Last spring, six Penn State football players were arrested for crimes relating to an off-campus fight.
As a result, during the 2007 season, Joe Paterno will be punishing the entire football team by – I’m not making this up – making them clean up Beaver Stadium after each home game. After their Saturday afternoon game, the players will be required to report to the stadium first thing Sunday morning for cleaning detail.
“We’re all going to do it, everybody…” [said coach Paterno]. “Not just the kids that were involved. ‘Cause we’re all in it together. This is a team embarrassment. I wouldn’t call it anything much other than that.”
And he’s not through yet. The team will also have to build a house for Habitat for Humanity and volunteer for the Special Olympics this summer.
What do you think? Is Joe Pa being too rough? Or is this the type of thing that college football desperately needs more of?
Link
I think this is great, I know many of the football players being an athlete myself and this sort of thing might make them humble.
What a great move. I know JoPa is old school and probably out of touch on a number of fronts, but I have no problem with him sending a message that these kids are not above the rules that most of society follows. As a parent I’d much rather my kid played for someone who would hold him accountable outside of the football field than someone who looked the other way.
cleaning detail
build a house for Habitat for Humanity
volunteer for the Special Olympics
While I appreciate Paterno’s efforts to keep what athletes he can on the straight and narrow … when will they find time to study? 🙂
The only thing I don’t like about it is that Paterno seems to think the students are guilty. The blog says they were arrested not tried and convicted. If they are still awaiting trial then, believe it or not, that means they are still innocent.