What now, Penn State?

The more I keep hearing about this Penn State scandal, the worse it gets.

I won't rehash it here, but these disgusting allegations sound like they go far beyond assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. The main questions now, as in the Watergate scandal, are what did football personnel and university officials know and when did they know it?

This scandal has, of course, taken down legendary coach Joe Paterno. In many states, Paterno would be criminally liable for not reporting child abuse to police, which he apparently did not do, although my understanding is that Pennsylvania has no such law requiring action. That doesn't even slightly excuse Paterno if he turned a blind eye to a situation like this, of course, but I don't know if any other penalty is possible.

What does Penn State do now to go forward?

One of my heroes, ESPN's Gregg Easterbrook, says in his widely-read "Tuesday Morning Quarterback" column that if the allegations are true, Penn State should voluntarily kill off its football program.

I don't believe this is the solution, although Easterbrook states that football culture, not specific to Penn State but as a whole, contributed to the situation. This is a reasonable, plausible argument. Players at the sub-professional level don't question their coaches' words or actions, at least not in the locker room, and Sandusky's alleged behavior would likely not have been stopped because, frankly, that's not what you do around the locker room.

There is more than a kernel of truth here. Most boys and men who have played football, to varying degrees, can vouch that at least some of this occurs in every program. I'm not suggesting that anything even remotely close to what may have happened at Penn State is happening in programs all across the country, but the general rule is what happens in the locker room stays in the locker room.

Penn State, with the recent firings, did the right thing, albeit for completely the wrong reasons. Ultimately, Paterno and the others were taken down not for what Sandusky may or may not have done and what the university did or didn't do in response, but because of the following public relations nightmare. Had the story never broke, Joe Pa would still be heading the Nittany Lions and things would be going along as normal in State College, as it had for a long time before the allegations came to light.

Should the allegations be proven false, Paterno and the fired officials should get their jobs back, if they want them. The Penn State Board of Trustees should have to eat a small mountain of crow.

Should the allegations be proven true, Penn State needs to take a serious look at how things progressed to this point, how a child molester was allowed to go on, unmolested, because of his connection to the football program and how the legacy of Joe Paterno should be treated.

Another sports figure who worked in Pennsylvania for a time, Pete Rose, has been reduced to a walking allegory about the culture of sports, specifically its greed and largess. His crime was betting on baseball games. He was ripped to shreds for his connection to gambling, a vice and a victimless crime.

Rose was banned from baseball for what he did, rightfully so, as that penalty is stated clearly by the Major Leagues.

Paterno may have aided and abetted the most heinous activity in our society. If he did, he needs to be held accountable for his action, or inaction, with an appropriate penalty.

Anything less would be a crime.