After the release of the sanctions against the Penn State football team, the community is speaking out in a number of ways.
This includes local businesses like The Family Clothesline, 352 E. College Ave., which has a new shirt that reads "We Are... Pissed Off."
The shirt has been receiving instant attention since it was first displayed for sale earlier this week. The Family Clothesline advertising manager Caroline Gummo said the shirts are necessary to show how people feel about the situation surrounding the Jerry Sandusky case and its effects on Penn State.
"We are pissed off that children were molested and hurt. We are pissed off that children were molested and hurt on the Penn State campus," Gummo said. "We are pissed off that the Freeh report didn't interview the four main people involved in the scandal and get all the information that was available. We are pissed that the NCAA didn't wait for all the information and facts to come out before deciding on the sanctions."
Football player Garry Gilliam tweeted a photo of himself and another player wearing the shirt on Thursday.
The "We Are... Pissed Off" shirts will not be the last of their kind, Gummo said.
The Family Clothesline's next shirt will read "Restore the Roar." They are also planning to release a few more shirts with the potential phrases: "We Are... Still Penn State," "The hotter the fire, the stronger the steel" and "Are you all in or out? -- I'm In."
Selling these shirts in addition to the "We Are... Pissed Off" shirts offers more opportunities for people to use their Penn State gear to express their feelings, Gummo said.
The bold statement on the shirts has also caused some skepticism in the intended message from The Family Clothesline.
"At first I thought it was a good idea, but then it could prompt fights," Justine Ifkovits (freshman-education) said.
So far, the shirts have been selling well and have had an overall positive response from the community. Gummo said that no matter where someone stands on this issue, nobody is happy with the situation because children were hurt.
The shirts are a fair representation of the general feelings expressed throughout campus, she said.
"It's everyone's choice [about the shirt]. If you want to wear the shirt, you can," Charlotte Merritt (freshman-special education) said.
More shirts will continue to be made for sale and sales are expected to remain high. To keep customers updated, The Family Clothesline will be posting any new information about the shirts on their Facebook page.
Many are in agreement that actions were taken too quickly for them to be considered fair.
"[The NCAA] jumped to a conclusion too quickly and ruined a person's career who can't defend himself," shopper Martin Fitzgerald said of the impact of the NCAA sanctions on Joe Paterno's record.
Students around campus have already been sporting the "We Are... Pissed Off" shirts to show their support for The Family Clothesline's message.
"We are pissed that the entire Penn State community, alumni, students, and fans have to pay the price of a few people's actions," Gummo said.
