When asked if the image of Penn State football has been tainted because of recent off-the-field issues, cornerback Tony Davis responded bluntly yesterday.
"I'd say a little bit," Davis said. "Not a lot. They still know Penn State, what we are about."
The Nittany Lions who are still on the team are trying to restore the program's tradition. They hope to shift the focus away from the police blotter and back to where they believe it should be -- on the field.
Both Davis and offensive tackle Gerald Cadogan agreed the best thing the team can do to help the program is to stay out of trouble and win games.
Cadogan added the troubles, though unfortunate, have brought some positives to the program. The team has become closer, he said, and each player is accountable for his actions as well as the actions of his teammates.
At the beginning of spring practice, linebacker Sean Lee said the team wasn't worried about the suspended players. The team can only worry about the players who have shown they want to play.
"We've got guys here that have their priorities straight and want to play football," Lee said in late March. "We haven't been concerned with any off-field stuff."
And while the focus of the media has been on suspensions and legal troubles, the players said their focus has remained on their duties to the team. Davis said Penn State can stop worrying about legal troubles if it can continue its normal routine.
"Basically just limit the distractions. It's not a big distraction right now," Davis said. "We just handle it in our own way. Everything is still normal. We still go to practice. We still work out. Everything is the same right now."
Cadogan said, at times, it has been tough to ignore the barrage of headlines referring to apartment fights and knife incidents. But he added all the Lions have to do is focus on restoring and upholding the once-unblemished tradition of Penn State football.
The team has higher goals than staying out of trouble, he said. Even loftier than winning the Big Ten. Cadogan said the team has its focus on one thing: winning it all, and nothing that happens away from the Lasch Football building and Beaver Stadium can change those goals.
"Right now we'll let the off-the-field stuff stay off the field," Cadogan said. "By winning games, coming together as a team and doing what we need to do, the rest will take care of itself.
"If we stay focused on the task at hand, which is winning a national title, things will start falling into place."
