Paterno deserves to have stadium in his name!

Love him or loathe him,
the late Joe Paterno is a legend

You know me, Eye On Sports followers. I always hold my ground when I genuinely believe in something – and don’t mind stating just how I feel on any subject no matter what kind of backlash I might potentially receive.

Having said that, I am going on record once again to say that beloved former Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno got the shaft from his former employee in the wake of the now, infamous alleged Jerry Sandusky molestation case.

While Paterno did say he wished he had done more, before passing away in January, many people across the nation condemned Joe Pa, a man that has long stood as a symbol of fairness, honesty and integrity in a sport where cheating takes place n a daily basis.

Well, last week, a new poll conducted by Quinnipiac University, found that 46 percent of those polled thought the school should rename Beaver Stadium to Joe Paterno Stadium while 40 percent were opposed to the name change.

Joe Pa stood for integrity and doing things
the right way during his tenure at Penn State.

Beaver Stadium is currently named after former Pennsylvania governor James Beaver, a 19th century member of the school's board of trustees. Pollsters surveyed nearly 1,300 registered voters during six days, with the poll having a margin of error that sits at plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.

While the Paterno family name already sits above the library and a spiritual life center on campus, I say it would be a travesty if the school did not name its stadium after the legendary head coach.

Paterno was fired by the board of trustees in November, following the arrest of Sandusky on child sexual abuse charges, but as I continue to point out, Joe Paterno did not commit any illegal acts himself and clearly has had a major positive impact on the lives of many, both players and non-athletes alike.

Love him or loathe him (why would you?) there’s no denying that Joe Paterno’s legacy and teachings will live on for decades to come as many of the coach’s former players are now fathers and grandfathers themselves.

I fully support Joe Paterno and always have. Penn State needs to do the right thing and name their Stadium after Paterno – before erecting a statue of the respected legend.

Get a Life Joe Pa Haters!

Philadelphia Neo Soul Songstress Jill Scott!

If I could give you the world
On a silver platter
Would even matter
You'd still be mad at me

Hate On Me – Philadelphia Neo-Soul Songstress Jill Scott

I’ve got one thing to say to all of the people that want to ‘hate’ on the beloved Joe Paterno for the way he did or did not handle the school’s now infamous Jerry Sandusky scandal.

Get a freakin’ life haters!

Nike executive chairman and CEO Phil Knight put it best when he summed up the whole debacle by saying that Penn State’s foolish trustees laid the blame at the feet of the wrong man, despite the fact that Paterno did everything he was required to do by law – and had never brought anything to the Nittany Lions program other than truth, honesty and integrity.

"This much is clear to me: If there is a villain in this tragedy, it lies in that investigation and not in Joe Paterno's response," Knight said at Paterno’s memorial service on Thursday, drawing a well-deserved standing ovation in the process.

As Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer said, Paterno is always going to be remembered as the greatest college football coach ever – and that’s the way it should be!

The Legend Lives On!

Say what you want about Joe Paterno, but it says right here at Eye On Sports that the legendary head coach will live on for decades to come though the countless lives he touched while here on earth – and the equally incalculable number of lives he will continue to touch even in death.

Just think about if football fans, Paterno has coached players in six different decades – and now many of those former players are grown men with children, grand children and likely a great grandchild or two thrown in somewhere among the bunch. Just think how many lessons that Paterno taught to his former players that went on to share them with their own sons and grandsons.

Oh yeah, love him or loathe him (I Love Joe Pa) Joe Paterno’s legacy of loving others and building up young men  will undoubtedly live on for years to come! 

Phil Knight’s Alright!

After seeing the stirring speech delivered by Nike chairman and CEO Phil Knight at Thursday’s memorial for beloved late Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno, I just can’t bring myself to bad-mouth the polarizing Knight – at least for the foreseeable future.

Knight’s quote about the legendary Paterno and how the investigation was handled will be remembered for years to come – and was well-deserving of the standing ovation it set off.

"This much is clear to me: If there is a villain in this tragedy, it lies in that investigation and not in Joe Paterno's response," Knight said. Paterno's widow, Sue, was among those rising to their feet – along with me at home!

There’ll Never Be Another Joe Paterno!

Say whatever you like about late, Penn State head coach Joe Paterno, but it says right here Eye On Sports collegiate gridiron fans that there will never, ever be another college football coach like Joe Paterno.

The man stood for honesty and integrity in a sport where underhanded cheating and backdoor deals with ‘unnamed boosters’ are more of the norm than abnormal. If you’re child went to Penn State to play football for Paterno, you know he got a genuine college education from one of the best schools in the country as Paterno made his players maintain a high grade level before it ever became commonplace – and now – mandatory!

In hindsight, could the beloved ‘Joe Pa’ have done more after initially finding out about Jerry Sandusky?

Undoubtedly and he even stated this fact. However, in his defense, Paterno, who is from a totally different era, never had to deal with anything remotely close to the horrific nature of Sandusky’s alleged crimes and more importantly, did, A), what he was required to do by law and B) never committed any crime himself.

Paterno built his program on the credo "Success with Honor," and those closest to him know he lived his motto as well.

Paterno won 409 games in his Hall of Fame career and took the Nittany Lions to 37 bowl games and two national championships. More than 250 of the players Paterno coached went on to the NFL.

Paterno’s family released a statement Sunday morning to announce his death: "His loss leaves a void in our lives that will never be filled."

"He died as he lived," the statement said. "He fought hard until the end, stayed positive, thought only of others and constantly reminded everyone of how blessed his life had been. His ambitions were far reaching, but he never believed he had to leave this Happy Valley to achieve them. He was a man devoted to his family, his university, his players and his community."

Again, you can say whatever you like about Paterno’s handling of the Sandusky situation, but we here at Eye On Sports say Paterno was a great man that did far more good in his life than the average man – and how many people can say that?

Penn State Football Done As We Know It!

As a former Penn State student that loves himself some Nittany Lions, I really hate to admit it, but the fact of the matter is that I fully believe that no matter whom the school hires as its next head coach, the once-storied Penn State football program is done as we have come to know it – and even worse – that it will never get back to the level or national stature that it held under former legendary head coach Joe Paterno.

I can just see some blue chip recruit’s mom right now.

Recruit: Mom, Penn State wants me and they’re going to offer me a full, four-year ride to play football.

Mom: Isn’t that the school where they had all of that molestation mess going on?

Recruit: yeah, but that’s in the past and the man responsible is behind bars.

Mom: Yeah, but … can’t you pick another school? I don’t want you going to a school where that monster worked. How do you know something’s still not going on up there?

Recruit: C’mon Mom, that was an isolated incident.

Mom: Yeah, well, you’re still not going there. I don’t care how many scholarships they offer you. There’s a lot of other good schools out there where nothing like this happened. How do I know someone not going to try something on you?

Recruit: Oooookay, I seee there’s no winning this one ma.

Mom: Nope. No way in hell!