STFU.... NOW

A woman from the National Organization of Women is calling for Joe Paterno to step down as the head coach of the Penn State Football team. Joe Pa has been at Penn State for over 50 years, the last 40 as head coach. He was under pressure from the media and some alumni to step down after the 2004 season, as the team had not been performing up to the standards that they were used to under Joe Pa's reign.

Paterno responded this season with an 11-1 record, and a stunning overtime defeat of fellow +75 year old'er Bobby Bowden's FSU team in the Orange Bowl. One of Bowden's players, star linebacker AJ Nicholson was suspended from FSU's appearance in the Orange Bowl pending an investigation that he sexually assaulted a woman.

Paterno was asked about Nicholson, and his reply began with him talking about past suspensions of his own players at Penn State. He ended the answer with:

"There's some tough -- there's so many people gravitating to these kids. He may not have even known what he was getting into, Nicholson. They knock on the door; somebody may knock on the door; a cute girl knocks on the door. What do you do?"
"Geez. I hope -- thank God they don't knock on my door because I'd refer them to a couple of other rooms," Paterno continued. "But that's too bad. You hate to see that. I really do. You like to see a kid end up his football career. He's a heck of a football player, by the way; he's a really good football player. And it's just too bad."

Members of NOW have taken issue with his response, and issued a news release asking Paterno to step down.

"Allegations of sexual assault should never be taken lightly," the statement reads. "Making light of sexual assault sends the message that rape is something to be expected and accepted."

Paterno may be 79 years old, but he's still sharp enough to NOT condone sexual assault. So where does NOW get off demanding that Paterno step down? What about Bobby Bowden, the FSU coach? Florida State is known as "Second, Third, and Fourth Chance University". The rap sheet at FSU in the last decade is longer than all of Paterno's whole coaching career at Penn State.

Even with Paterno's comments taken out of context, I still don't see anywhere in there where he approves of sexual assault. He says the whole situation is 'too bad'. And it is. There's going to be a Marcus Vick post coming up, and it's an indication of how athletes are treated in our society. Many of the 'golden childs' think they can get away with everything. And that's really too bad, because then things like this happen. But I don't see anywhere in Paterno's comments that say that rape and assault are accepted, or expected to happen.

Maybe NOW should be spending their resources on things that actually matter - like home economics classes, embroidery seminars, home improvement loans to install stripper poles in homes.........

I'M KIDDING. Really, I am. I think..... No, actually, I am kidding.

Leave Paterno alone. He's a good man.