Thank God it's Freeh Day

Within minutes, the long awaited tome will be released.  But it hardly matters what it says, does it?  The players were  tried and convicted within 24 hours of Jerry Sandusky’s arrest in November.

By 9:05 every news organization will release their interpretation, which is the correct only one.  And people will believe it.  Bloggers deep within their Moms’ basements will once again scream that “Penn State should be burned to the ground”!  Mouth breathers who have not read anything more complex than the latest Fulmer Cup standings will protest that “PENN STATE DESERVES THE DEATH PENALTY PAAAAWWWWWWLLLLLLL!”  Talking heads on ESPN will say stuff and they’ll run a scroll all day long with words, words, words. The Paterno apologists (holla, my brothers and sisters!) will analyze it, hopeful that in some way, however small, Joe will be vindicated.

But is does not matter.  We live in a world where Brooks Melchoir can say that Joe had the Mafia kill Ray Gricar and people believe him.  Where the talking heads on ESPN are are the morality police. The sports media have been waiting for Joe to slip up for decades, so within minutes of the start of this mess they had their narrative written and their page clicks paid for with our blue and white tears.

I won’t be analyzing the report here, there are people who are way more qualified than me to do that.  I’ll put on my tin foil hat, read it, comment on it, and continue to struggle with the situation.  I won’t feel better, I’ll most likely feel worse.  I’ll defend Joe, even as I deal with my disappointment in how he handled the situation, and remember that he did what he thought was best at the time. He (and yes, even the other main players) didn’t have the hindsight and information we have now.

Those are my feelings and I will deal with them.

Penn State will go on.  Football will be played again. As it should.

PS, I do not condone the abuse of children in any way

UPDATE:  10:10am  I remember reading how George Stephanopoulos felt when he realized that his idol  Bill Clinton had been lying about Ginnifer Flowers.  That is how  I feel right now.