When are you sports editors going to stop promoting the injustice of the action and proposed lies that the NCAA has put forth. I know the seriousness of the child molestation situation purported by a former coach. It is not necessary to say that in every article. The courts are slowly dealing with that issue without completing the process yet.
Somehow the NCAA has taken upon itself sanctions against Penn State that are opposite to what they think they are doing. There is no justice in punishing thousands of innocent people for the sins of a few. Justice demands that wrong behavior should be punished by dealing with the wrongdoer. Not innocent people. Therefore, the justice of the NCAA action is not accomplished with their judgement and so called sanctions. The courts should eventually get around to this.
There is not a soul alive that wishes they had the opportunity to do something over again, if they had the chance. That can never happen. Once something is done it is a part of history and cannot be changed. Good or bad, it cannot be changed by anyone. The NCAA thinks they have the power to change history? They are wrong. We are taught to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. And the truth is 1998 to 2011, Penn State did play football. That is historically the truth. The coach was there and is credited with winning or losing those games. Historically that is the truth.
The NCAA determined that Penn State is to vacate those games. Vacate means to change and no one can change historic truth because that immediately makes a falsehood. To lie about history is not honorable nor morally right. I suppose they would like to vacate The Civil War from American history. Thus the action of the NCAA becomes immoral and very wrong to change the truth of history and ask Penn State to lie about it in its records. To encourage a lie is not punishment. The liars should be punished.
Whatever you do on paper can be erased or corrected with another printing. But no one can erase history. The truth is Penn State did play football and that record stands. Joe Paterno was the coach and is the winningest coach as truthfully declared by historic fact. That could change someday for another historic moment that could surpass present history.
It would be great if sportswriters would be slow to judgement and critical of such crass efforts to change historic truth. I doubt if anyone has the courage to stop such wrongdoing.
John R. Shafer
Williamsport
