Doing the Right Thing!

One of the basic underpinnings of human morality is that we all have an obligation to protect those who cannot protect themselves. If I leave a restaurant and see a woman being assaulted in the parking lot, I have a moral duty to intervene on her behalf. If I wait to call the police, or go back inside and call someone else, I have forsaken a basic tenet of human morality and character. And before you say, “ What if they have a gun?” think about the victim. It could be my wife, daughter, sister, etc., and God forbid that would ever happen, but I would hope that someone in that situation would intervene on their behalf. In many states it's called the Good Samaritan law.

I knew of this moral obligation well before I was the age of the graduate assistant who stated in grand jury testimony that he witnessed the alleged crime at Penn State. He is now an assistant coach. I knew this basic principle as a 16-year old kid. If I knew it then, how could a graduate assistant in his early 20’s not know what is the right thing to do in regard to an innocent child and felonious behavior?

The tragedy at Penn State University surrounding the allegations of sexual abuse by a former assistant coach against innocent boys is depraved at best. As a result of one man’s purported repeated sickening actions, a legendary football coach, an athletic director, another administrator and a university president have lost their jobs. And given what little we now know, I believe this was the right call, albeit too late in my personal opinion.

Most disturbing is the grand jury testimony cited by Mike and Mike where Paterno acknowledged, in his words, that “fondling and sexual activity” had taken place per the then graduate assistant who reported it to the head coach. This is in a legal binding document, not hearsay. Hello!!!! What part of that in regard to an adult and a minor is not illegal? What part of that doesn’t make you want to physically grab your friend and former coaching colleague and haul his butt before authorities? What part of that would allow you to let that person return not once, but several times to your practice facility and have further access to young people?

The victims and their families can take small consolation in the fact that someone has finally taken a step to do the right thing regardless of media spin, public opinion and the reputation of a storied athletic program. This goes way beyond trying to protect the reputation of a university or athletic program. It goes to the heart of institutional oversight and organizational culture. It is about character.

Ga. State Head Coach and former ESPN analyst Bill Curry is a friend of Joe Paterno and had these comments on ESPN’s Mike and Mike show this morning:

Our sacred trust as mentors, coaches, and parents is the children and anything that causes such horror where they are concerned has always been more than I can bear. And to think of the betrayal that is involved in this case…I do know and love Joe Paterno, we’re not like brothers, but we are good friends, I know this, whatever he perceived the right thing to do whenever he learned what he knew, he thought it was the right thing….In the coaching profession you approach greatness by always taking responsibility. Joe has taken responsibility for his actions when he said, “I should’ve done more.” That doesn’t make it okay and help the victims but it means he is being a man about it.

Somewhere, somehow, something very basic broke down. This is not purported poor behavior. This is a felony! A felony! You are entitled to your opinion, but I cannot believe that simply informing your superior satisfies your moral duty. The bar is even higher for those of us who profess to be Christ-followers. James offers this counsel to all believers in this regard: Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Today, my thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. They need to be the priority at every turn in this situation now. Their health, welfare, well-being and future IS the single most important issue. And the current players who have nothing to do with this entire mess are second. They came to PSU to play football.

Let us pray for healing and lest any of us think too highly of ourselves, or too lightly of our own imperfections we must keep in mind that there but for the grace of God go any of us, or our favorite school, churches, coaches, etc. And we must remember, God did not fail in this mess, man did! May God have mercy on us all and may the victims and their families be drenched in His comfort.