In a statement earlier this week the Paterno family said it supported the hiring of the Freeh Group to get to the bottom of the Jerry Sandusky scandal, however, they were upset that no one contacted them to give the coach’s side of the story.
Email leaks to national media outlets suggested Paterno did not want to take the abuse reports to the authorities. The Paterno family questioned the fairness of the investigation and former players do as well.
One of them is Christian Marrone, “There hasn’t been a day gone by since his death that I haven’t thought about coach”.
Marrone graduated from Penn State in 1997.
His football career was cut short by injury, but he said his coach did not quit on him.
With Paterno’s support Marrone attended law school and eventually landed a job at the Pentagon.
Marrone believes he and other alums would not be where they are today without their coach’s love and guidance.
“I think folks forget the 60 year track record he had. Not only football players, but for all people who attended Penn State.”
The Freeh Report suggests there was a power struggle between administrators and the athletic department, including when it came to discipline.
Some accused Paterno of having different standards for his players, Marrone called that absurd.
“Let me tell you something. I would much rather be held to the standard of a Penn State student than Joe Paterno’s standard. There’s a thing we called success with honor. That’s not just a recruiting tool, that’s something we live every single day”, said Marrone. “It’s why we have the highest graduation rate year in and year out. We have a higher graduation rate than the average student body.”
Marrone pointed out some of the best football players to come to Happy Valley never saw the field because they had trouble living up to Paterno’s high standards.
Jerry Sandusky was the defensive coordinator when Marrone was a member of the team in the mid 1990’s.
“I’m very angry with Jerry Sandusky and the way he deceived all of us. He deceived a whole community. He deceived his whole family.”
His heart goes out to the victims, but he said the scandal is not part of the football program.
“I get really irritated when people say this is a Penn state football problem. None of those guys in that locker room had anything to do with this. What Jerry Sandusky did is what Jerry Sandusky did. He was found guilty in the court of law.”
Marrone is also angry at the Penn state Board of Trustees criticizing their leadership.
“They’re called trustees for a reason. Entrusted with our trust to help guide that university through good times and bad and in the time of need they failed us.”
Supporters of the legendary coach will say Paterno’s legacy is more than wins and losses and the results of the Freeh Commission’s report won’t diminish what he meant to them.
Marrone also said new head coach Bill O’Brien has the full support of the Penn State lettermen and he believes O’Brien is the right man to carry on that legacy.
