The Sports Monitor

A headline on ESPN.com said it all: Family says no Paterno coverup for Sandusky. You can read the story here . My question: What else would Joe Paterno's family say about the Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State? If reports are true, Thursday is the day we'll hear about the Sandusky scandal.

The Penn State football coaching search can't be going very well. If you're considering hiring former Browns and Jets coach Eric Mangini, well, you're in trouble. Browns fans probably would like to forget about the Mangini years. Jets fans probably have the same thoughts. Why would Penn State want Mangini? Maybe they're desperate. Maybe the program isn't what they thought. Maybe candidates are scared off by what might happen down the road. Maybe they just don't know. After all, when was the last time Penn State had to look for a coach? Mike Munchak, Tony Dungy and Chris Peterson (Boise State) all have denied any interest. Meanwhile, many schools, including Pitt, have filled their vacancies. Whenever Penn State names a coach, that person will be behind on the recruiting trail. Nittany Lions fans should just hope that person isn't Eric Mangini.

When news of Jerry Sandusky's alleged sex abuse scandal broke, my first reaction to the reported incident that then-graduate assistant Mike McQueary witnessed, was why didn't McQueary do something. Well, NBC News obtained an e-mail from McQueary to former teammates. The e-mail indicates McQueary did something. "I didn’t just turn and run," McQueary says in the e-mail. "I made sure it stopped … I had to make quick, tough decisions." The New York Daily News has a story . I also didn't understand why McQueary was still on staff when others, including Joe Paterno, were let go. After hearing Gov. Tom Corbett on Sunday, and he didn't say this specifically, but I'm of the opinion that McQueary's testimony is important. If McQueary ended up being charged or implicated, he could plead the Fifth, and not help the investigation. Maybe his paid leave is one way to keep him cooperating. On a separate note, Sports Illustrated has an interesting...

What do you do if you've been charged with sexual acts with minors? If you're former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, you do an interview on national television and admit that you've showered with kids. From there, we're to believe Sandusky did nothing wrong. I watch with stunned silence the denials from Sandusky during his interview with Bob Costas. To me, Sandusky sounded cold and calculating. What really was revealing was Sandusky's reply to this Costas question: Are you sexually attracted to young boys? After an uncomfortable pause of about two seconds, Sandusky tells us he's not, but he enjoys being around young boys. I was expecting a defiant, "No!" Instead, Sandusky said, " I enjoy young people, I love to be around them, but, no, I’m not sexually attracted to young boys. The whole setting for the interview was out of normal as well. Costas interviewed Sandusky by phone while Sandusky's attorney was seated ne...

It had to happen. Penn State needed to get rid of coach Joe Paterno. I don't care how many wins he has or how much money he has given to the university. Joe had to go. Did Paterno do the minimum required in the scandal that's rocked State College? Apparently. But there was a moral obligation, too. Paterno had the power to stop Jerry Sandusky but failed. Paterno's a man that was bigger than anything at State College. He called the shots there, and he knew it. He was even defiant earlier Wednesday. Check out his statement: "At this moment the Board of Trustees should not spend a single minute discussing my status. They have far more important matters to address. I want to make this as easy for them as I possibly can." Joe thought he could go when he wanted. The school's trustees thought differently. They rightly showed him who was in charge. In my opinion, Paterno was all about Paterno, building a legend, setting records and coaching for...

Finally. Pitt and Penn State will resume their once-storied football rivalry. The only problem is, we have to wait until September 2016 for it to happen. The wait will be worth it, however. If you're a fan of college football and you're from western Pennsylvania this series was the one to watch. The rivalry ended in 2000, so it'll be a long gap between games. So long, in fact, many young fans from western Pennsylvania don't have an idea what it was like to have such a heated rivalry. It was Auburn-Alabama, UCLA-USC or Ohio State-Michigan. Some blame Penn State coach Joe Paterno for the end of the series in 2000. I'm just glad it's back. Do you think JoePa will be on the sidelines for the game in 2016?