If you could bring him back to life, for any amount of time you deem fit, would you want to do it?
I think he got off easy dying before the sanctions against him recently were made. I think he got off easy dying before seeing his statue removed, or Sandusky being found guilty. I think he got off easy going to his grave believing he was the winningest coach in college football history. I think he got off easy not being charged and found guilty of anything himself. Etc, etc, etc.
But, maybe I’m just a cruel, vindictive bastard. What would you do?
He died in utter disgrace, a confused old man. That’s enough for me.
Joe
Yeah, I would love for him to see that the program he tried so hard to protect was ruined, not despite his actions, but because of them.
No. If I could resurrect Paterno, I could probably resurrect someone else. And there are several billion people more deserving than Paterno.
The only way I’d consider it would be something like A Christmas Carol. Wake him up and say “Sandusky was found guilty, there’s a report about cover-ups, your statue has come down, and the NCAA has stripped away most of what you cared about. Spill your guts, tell us every dirty little secret we don’t yet know, or I’ll shove you back in that box right now.”
I’d like to resurrect him just long enough to provide a counterpoint to the information collected by Freeh, which conveniently implied that the one guy not around to defend himself was the chief architect of sweeping everything under the rug. Maybe that’s exactly how it happened, but with only one side of the story to come to light, it seems a little too pat.
I don’t see any need to bring him back to life to say “You were a piece of shit and now everyone knows it. You brought shame to yourself, the university, and your family.” He knew that before he died.
Given the opportunity to resurrect anybody I’d take it if only for the book rights. Boy Type Ranma the story of a man who performed a resurrection! What they do with the guy after I perform this feat is up to the rest of society.
What? Come on. By the time he died he’d already been fired and his reputation was in tatters. More was coming, but he didn’t get off scot free. If you were counting, there are so many thousands or millions of criminals and frauds who would deserve this treatment more than Joe Paterno it’s really bizarre to even pose the question.
You sure you’re not thinking of Sandusky?
But seriously, just so he can be burned in the cleansing fires that are swirling around Penn State right now? Nah.
New hurt doesn’t undo old hurt. And while not blowing the whistle on an active pedo is disgraceful and moral cowardice at best, it’s not the same as being the actual pedo–who is the real perp, and who is not going to enjoy his retirement. Not in the least.