Sue Paterno Denied Access to Campus Pool

According to an article on ESPN.com, Sue Paterno, wife of the legendary Joe Paterno, was recently denied entry into a campus pool at Penn State University. This incident comes just weeks after the Jerry Sandusky child sex-scandal emerged into the public eye—an occurrence that resulted in the immediate firing of “Jo-Pa”, despite his being a part of the Penn State athletic program for nearly half a century.

Sue Paterno is known for being very active and physically fit. Swimming on campus was part of her regular routine—until now. Only a few days ago she was completely denied of being able to swim in the same campus pool that she had used several times before. A family representative told the press that the Paterno family is “deeply saddened” by this seemingly insensitive gesture. However, Bill Mahon, university spokesman, said he was unaware of any ordinance that would have denied Mrs. Paterno from campus pool usage. As far as he knew, Paterno was still held in high regard amongst those tied to Penn State. The situation is one that will need to be investigated.

The fact that Sue Paterno, long time friend and supporter of Penn State athletics, is no longer able to use the Penn State pool certainly sheds light onto the situation at hand.  Both Joe and Sue are now faced with very tough and sensitive circumstances. The fact that Coach Paterno poured his heart and soul into the Penn State program for so many years, only to have all of it taken away in a matter of minutes, is heartbreaking. Of course, the situation surrounding Jerry Sandusky is also heartbreaking. Opinions are swirling, yet many people feel sorry for Joe, feeling as if his tenure at Penn State did not deserve to be snuffed out in such a hasty manner. The news of Mrs. Paterno being turned away from a campus pool will also take its toll on fans and supporters of Penn State University. Everyone seems to be terribly saddened by everything that has happened over the past few weeks, and this new incident is no exception. People shall wonder if denying Mrs. Paterno entrance to the campus pool was a just move. Some say yes, while others deem the act a horribly insensitive thing to do—especially due to the fact that on top of everything else, Joe was just recently diagnosed with lung cancer.

The very crux of the matter is that all of this is linked back to Jerry Sandusky, and all of the horrible things that he did. The acts of Jerry Sandusky will forever plague the Penn State football program, and as of now, it seems that things will never quite return to normal. Prayers certainly go out to the Paterno family, as this is certainly a trying period for them.