Since, in the third of our series of One-Sided Interviews, we ventured beyond the whelm of real people and entered into the spectrum of inanimate objects by interviewing the New England Patriots’ footballs, we figured there is also nothing stopping us from not interviewing the dearly departed, since, like everyone and everything else in our series, they, too, are not readily available to answer our questions.
In this, the fourth installment of our series, we are not interviewing the legendary, turned infamous, ex-coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions, Joe Paterno.
SOD: Coach, I am sure you do not know this, but you actually attended Brooklyn Prep with my father, way back when. My father, who has also recently passed, was a few years behind you at school and was friends with your brother George. Having known you, he always followed your successes throughout the years, proud of a fellow Brooklyn Prep alum. So, tell me, what do you remember from those Brooklyn Prep days?
COACH PATERNO: Not available for comment.
SOD: Coach, if you don’t mind, I would like to jump way ahead to the twilight of your coaching career. You had a remarkably long and successful career at Penn State, achieving some amazing coaching records and being well-revered by all throughout college football, only to have it all come to an unfortunate end, tarnished through the unfathomable actions by a man who you considered a friend and loyal assistant coach. Looking back on it, can you share with us the emotions and disappointment you may have had with how your career ended?
COACH PATERNO: Not available for comment.
SOD: Did you or do you, feel, in any way, abandoned by people who you thought had your back? Do you think the ending of your story, in any way tarnishes all the good that you achieved up to that time?
COACH PATERNO: Not available for comment.
SOD: Now, I know, it’s not possible to re-write that last chapter of your story, but, if we could, just for a moment, put the Jerry Sandusky tragedy aside and focus on the good parts, what are you most proud of having accomplished throughout your illustrious career?
COACH PATERNO: Not available for comment.
SOD: And, who are some of the young men whom you coached throughout the years that you are most proud of or with whom you bonded most closely with?
COACH PATERNO: Not available for comment.
SOD: I almost hate to do this, Coach, but let’s return to the end of your career: some of the findings and opinions rendered in the investigations that followed the Jerry Sandusky incident, suggested that, through your successes as the Head Football Coach, Penn State, as an institution of higher education, had “lost control” of what was going on within the athletic departments and the proper checks and balances that should have existed between the Administration and the Football Program were just not there. Again, knowing what you now know, and having the time to intelligently reflect on what lead up to and, possibly, enabled these actions to go on for so long, do you think there is any validity in these conclusions? And, what, if anything, would you warn fellow coaches who have long, successful tenures at prestigious universities to be weary of in the oversight and running of their programs?
COACH PATERNO: Not available for comment.
SOD: Although some feared that “the Sandusky Incident” and the penalties that followed would be a death knell to the Penn State Football Program, it appears now as if the Nittany Lions have weathered the storm fairly successfully and are on the verge of returning to the heights of College Football achievements: what advice would you have for James Franklin in his journey to get Penn State back on top of the College Football World?
COACH PATERNO: Not available for comment.
SOD: One of the interesting side stories that came out of all the media attention that accompanied the Sandusky incident was the world seeing that, after the status you achieved and the money you earned throughout the years, you, your wife and children continued to live in a relatively modest home just off of campus. Even throughout the years of becoming an iconic figure in Happy Valley, you always continued to stay grounded and live your life like any other average Joe working at the school. What is it that allowed you and your family to stay rooted in such moderate surroundings when you could obviously have afforded much more?
COACH PATERNO: Not available for comment.
SOD: And, finally, Coach, after all the dust has settled and the pain, suffering and hatred that erupted surrounding Jerry Sandusky and his actions die down a bit, what, ultimately, do you think will be the Joe Paterno legacy? How do you think history will remember you, over time?
COACH PATERNO: Not available for comment.
SOD: Thank you coach. I, for one, am sorry to see such an illustrious career be tarnished in such a way during the sunset of a great career. And, I sincerely do hope, that you are able to rest in peace.
And, that concludes the fourth installment of our One-Sided Interviews – a story that should have ended with cheers, ending with tears. If you have any thoughts on One-Sided Interviews you would like to read about in future blogs, please let us know. And, until next time, if you cannot spike the football … then, spike the lemonade.