A star player was dead. The coach swore the player didn’t use drugs. The athletic director and university president worked damage control. In the end, everyone was fired or resigned and the program needed seven years to rebuild.
When Penn State finishes protecting its brand, sees everyone remotely involved depart and tries to start over, the Nittany Lions should review Maryland basketball’s 1986 debacle following Len Bias’ death. Twenty-five years later, it’s the same shameless series of denials that worsen an already deplorable scandal.
Penn State’s football program is reeling after former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was recently charged with sexually abusing eight boys over 15 years. Penn State athletic director Tim Curley and vice president Gary Schultz were charged with perjury and failing to report suspected abuse.
Now coach Joe Paterno and university president Graham Spanier also seem destined for removal over their mishandling of the scandal. Neither was charged, but essentially ignoring the terrible allegation in 2002 will surely force both out within days.
Penn State is tainted by this scandal. It’s not going away soon. Just ask Maryland.
Bias was no longer a student when he died of a cocaine overdose in June 1986, but he died in his dorm room. It might have been his final night there after he was drafted by the Boston Celtics, but since it happened on the College Park campus, the Terrapins’ program was involved. If Bias died in a hotel room, Maryland would have been clear of scandal.
Maryland’s response was a textbook example of how lying makes things worse. Coach Lefty Driesell tried to claim Bias was a one-time user, but through the years that has proven to be a lie. Driesell’s cover-up actions eventually led to his ouster.
One by one, Bias’ teammates were brought before a grand jury. One by one, top officials disappeared until even president John Slaughter fled. But Slaughter worsened the mess by picking a high school coach as Driesell’s successor that caused crippling NCAA sanctions over three years. It took his successor Gary Williams another four years to rebuild the team.
Maryland spent seven years in purgatory as its penalty not for Bias’ death, but for mishandling it so badly. Now Penn State faces the same dilemma.
Paterno should retire. He’s not the principle villain here, but poor judgment when told of one alleged sexual misconduct by Sandusky in 2002 should cause his ouster. It needs to happen immediately, not after a bowl game. It’s a harsh way to exit, but this is a sad episode where nobody deserves mercy. The same goes for Spanier, who of all things was president of the National Council on Family Relations and chairman of the Christian Children’s Fund.
Penn State will need years to recover from this scandal. But then, those alleged victims may need a lifetime to recover from abuse. It seems only fair Penn State shares the pain just like Maryland did.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more on Twitter @Snide_Remarks or email [email protected].
