn State, as opposed to what the Freeh report said about him.

The masses want this statue to meet the same fate as the one that commemorated the dictator of the desert. Pundits and journalists alike have demanded that the bronze man should collapse and shatter into a million pieces: just like the credibility of the school Paterno coached for eons.

If we are talking about the symbolism of Paterno then the statue fits the aftermath perfectly. The metallic Paterno walks towards the football stadium and the bronze eyes see no evil. Even when that evil occurred in the locker room Paterno walked out of for over a decade.

Still, the supporters flock to their metallic deity in the wake of the scandal. At the feet of the bronze man a sign reads “Remember: He was a man, not a god!!!”

But Paterno was a man who knew everything.

Penn State’s own investigator proved that Paterno knew about his friendly neighborhood pedophile. The Freeh report stated that on May 13, 1998, an e-mail was sent by athletic director Tim Curley to Penn State president Gary Schultz. The e-mail came ten days after Sandusky assaulted Victim 6. The message was short, yet the words spoke volumes.

“Anything new in this department? Coach is anxious to know where it stands."

Well, for starters the life of Victim 6 was ruined forever. That person will never be able to take a shower again without the water being accompanied by horrific flashbacks of that day.  

Except Paterno’s anxiousness came from if anyone was going to get caught, not from the young life his subordinate ruined.

Part of the outrage towards the bronze man is the fact that the public can’t yell at the real Paterno. As much as we would like answers from the coach, corpses don’t take questions. In place of mass marches on Paterno’s grave, the national focus has shifted towards the symbol of the man that is still standing.

Since it takes longer for metal to decay, there is time for trustees to decide if the bronze man should remain standing. However, the more time passes the more that Paterno will be known for what he failed to stop as opposed to his football accomplishments.

Instead of tearing the statue down, relocate it. Put the bronze man right outside of the front gates of Penn State, with his back turned on the school. Let the symbol be how Paterno neglected his responsibilities as a man, and how he got out right before the cataclysm.

It is not like the statue is going to say anything to stop it.