In a day and age where College athletes at the highest levels can be as famous and as pampered as their professional counterparts, Joe Pa is a throwback. At least 15 Nittany Lions were involved in an ugly off-campus brawl, but instead of trying to move past it quickly and using typical head-coach doubletalk about who started what, and this guy just made a mistake, Paterno is taking action. On the Sunday after every home game, his team will take to the field again…to clean the stands of garbage as penance for doing Penn State, their coach, the team and their fans wrong.
It’s a job that usually goes to members of club sports on campus €“ say, rugby or crew €“ which do it to raise money so they can compete. Paterno said the clubs still will get the $5,000 for the job, but his guys, fresh off playing 60 minutes of major college football the day before, will do all the work starting Sunday morning.
“We’re all going to do it, everybody,” Paterno told the Harrisburg Patriot-News after a banquet in suburban Philadelphia. “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.”
How many coaches would do this? I think the NFL should take note, maybe Chris Henry and Pacman Jones could use a dose of this? ;) Joe Pa isn’t done, either:
The entire team also will have to build a house for Habitat for Humanity and volunteer for the Special Olympics this summer.
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