Joe Paterno began his coaching career at Penn State in 1950, serving as an assistant coach for fifteen years. He became the head coach in 1966, a position he held until his recent firing amid the Jerry Sandusky sex scandal.  During those years, he led the Nittany Lions to 37 bowl games and two national championships. Ironically, he accomplished his greatest achievement the week before he was fired—he won his record 409^th career game, making him the winningest coach in NCAA Division One history.

That same week, Paterno’s long-time assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was arrested on charges of molesting 10 boys over the span of 15 years, some of whom were molested in the football facilities at Penn State. What made the story worse is that Paterno knew about the situation. He had received an eye-witness report that Sandusky had raped a boy in the team showers. Rather than report it to the police, however, he simply pushed the matter up the administrative chain of command. And, it appears, he never tried to find out what happened to the little boy in question and never followed up to see if the police had been informed. Worst of all, when it appeared that nothing would be done, he simply allowed the incident to be swept under the giant Penn State rug, and continued his pursuit of football immortality. And ultimately, when the truth finally came out, he suffered the swift justice of a legacy-destroying ouster from the school.

Joe Paterno was known for the slogan that defined his football program: “Success with Honor.” For sixty-one years, he sought to instill that idea into the hearts and lives of his players. For Paterno himself, however, the slogan was simply a mirage—a hollow credo without character. That’s not to say that Paterno did not begin with a legitimate goal to instill “Success with Honor” in his players. But somewhere along the line, his goal changed from building character to building legacy. As the wins piled up and the national championships were won, Paterno became about one thing—Paterno. At some point in his journey, something clicked, and he knew that he could become the greatest of all time. Nothing could stand in the way of that; not even a little boy being raped in the showers of his football complex. Make no mistake . . . on the fateful day when Joe Paterno heard what had happened, he made a conscious decision to protect his legacy at the expense of a child’s life and wellbeing.

Paterno’s comments about his choices are sad and pathetic. They reveal how little character Paterno really had. In the Post interview he said, “I didn’t know which way to go … and rather than get in there and make a mistake. . .” What kind of answer is this? He didn’t know which way to go when confronted by the news that a young boy was raped in his complex? Surely, someone who preaches “Success with Honor” knows that you must protect an innocent child, especially if that someone has kids of his own. Are we to believe that if the child had been one of Paterno’s sons that this would have been his response?

Paterno went on to say, “You know, (McQueary) didn’t want to get specific. And to be frank with you I don’t know that it would have done any good, because I never heard of, of, rape and a man. So I just did what I thought was best. I talked to people that I thought would be, if there was a problem, that would be following up on it.” I spent three years in law enforcement. Rarely have I heard a more blatant falsehood. Paterno didn’t know if reporting it would have done any good? Seriously? He did what he thought was best? For what, his legacy? Finally, he ends his comments by saying he did enough when he pushed the matter up the chain of command. I suppose he hoped someone else would have the integrity to do the right thing. And then, his conscience soothed, Paterno turned his attention back to the really important thing in his life—winning football games.

Paterno made one comment that was the most devastating of all, however. He said, “This is a tragedy. It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.” Once again, he attempts to minimize his responsibility with false humility. “With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more?” How much hindsight did he need? The event happened nine years ago! If that weren’t enough time, how much time would he have needed? Apparently, he just needed enough time to get the all-time record for wins. Maybe then he would have had the courage to do the right thing, rather than allow the lives of young boys to be destroyed for the sake of his “legacy.”

Since his death, much has been said about Paterno. Penn State President Rodney Erickson called him “a great man who made us a greater university.” Penn State’s new football coach, Bill O’Brien, called Paterno a “great man, coach, mentor and, in many cases, a father figure.” Tom Bradley, one of Paterno’s long time assistants, said, “He will go down in history as one of the greatest men, who maybe most of you know as a great football coach.” Clearly, we would expect these types of comments from those in the Penn State family. These are men who see Paterno’s legacy as a bridge to their own, and as a result, see it as a legacy that must be preserved at all costs.

A “Who’s Who” of famous coaches have weighed in on Paterno as well, sharing thoughts about his greatness and legacy. New Ohio State head football coach Urban Meyer said, “He will go down as the greatest football coach in the history of the game.” Bobby Bowden, who competed with Paterno for the most wins in history, said he hopes Paterno will be remembered as a great leader and coach, and not for his role in the Sandusky scandal. He said, “You can’t ignore the great years he had at Penn State and the great things he did for Penn State.”

Meyer may be right. When it comes to winning football games, no one may ever rival Joe Paterno. But when it comes to integrity, and the legacy it creates, Paterno is totally bankrupt. As much as I respect Bobby Bowden, his thoughts are misguided here, driven more by his friendship with Paterno than his understanding of the gravity of Paterno’s choices. You cannot separate Paterno the coach from Paterno the man. He is not a great leader, and he is not a great man. He was confronted with great evil in his program, the worst, most heinous evil that exists on the planet, and he chose to do nothing. He placed a higher value on winning football games than protecting children. He chose to continue the pursuit of his own personal milestone and the development of his own personal legacy over the pursuit of truth and justice. Good men do not make those choices.

Of course, some will argue that Joe Paterno doesn’t deserve this type of criticism. After all, they say, he didn’t rape the boy. While that is true, he knew the event happened—that alone makes him culpable. And although he may have tried to assuage his guilt with his “I pushed it up the ladder” mea culpa, he, more than anyone, knew he had the responsibility to do more. I’m sure after that fateful day in 2002, every time he used the phrase “Success with Honor,” it left a hypocritical taste in his mouth.

Despite the attempts by many to salvage Joe Paterno’s legacy, I’ve lost all respect for him. Everything he claimed to stand for was a lie. He chose himself over a helpless child. No amount of wins can ever justify that. Ultimately, his legacy is this: “Success without Honor.”

Before I close, however, there is one other person who should weigh in on this matter. One significant individual who should give us his take on Joe Paterno’s legacy: “Whoever harms one of these little ones, it would be better for him if a millstone were placed around his neck and he was cast into the depth of the sea.” –Jesus.