Who Is in Charge at Penn State?

The scandal at Penn State has many people not just looking at the former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky in this case, but at the Penn State administration as a whole. The term “chain of command” is a term used when trying to determine who is to blame for the lack of reporting the incidents involving Sandusky. When you look closer, you see how one activity at Penn State causes unbalance in the administration.   

The chain of command seems to break when dealing with Penn State football. While at most colleges, the AD has authority over the entire department. At Penn State, it would seem Paterno had more than most in his position.

When most people think of Penn State, they think two things. Joe Paterno, and football. There is no doubt that football is a power that can dictate many universities across the country. For Penn State, it has identified the college. Its value backs up the argument, as the football program is worth $99 million, the third highest in college football.

Paterno has the most wins of any Division I-A coach and two national championships. He has been a part of the coaching staff since 1950 and head coach since 1966. For any school, 46 years is a long time for one man to coach any team.

Paterno’s influence has gone beyond football. He has become a beloved “grandfather figure” amongst student and alumni, and has even donated money for the library and spiritual center, two other things that make him more of a hero in the eyes of Penn Staters. With that, Paterno has always given some the thought that he is above everyone else. A man who has been more of a figurehead than a coach over the past decade. Of course it may be we as fans that put coaches like Paterno on such a high pedestal.

Based on how the grand jury report described the incident, it seems obvious that there was no reporting to police by no one about the 2002 incident and even the 1998 incident seen by a custodian at Penn State. It makes you wonder just how important football is to the university. Maybe too much?

While we are just at the beginning of this investigation, some feel that a cover-up has happened. Whether it was the administration protecting Paterno and the football program, or the police are keeping something under wraps, the power structure at Penn State is unstable. With former FBI Director Louis Freeh, who used to investigate the mafia, now heading the investigation into Penn State, it seems fitting for the somewhat “mob mentality” in State College. If anything, Penn State keeping quiet about this only hurt itself in the process. Cleaning out the entire current administration is the best move to make. Now that Joe Pa is no longer coach, it’s time to reconstruct the chain of command at Penn State, with football not influencing most of the activity in the administration.