All eyes are upon Penn State University and the sex abuse scandal that has rocked the country. It makes me sick and I’m sure everyone else feels the same way. The allegations against Sandusky are horrifying. I feel like over the past week all anyone is taking about is the scandal.

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past week, let me catch you up. Jerry Sandusky was a defensive line coach and later defensive coordinator at Penn State University from 1969 until his retirement in 1999. He founded The Second Mile, a charitable organization dedicated to helping at risk boys in 1977.

People started to accuse Sandusky of sexually abusing the boys he was helping. The district attorney at the time, Ray Gricar, decides not to file charges. News reports indicate a janitor witnesses Sandusky performing a sex act on a young boy in the university’s football building in 2000 and he informs the janitorial staff. A Penn State graduate assistant, Mike McQueary, witnesses Sandusky performing a sex act on a different boy in 2002. He reports the incident to Joe Paterno, Penn State’s head coach, the following day. Paterno then tells Tim Curley, Penn State’s athletic director. A few weeks later, McQueary meets with Curley and senior vice president for finance and business Gary Schultz. Curley and Schultz didn’t report the incident to authorities.

An investigation of Sandusky’s sexual abuse allegations begins in 2009 and he is arrested on November 5, 2011. He is released on a $100,000 bail after being arraigned on 40 criminal counts. Curley and Schultz are charged with perjury and failure to report the allegations. Two days later, Curley goes on administrative leave and Schultz retires. Paterno is said to be not a target of the investigation.

Paterno announces on Nov. 9 that he will retire at the end of the season. The same day, the Board of Trustees vote to terminate the employment of Paterno and Penn State’s president, Graham Spanier. The next day, it is announced that McQueary, now a receivers coach, will not attend the next home game due to threats received by the school. He is then placed on administrative leave the next day.

Now that you are caught up, what would you have done if you were McQueary? Paterno? The Board of Trustees? It’s such a hard situation due to the sensitive subject of the allegations.

Paterno did exactly what he was supposed to do by law. He reported the incident to his boss and his boss did nothing about it. Does this make Paterno guilty too? I think it does. He should have done more; he should have informed the police. I think everyone involved was guilty of not doing more.

I genuinely thought Joe Paterno would coach at Penn State until he died. I never thought he’d have to leave amid a huge scandal.

I have mixed emotions about how he was fired because he is such a figure in sports. He has been head coach of Penn State since 1966. He shouldn’t have gone this way. He should have been allowed to retire at the end of the season. I don’t think it’s fair to ruin his legacy like this. He’s only human. I’m sure if he had known the full extent of the abuse he would have reported it.

I’m convinced that the firing of Paterno was a big public relations crisis management strategy. Penn State had to get rid of all aspects of the problem to make themselves look better. I feel as if firing Paterno the way they did make the situation explode. It was already a media disaster but it really blew up when the fired him.

I don’t want Paterno remembered for the wrong reasons. He was a great coach and a great man. He gave a lot to the university, even in other ways than just football. He donated $4 million to help fund the new library.

Joe Paterno will always be what pops into my head when I hear Penn State. The Joe Paterno who strived to make his football players act as good men as well. The Joe Paterno who made Penn State football what it is today. The Joe Paterno who coached at Penn State for 62 years. Joe Paterno will always be Joe Pa to me.