Penn State, Rose being penalized way, way too much

Bobby Brockman

I had decided not to write this column (you’re probably saying good move). But, after thinking it over again, I had to give my two cents.
First of all, I didn’t like the taking down of the Joe Paterno statue outside the Penn State football stadium.
And, secondly, it’s even more stupid that the school, program and current football players are getting penalized for something one guy did and some others ignored.
Don’t get me wrong. Jerry Sandusky should and will be punished, and it won’t be enough to resurrect the kids’ lives he destroyed.
But how do two wrongs make a right, and why does the whole Penn State family get severely punished?
I would hope that if I did something even close to what Sandusky did that my whole family or friends wouldn’t get a worse penalty than I would get.
And for Joe Paterno’s last 14  years of wins (111) to be taken away is a joke. Sandusky has not coached at Penn State since 1999.
Penn State deserves punishment; more than a slap on the wrist, but not five straight years of unnecessary roughness.
The $60 million fine would have been enough, while the scholarship penalty or lack of post-season participation are tacking on to the penalty and making sure Penn State can’t compete at the top level of collegiate football for the next decade.
While completely different items, this just seems to tie in with something that was brought to me recently from Cincinnati where a group is promoting LiftTheBan.net.
Like Penn State, Pete Rose is getting double- or triple-punished for something he did — bet on baseball. But, he did not do it as a player, and as far as anyone knows did not bet on his own team — the Cincinnati Reds.
“A lifetime ban of Pete Rose is a great injustice,” the release from Lift The Ban says. “He is one of the greatest players in the history of the game. His gambling conduct, although detrimental to himself, did not alter the outcome of a single game. The ban needs to be lifted.”
The all-time hit leader (with many other National League and Major League bests) has already been punished enough in that he can’t be involved again with baseball.
Rose’s biggest negative is he can’t fight the guy who issued the penalty — former baseball commissioner Bart Giamatti, who died eight days after banishing Rose from baseball.
Rose should for sure be in the Hall of Fame, and Penn State has already suffered and been humiliated enough by the Jerry Sandusky fiasco.