Throughout the entire ordeal, Paterno received an overwhelming amount of criticism for not disciplining his prized athlete. But the coach and his team didn't waver on their support of Casey. And six months after the investigation into the assault began, Casey was cleared of all charges. Then in late September, freshman cornerback Adam Taliaferro suffered the most feared injury in all of football when he became temporarily paralyzed after making a routine tackle in the waning moments of the Lions' game against Ohio State. Just a week later, the Nittany Lions used Taliaferro's courage and will as fuel to knock off eventual Big Ten champion Purdue.
Throughout the rest of Taliaferro's agonizing rehabilitation, his teammates, coaches and Paterno supported him every step of the way, just like a family would be there for a stricken loved one.
But even with those two team-unifying events, for whatever reason, the Nittany Lions say they didn't develop a consistent chemistry to build a successful team.
"I think we realized we had a problem," senior linebacker Shamar Finney said. "People were questioning people on the other side of the ball. I think at the end of the season, we said we have a problem: He doesn't trust me and I want to know why."
So the entire team took a different approach to coming together this off-season. Yes they still worked out together and hung out in small packs but the Nittany Lions planned certain activities to do as a whole before the start of summer practice.
"We had team picnics and went bowling and go-carting and things of that nature," junior cornerback Bryan Scott said. "This summer, the team hung out a lot more as a whole."
Time will only tell how that newfound unity will come through when everything is laying on the line in a big game. It will be interesting to see how far the Nittany Lions' trust and love for one another has come when the first sign of adversity rears its ugly head.
In order to get a positive result in that type of situation, Paterno said his players can't be afraid to show each other some tough love in that instance.
"It is easy to love somebody who is pretty and it is easy to love somebody who has a great personality and somebody who has everything going for them," Paterno said. "It takes a little different type of love when it is somebody who can't get the job done and needs help.
"Until you get that on a football team and chew somebody out for making a mistake because of a certain love he has that has been developed, he is going to try to help that kid get better. When you get that, then you can start to have a really good football team."
