The Sports Monitor

Bill O'Brien did a heck of a job under the circumstances at Penn State. He had to convince a lot of players to commit to the football program through some tough times. Now, he's bolting for the NFL. O'Brien is free to do what he wants in his profession. But I can't help but think O'Brien didn't follow his own advice. I think abandoning the program is too strong, but he didn't hold himself to the same standard that he pressured college students into staying.

I simply can't believe it's been more than a month since my last post. And, as a writer, I can't believe how easy it is to get out of the habit of posting something here. I'll try to get back in the habit of posting regularly again. There certainly has been enough news going on in the sports world to comment on. The Steelers have a two-game winning streak, the Tigers looked inept again in the World Series, and there's no hockey. Penn State football seems to have recovered, Pitt football actually has won a couple games and Hurricane Sally lived up to it's billing. Again, sorry I've let things slip. Thanks for checking in with the site and please return again.

Does anyone believe a thing Jerry Sandusky's wife is saying? Dottie Sandusky told the Centre Daily Times that the convicted child molester is not "who they say he is." Someone should be advising her to stay quiet. She's not helping his cause and she's ending any credibility she might have.

After several days of recharging at Allegany State Park near Salamanca, N.Y., I get back to reality with some big news. The biggest has been the punishment handed down by the NCAA to Penn State. It's quite a lot to take in: $60 million fine No bowl appearances for four years Loss of scholarships Loss of all wins dating to 1998 Players can freely transfer Boom. Now, Penn State starts to rebuild. Coach Bill O'Brien has rolled up his sleeves to keep the team together. Quarterback Matt McGloin and others are saying that they'll stay with the team. That should be the least of O'Brien's worries. In fact, I think he'll be able to keep everyone on the team. He'll be able to rally the players and fans to support the team through this four-year postseason ban. The Us. Vs. The World cry will win over the players already on the team. The biggest hurdle to overcome is the loss of scholarships. We won't know the full effect of that for years. A...

I agree Joe Paterno had to go at Penn State. Tom Bradley was the logical choice to fill in while the university conducted a search. However, John Smallwood from the Philadelphia Daily News thinks Bradley would be the best choice as the replacement. Penn State needs a clean break from all things Paterno. Bradley has done the right things as the interim coach, but any reminder or link to Paterno or Sandusky needs to go away. If that means losing Bradley, so be it.

I'm sure the events from this weekend surrounding the Penn State football program and former coach Jerry Sandusky have made the rounds. AD Tim Curley and Gary Schultz have stepped down, and coach Joe Paterno is said to have been shocked. I'm not ready to call on Paterno to step down, as Jason Whitlock has, but I'm having a hard time coming to grips over one thing involving JoePa. If Paterno, the man more powerful and influential than the Penn State athletic director and university president, was so concerned about an alleged incident being reported to him, why did he simply follow the line of command and report the incident to his AD and forget about it? Paterno couldn't do anything about it? He was helpless? I think we're in the early stages of information being released. I can't see JoePa emerging unscathed from all this. And, without a doubt, the university will be rocked by this scandal.