I’ve heard and read stories about couples that have lived and shared life together for 60 or more years, then when one passes, the other, who appeared to be in good health, soon after dies.
Can a person die from a broken heart?
Sure, the end result was lung cancer for iconic Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, but did he lose his will to live after getting canned as head coach of the team has coached over 46 years?
Paterno, 85, passed away this past weekend, only a few months after losing his job, because of allegations that former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was arrested on 40 counts relating to sexual abuse of eight young boys over a 15-year period, including alleged incidents that occurred at Penn State.
A grand jury investigation reported that then-graduate assistant Mike McQueary told Paterno in 2002 that he had seen Sandusky abusing a 10-year-old boy in Penn State football’s shower facilities.
According to the report, Paterno notified Athletic Director Tim Curley the next day about the incident.
After everything came to light, Paterno became a focus as to why he did not take firmer action. He told reporters that McQueary never related to him the very specific actions contained in the Grand Jury report. Later he did acknowledge that he wished he had done more.
Paterno’s death came just over a couple months following his last victory. One cannot help but think of another coaching great, Alabama’s Paul “Bear” Bryant, who died less than a month after retiring. “Quit coaching?” Bryant said. “I’d croak in a week.”
Paterno left college football as the winningest coach in major college football. He passed Grambling State’s late iconic coach, Eddie Robinson, for the most victories in Division I and finished with 409, along with 24 bowl victories.
By all accounts, Paterno was a good father and person. He and his wife, Sue, raised five children in State College. Other than family, football was everything to Joe Paterno. It was his lifeblood. It kept him pumped.
He built a program based on the credo “Success with Honor,” and he found both, winning two national championship and sending over 250 of the players he coached to the NFL.
That is the biggest irony of it all, he really did preach those things and by all accounts did a yeoman’s work in turning boys to men. With Paterno, character and academics came first and championships second. He insisted that on-field success not come at the expense of graduation rates.
So the many years as a coach at Penn State and all the good he did for others, in a second has been overshadowed by his good friend’s molestation charges.
Where was Paterno’s high moral character when it came to the kids hurt by all this? I guess his loyalty to a longtime friend compromised his decision making.
Recalling the pictures of Paterno on his front porch talking to the media after he was fired, he put on a face that did not seem overwhelmed. But, I guess deep down inside there was a firestorm of mixed emotions and regrets.
McQueary described Paterno as shocked and saddened and said the coach told him he had “done the right thing” by reporting the encounter. Paterno waited a day before alerting school officials and never went to the police.
Paterno did tell reporters he was “absolutely devastated” by the abuse case.
“This is a tragedy,” he said. “It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.”
“You can die of heartbreak. I’m sure Joe had some heartbreak, too,” said 82-year-old Bobby Bowden, the former Florida State coach who retired two years ago after 34 seasons.
Sure, Joe Pa missed an opportunity to do the right thing, but I guess we all fall short of perfection.
Leland Stein can be reached at lelstein3@aol.com or Twitter @LelandSteinIII.
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