Joe and Julius

"The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones", Act 3, Scene ii of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare (Mark Antony speaking of Julius Caesar).  How true that we remember people for what is perhaps a single failing or misjudgement and not for the entirety that is their lifetime. 

The debate rages on whether the statue of Joe Paterno, the beloved coach for 46 years of Penn State, should be removed in light of the knowledge that he helped conceal Jerry Sandusky's (convicted child sex offender) activities and dissuaded other university officials from reporting him to the authorities. The good that Joe Paterno did?  He and his wife donated more than $4 million to Penn State and funded the school's library that bears their names in addition to holding the record for the most NCAA victories.

So where do I stand on this issue?  There is not a doubt in my mind that statues are for heroes, those folks that gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms or to save other human beings or who led our nation to victories at tremendous personal cost to themselves.  Not for winning football coaches with extremely poor judgement and/or who put personal interests ahead of human suffering and exploitation.

We can and should remember both the good and the bad that was Joe Paterno, but the statue needs to go.