Katie Couric set to interview Sue Paterno
Extending her streak of exclusive sports interviews to two, Katie Couric will sit down with Joe Paterno's widow, Sue. According to the Chicago Tribune, Couric has already met with Paterno in her State College, Pa. home, and will also sit down with her in studio, with the episode airing on Monday, February 11th.
It will be interesting to see what questions Couric throws Paterno's way. Couric mostly lobbed out softballs to Manti Te'o, and considering this is the first interview Sue has done since the Sandusky scandal and her husband's subsequent firing and death, I'd expect a relatively safe environment for her.
Deatils on the interview are relatively scarce, so at this point, alll we can do is speculate. The whole Sandusky scandal and the level of JoePa's involvment is a topical land mine. Paterno's most fervent supporters continue to defend him, while others believe he was just as culpable as Sandusky for not turning his defensive coordinator in when he learned of his actions.
Which brings us back to Couric and what she could possibly ask Joe Paterno's widow. Sue's feelings on the sanctions? Her knowledge of the whole thing? Her thoughts on Sandusky? It's not like anyone can hold Sue Paterno responsible for what happened at Penn State, so when those topics are broached I'd imagine they'd be done very gingerly. No matter what her answers, she's likely to come off as trying to protect her late husband, and honestly who could blame her. Maybe this is the beginning of a public push by the Paterno family to claim their husband and father's legacy. Like the Te'os, Katie seems like a safe place to speak publicly about a sensitive topic for the first time. It is hard to think of a situation in which she's able to exonerate her Joe Paterno or explain their side of the story, but what else is she supposed to do?
All we can do is wait for this much anticipated interview to see how things turn out.
The tragedy is that a great man late in life chose between his beloved school's reputation, his legacy, and who to trust to best handle a predator. Where the blame ultimately lies is with Sandusky. Image came before child safety for the University. Trust in the administration came before personal responsibility for Joe.
I'm just sorry that the fallout has injured so many more students, athletes, and faculty, and that Paterno in the end will be remembered for an error in trust and judgement, more than for his many other off the field contributions to society. But, nobody can ever rely on another to report a crime. If you know about it, you are solely responsible for what you do from that point forward.
Another person that fails to get the facts straight.
Jerry Sandusky was NOT his defensive coordinator when this all went down and shouldn't be referred as such.
