Jim Knutsen — Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 1:39PM We Should Expect More From Our Leaders
That headline is not nearly strong enough. We should expect a hell of a lot more from out leaders than committing a moral failure of epic proportions.
I just walked in the door from listening to a couple of absolute morons on sports radio actually debating whether Joe Paterno has done anything worth losing his job in the Jerry Sandusky scandal.
"He did everything he was legally supposed to do," argued one of the hosts. "He followed all the proper procedures."
Really? He learned that a long-time friend and assistant coach had been caught in the act of raping a 10-year-old boy and we should be content that he followed proper procedure? That his response was legally correct?
I could care less what Joe Paterno has accomplished as coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions, or how much he's done for the community. I don't care if serves as the usher at church every Sunday and brings the local widow baked bread on Wednesdays.
Joe Paterno knew about the rape of a child nine years ago. His obligation as a leader--as a human being--was not to follow proper legal procedure... not to protect his friend or the institution... his obligation was to do everything in his considerable power to make sure the man could never harm another child. Consequences and personal cost be damned.
Too often, I fear we are measuring the wrong things in our leaders. Wins and profitability are important in their place. But not at the cost of basic common sense and human decency. That anyone is making excuses for Joe Paterno right now is absolutely beyond me.
Paterno's failure is not as a coach, a fundraiser, or a leader of men. He failed at being human. And that on an epic scale.
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