Game Over? (Not At Penn State)

As the Jerry Sandusky case shows, clearly there was a strong current of secrecy at work at Penn State. Some might be inclined to debate whether this strain of insularity in the university as an institution constituted some sort of equal and opposite reaction to the open and friendly nature of the actual residents, but that's simply a distraction from the fact this culture needs to be understood and changed to avoid future tragedies. At the same time, the rush of books on the subject, including the just released Game Over, gives me pause - and not just because I'm an alumnus.

By the authors' own accounts, Game Over was written to a very tight deadline. This all but guaranteed that its publication would precede both Jerry Sandusky's trial and the various investigations into Penn State's conduct related to the charges against him. In short, whatever the claims on the dust-jacket, it can't possibly tell the whole story.

Whatever Joe Paterno did or didn't do (let alone should have done), it's hard to deny that there was a rush to judgment to decide his fate. Like many of the Penn State faithful, what bothered me about Paterno's treatment by the university was not really his dismissal but rather the fact a man who had done so much good for Penn State and the community seemed to get less due process than an accused child molester.

Game Over seems to be riding the same wave of judgment. Even putting aside some cynical musings about what the authors intend to do with the proceeds of this insta-book, I can't shake my instinct that it will not in any way help the pursuit of justice for Sandusky's victims. I hope I'm wrong, but that's the thing about cynicism - expecting the worst seldom makes you look like a fool.