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Ryan Lochte protesters defend TV show ambush after arrest

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Throwback Thursday: A locally inspired version of the popular board game Monopoly

<p>The late Joe Paterno oversaw his first Penn State football game as head coach 50 years ago, but don&#8217;t expect this weekend&#8217;s events marking the anniversary to be entirely golden.</p><p>In the minds of some people, Paterno and his collegiate football achievements have been forever tarnished. They object to commemorations of the sort planned at State College on Friday and Saturday, perceiving them as a disgrace.</p><p>You don&#8217;t need to bleed blue and white, however, to recognize that attempts to rid all vestiges of JoePa&#8217;s legacy from campus seem a bit like the Soviet-style doctoring of photographs in attempts to rewrite history. (Did NCAA officials really expect to &#8220;erase&#8221; the Nittany Lions&#8217; victories?)</p><p>Paterno &#8211; no matter how you feel about him &#8211; did work for Penn State University&#8217;s football program for 60-plus years, 46 of them as head coach.</p><p>His teams did win, amassing 409 victories and two national championships. His successful seasons did play a role in raising the profile of an agricultural college tucked in the middle of the state into an internationally recognized academic institution. He and his family did donate substantial sums to the university, supporting, among other things, the expansion of its libraries. (They also consistently did support social service programs such as the Special Olympics). And Paterno did guide more than 100 young players each season, many of whom credit the man for instilling lessons that allowed them to succeed later in life.</p><p>What he did or didn&#8217;t do &#8211; or perhaps could have done &#8211; to curtail the crimes of child sex predator Jerry Sandusky, at one time the football program&#8217;s defensive coordinator, continues to be disputed. As it probably will be forever.</p><p>Paterno died in January 2012, not long after the accusations against Sandusky became public. In a retirement announcement that focused on the revelations, Paterno wrote, &#8220;This is a tragedy. It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.&#8221;</p><p>Current head coach James Franklin finds himself this week again tiptoeing through a public relations minefield. About 500 former PSU football players are expected to hold an event Friday near Beaver Stadium, saluting their departed coach. Separately, the university indicated it will recognize the 50th anniversary milestone during Saturday&#8217;s game, though officials didn&#8217;t provide specifics.</p><p>Certain people maintain that any observance of Paterno&#8217;s career is in poor taste.</p><p>But can&#8217;t admirers honor a person &#8211; be it a president, a war hero, a social crusader or a coach &#8211; while also acknowledging his or her faults? For that matter, people annually celebrate the Fourth of July, the date of this nation&#8217;s formation, while cognizant of the country&#8217;s misdeeds, including its longtime perpetuation of slavery.</p><p>For Paterno&#8217;s fans, the challenge remains how to recognize his accomplishments without drifting into blind adulation.</p><p>Veneration of a sports coach, as with any person, is almost always undeserved.</p><style>
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Our Opinion: Reflect on Joe Paterno’s coaching milestone without falsely lionizing man