Dan "The Man" Leach, Host of “The Sports Edge Radio Show” and Inspin.com's “Betting Edge”

Joe Paterno was fired last evening in the wake of the devastating child abuse scandal. It is one those very few but powerful events which we will remember for years to come.

This is that rare moment when sport is transcended by something much more important which is the abuse of a human being. There will be weeks and perhaps months of conjecture and doubt over what Paterno may have done or did not do. However, there is no dispute as to what ‘Joe Pa’ has meant to Penn State, college football and most importantly the thousands of athletes he has helped mold into young adults.

I know in my heart his firing was appropriate although I don’t necessarily agree with the timing or the abruptness in which he was let go. The following questions will be answered over the next few days:

How will the dozens of young players respond this week when they are thrown into a game unprepared against a strong, aggressive Nebraska team?

How will the seniors respond knowing that regardless of how they perform on the field this year’s team will always be remembered as the one who feel short after these devastating charges came to light?

How will the fans respond as they sit in the stands numb with anger over the loss of the man who epitomized everything that was and is Penn State University?

I have lived and breathed football in Big Ten country my entire life. I have had the utmost respect for Joe Paterno and Penn State ever since they became the 11th teams to join the Big 10 in 1990.  The events that have transpired over the past several days make me question that respect. I think in some way I will always have a tarnished image of both the University and ‘Joe Pa’ himself. I will never take away his accomplishments on and off the field but in the back of my mind I will always carry the memory that this “molder of men” came up short when it really counted.

There is and will be a game played this weekend at Penn State. It will be played in Happy Valley although I don’t expect to see many smiles in the stands. It remains to be seen if the players will be able to shake all the drama and play competitive football but if I had to guess it will be an ugly outcome for the home team.

Dan “the Man” has a 3 star free play release on the Nebraska Cornhuskers -3-120.

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