Fate has played a cruel trick on Joe Paterno. What better time for his program to start busting at the seams with problem players?
Homecoming, of course.
The story this week hasn't been about Wisconsin and the problems of stopping P.J. Hill or outdoing that crafty 30-something coach Bret Bielema. The story has been the troublemaking Nittany Lions. The alumni will return this weekend wanting to feel cheery about Penn Sate, a university whose athletic department supposedly takes its success with equal parts honor. That hasn't been the case in recent months. That's why this homecoming just won't be the same.
The program's wholesome image, an image Paterno worked so hard to build over 42 years, has had pieces flake away lately.
Is it fate, after all? Maybe Paterno, who has allocated more responsibilities to his assistants, just can't reign in his players the way he used to.
"Yeah, I'm scared of him," cornerback Justin King said. "Because he has a lot of say on what goes on in this program. He's one person whose bad side you don't want to be on."
Of course players publicly expressed reverence for Paterno. What else would you expect them to say?
In their actions, players have indicated otherwise. A handful of underage drinkers come to mind. Austin Scott's violation of an "undisclosed team rule." Another fight that may have involved players.
Even Paterno admitted last night on his weekly radio show to getting involved in a traffic dispute last weekend. Nothing serious but media fodder nevertheless.
Maybe it's a product of the changing times. Maybe, you could argue, some of those things happened way back when. Except maybe all of it -- the underage drinking and fighting -- went unreported. Internet message boards and blogs weren't around to plant the rumors that sometimes bud into truth.
"Yeah, no doubt it's a different world," former Penn State running back D.J. Dozier said. "People think differently. Obviously with that in mind they react differently. I'm sure there was probably things that happened back when we were in school no one ever found out about because you just didn't make a big deal about it."
If that's the case, Penn State fans might believe that ignorance truly is bliss.
"I read about it a couple of times," Dozier said of the current Lions' off-the-field incidents, "then I just didn't want to hear it anymore. I just hope it worked out."
Fans might not want to hear about it because this isn't the Penn State it's supposed to be.
When Dozier played, Penn State had as wholesome a group as you could get. The 1986 team won acclaim as the good side of the battle between Good vs. Evil, the 1987 Fiesta Bowl matchup that pitted Penn State against an arrogant Miami squad. It also won a national championship.
So what happened?
Some of the alumni back this weekend to celebrate Penn State surely watched character guys like Dozier, Shane Conlan and John Shaffer from that last national championship season.
But you have to look around and ask, "What happened?"
You can shoot blame at Paterno or his players or just say it's the blog-o-sphere, which can report every time a player has so much as a hangnail.
The answer is sticky and probably inconclusive. Everyone will lay blame on somewhere.
Paterno said his team's off-the-field issues are the media's creation. He thinks there's no problem with Penn State's public image.
The media have asked if these Lions are too distracted with extracurriculars to worry about football.
What about the players?
Shouldn't the players receive a large portion of the blame for their actions?
You can finger the blame in a variety of directions. There's only one sure thing: Something isn't right.
In the spirit of homecoming week, juxtapose then and now and you'll see it, too.
Things just aren't the same.
Mark Viera is a junior majoring in journalism and English. His e-mail address mcv5009@psu.edu.
