If anyone at Penn State should have supreme bargaining rights, it's Joe Paterno.
After all, the 81-year-old coach has been at Penn State for 57 years, spending 42 of those as head football coach. He trails only Florida State's Bobby Bowden in career wins and has coached in more bowl games than any other coach. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in December. And off the field, he's donated more than $4 million to the university and serves as Penn State's greatest fundraiser.
So if anyone can name his retirement date, it's Paterno. Up until this point, though, Paterno has not said when he'll relinquish his job. In fact, he's said he'd like to coach three to five more years if his health allows. And that's OK -- if there's some sort of succession plan in place.
But there's not, at least not one available to the public. And without that, serious questions have to be raised about the future of Paterno and the Penn State football program.
Paterno is under contract through the 2008 season, and Penn State President Graham Spanier said he is "quite certain" Paterno will coach next season.
What's uncertain, though, is what happens after that.
Paterno, Spanier and Athletic Director Tim Curley will not meet to discuss Paterno's contract until after the recruiting season, which officially ends April 1. That probably means Penn State's entire 2008 recruiting class will sign national letters of intent without knowing how long Paterno will be at Penn State.
And while some recruits, like middle linebacker Michael Mauti, don't mind an uncertain future, it's unfair to many of those athletes that may have decided to play for Penn State simply to be coached by Paterno. When making a life-changing choice such as a college commitment, students deserve to know what the future holds. They deserve to know what coach will helping mold them into not just athletes, but responsible young adults.
So, while it's perfectly fine for Paterno to continue coaching -- he's led his team to three straight bowl appearances while keeping the program afloat through difficult off-field issues -- there needs to be a focus on the future. And while it might be hard and strange to admit, Paterno is no longer the future of Penn State football.
Florida State has already announced a succession plan for Bowden, who has the option to renew his contract each year. Kentucky and Purdue have also anointed successors for their respective head coaching jobs, moves that could leave potential recruits with the assurance of knowing who their coach will be.
As of December, that idea hadn't even really been addressed here.
"I think when I start to get the feel, I'll sit down with the right people and say, 'Hey, I think we ought to start talking about my getting out here and a successor.' But right now that hasn't even come up," Paterno said Dec. 13.
Paterno has taken advantage of his own job security, and the Penn State administration has failed thus far to come up with a long-term solution. Now the stability that once came with an entrenched head coach has given way to speculation and uncertainty around the program.
Penn State should follow the lead of Florida State, Kentucky and Purdue and shore up its future now.
By the time Paterno signs his next contract (if he even does) Penn State needs to have some succession plan available.
It might be the toughest decision Penn State makes, but in the end, it could be the smartest.
