This famous line in my title comes from the infamous Black Sox baseball scandal that occurred early in the twentieth century. As the story goes a young lad, who loved “Shoeless Joe” Jackson of the Chicago White Sox, could not believe his hero has cheated. In the movie version of “Eight Men Out” the boy plaintively said, “Say it ain’t so, Joe!”

Joe Pa That’s about how I felt last week as we watched the Joe Paterno story unfold through every news medium possible. In this case even a sports story became a national tragedy. Not only did the actions of a famous coach (or his non-action in this sad case) make global news but it galvanized a whole new conversation about sex abuse. And well it should. But how could Joe Paterno, a decent and good man by every account, have failed to deal with this tragedy and thus allowed children to be molested by a predator? How could he not report this crime when he had clear eyewitness information about Jerry Sanduksy’s behavior? We will not know for sure until we hear from Joe. And we may not hear from him for days if the attorney he has hired tells him to remain silent. That is truly sad because I want to think the best about Joe. I also want to grasp how he could have failed to do what was obviously the right thing to do.

One of my favorite opinion writers, the conservative Ross Douthat of the New York Times, concluded in a brilliant article he penned last week:

Ross It was precisely because Joe Paterno had done so much good for so long that he could do the unthinkable, and let an alleged child rapist continue to walk free in Penn State’s Happy Valley. Bad and mediocre people are tempted to sin by their own habitual weaknesses. . . . But good people, heroic people, are led into temptation by their very goodness — by the illusion, common to those who have done important deeds, that they have higher responsibilities than the ordinary run of humankind. It’s precisely in the service to these supposed higher responsibilities that they often let more basic ones slip away.

For now I believe Douthat has explained Joe’s behavior as well as anyone I’ve read or heard. A good man, but a man just like you and me, had high responsibility and was always on his guard in the big moments he faced. The danger is that he, and we too, could let down our guard and the most basic ones can slip away. The Song of Solomon 2:15 says:  “Take us the foxes, THE LITTLE FOXES, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.” In Joe’s case it seems that what appeared like “little foxes” were much bigger than he knew and his judgment was seriously impaired. The results are tragic.

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  1. Joe Schafer November 16, 2011 at 6:05 am

    Here in (un)Happy Valley, there are a few bright spots. Last night, a group of pastors from mainline churches in downtown State College held a joint service to pray for the community. This evening, a group of evangelical pastors is doing the same. Specifically, we are praying
    1. for the victims of abuse
    2. for the whole community to humble itself and call upon God in the midst of this tragedy
    3. for the university, those in authority, and those who have been removed from their positions (Joe Paterno, Graham Spanier, Tim Curley, Jerry Sandusky, …)
    4. for all innocent people in the community who may be adversely impacted by the fallout
    5. for the protection of the minds of those reading graphic details of the allegations, especially the young
    This tragedy is far from over. Yesterday it was reported by the NYT that there are at least 10 more victims who have now come forward, in addition to the 8 already known to the grand jury. The university, which is the economic engine of this region, could face huge financial liabilities. Most of all, we are shocked and heartbroken for the victims. Lord, help them.

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