To the Board of Trustees, several of you have unimaginable responsibilities with your corporate boards. While I am sympathetic toward your plight, Penn State interests cannot come second to politically correct, corporate interests or other hidden agendas — something I believe has happened over the past 16 months. My fellow alumni view ourselves as the shareholders or owners of the company “Penn State” — and, in effect, your bosses. If the Board of Trustees meeting was a public company’s annual shareholder meeting, all but a few would be voted off immediately.
The trouble with not seeking the truth is that it’s costing Penn State dearly on so many fronts. We can’t move forward without finding the truth.
Joe Paterno was always about doing the right thing no matter what the consequences were. There was no way that the coach we all knew would put innocent children in harm’s way or impede an investigation. Deep down, I think you all know that, too.
Together, we can fix this thing, but we need bold leadership now.
I urge the trustees to read the Paterno report and use it as a resource to understand what actually happened, to question the incomplete Freeh Report, to fight the inappropriate NCAA sanctions and to demonstrate the strong leadership that we so desperately need to correct these past mistakes.
If you do, then you have our full support and appreciation for all you do for this great university. We know who we are — do you?
Joe Lally
Class of 1979, Penn State Football Letterman
