Kevin Ryan, Asst. Sports Editor
Pictured above: Tiger Woods is one of many sports icons that has fallen from grace.
Over the past two weeks, we have learned about the disturbing sex scandal that took place on the campus of Penn State, and we watched the lives of many people change drastically. As for the victims in this case, their lives will never be the same because of the sick and disgusting acts former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky allegedly committed.
Up to this point, if everything that has been said is true, Paterno should have done more when he learned of the allegations back in 2002. Instead, he decided to look the other way and do the bare minimum.
Paterno, who for decades was thought of as a great person and the ultimate coach, is now forced to watch the team he led for 46 years at his home near Beaver Stadium. Rather than going out on top at the end of the year as college football’s all time leader in wins with 409 victories, his legacy is now tarnished.
The Big Ten has already decided to remove Paterno’s name from their championship trophy, which will be awarded in the inaugural Big Ten Championship game Dec. 3 in Indianapolis. Some fans may still think of him as the man who was a coach for the Nittany Lions for over a half-century, but many will remember for being tied to Sandusky’s sex scandal.
It is somewhat sad to see everything end like this because so many people respected and loved Paterno. However, this isn’t the first time we have seen a sports icon that has been on top for years and all of a sudden their life is turned upside down because of mistakes they made in the past.
A perfect example would be Tiger Woods. Just about two years ago, the news broke that Woods was involved in a car crash in the front lawn of his Orlando home. When the story broke, Woods’ fans and golf fans in general were just worried about his health and hoped he could return to golf and continue his dominance of the PGA Tour.
A couple days later, America found out why the accident happened and learned of the several different affairs Woods was having. The man, who had two kids and won 14 Major Championships, was no longer viewed as the ideal athlete and father figure many people thought him to be.
Since that day, Woods has lost a chunk of his fan base and has struggled to get back to his former self, as he has dealt with injuries and fundamental problems.
Michael Vick is another athlete who was very popular with fans, along with being considered one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. That is until police found out he was involved in a dog fighting scandal. After spending 18 months in prison and losing millions of dollars, Vick has had trouble getting back to the quarterback he was in Atlanta. He has shown some flashbacks of when he was a Falcon, but some people will never be able to forgive him for killing and beating innocent dogs because they were unsuccessful in winning him money.
Several people believe Vick should have done more time in jail and should have suffered more severe consequences. Today, Vick is still trying to get fans back by going out to the public and helping out the community.
Pete Rose, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are other sports stars who were very popular at one time. Now, they have fallen so far that many people don’t respect them or just don’t care about them at all anymore.
All of them have become poster figures for what kids shouldn’t aspire to be when they grow up.
It is hard to believe all of these athletes mentioned once lived a life so many kids dreamed of. Now, they are trying to convince people that even though they made mistakes, they are still good people.
With everything that has happened to Paterno, I many still believe him to be a decent man. However, he now fits in with the previously mentioned athletes who have made mistakes that changed their lives.
Moving forward, I will still believe many people involved in professional and college sports are good human beings, but I will never again believe any of them are perfect. Because certain athletes can be close to perfect on the field, people sometimes tend to think that they are also perfect off the field.
Photo provided by Reuters.
Kevin Ryan
Assistant Sports Editor | Click here for Kevin's Archives
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