Joe Paterno. Two words the once stood for honor and victory. Joe Paterno threw away honor. Joe Paterno threw away victory. He brought a deep and lasting tragedy upon himself, upon the entire coaching profession, and upon a formerly honorable university in Pennsylvania.

These are my opinions as someone who coaches people in business (not athletes):

A coach who is truly moral and truly honorable would never tolerate anyone around him who behaved in immoral ways. A coach who is truly good and decent could never knowingly enable or protect anyone around him whose sexual behaviors victimize and violate young boys.

If nothing else is true, a coach must be someone who shapes the lives of others in positive ways, who helps guide someone to become better at what they do, who leads by moral example, who represents the very best that a person can be in this life.

Football is not as valuable as human dignity. Pennsylvania State University needs to demonstrate an acceptance of that truth no matter what the cost to the university and to the alumni and no matter whom the university needs to terminate.

Bad karma follows (whether it be inside a religious organization or a state university) when men in power believe that somehow due to their power they are not accountable to moral codes and civil laws.

Related content from ESPN: http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7221684/the-tragedy-penn-state-nittany-lions-coach-joe-paterno

Also read this commentary from a young man who is 31, an Iraq war veteran, a Penn State graduate, a Catholic, a native of State College, acquaintance of Jerry Sandusky’s, and a product of his Second Mile foundation: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/guest-voices/post/penn-state-my-final-loss-of-faith/2011/11/11/gIQAwmiIDN_blog.html