If what I’ve been reading on Twitter in the past 20 minutes or so is true (and how could Twitter ever get anything wrong?), former Penn State coach Joe Paterno is close to death. It’s shocking what has transpired with him since the Jerry Sandusky story broke last fall. The fall from the lofty pedestal he occupied just six months ago is startling.
I wrote a post alluding to this story here. To amplify on it just a bit, I hope that his family is at peace, because the frenzy will be pretty intense in the days ahead. Our culture seems to feed on depravity these days, and the Sandusky/Penn State story has it in spades.
There won’t be anything resembling the outpouring of grief and accolades that there would have been for him last year at this time. And many people will also draw a connection between his removal as football coach and the decline in his health. It’s hard not to see some parallel between the two.
Joe Paterno’s career as a football coach was one that we won’t see again. And hopefully such a rapid fall from grace won’t be seen again, either.
