Others named in the suit were NCAA president Mark Emmert and Oregon State president Edward Ray, who was chair of the NCAA's executive committee when the NCAA announced its sanctions against Penn State.
In the view of many at Penn State and especially Paterno supporters, the NCAA last July coerced the university into accepting a "consent decree" based on the findings of the controversial Freeh Report rather than completing its usual investigation process or offering some sort of due process.
The announcement of the lawsuit was not unexpected, and the suit was joined by a handful of Penn State board of trustees members as well as an interesting mix of former players -- everything from former captains to at least one player with well-publicized legal problems.
Still, the family's official legal response was an important message that needed to be shared. It was another step in the ongoing saga at Penn State.
It's a saga that has played out fairly typically for the media as well -- with a hefty reaction to the initial story and then a somewhat subdued or quiet response to nuances and updates along the way ... especially those that might contradict initial storylines.
Unfortunately for the Paternos and their supporters, the medium they chose to share their message this week was "smaller" than the message itself and what the family really needed -- some sort of validation from the show's host -- was lost as well.
When the Sandusky scandal broke, NBC and its then-recently launched news program "Rock Center with Brian Williams" was the forum for sharing information about the scandal at Penn State. The show and its Penn State segment were the centerpiece of a primetime schedule for the network. The story was the keystone for a couple of episodes in back-to-back weeks, as well as subsequent updates.
In the initial episode that focused on the story, generally respected NBC Sports veteran Bob Costas conducted an interview with former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky that garnered abundant attention and propelled the show's ratings. Millions of people watched, and formed opinions as a result.
It was actually a high point for the ill-fated "Rock Center," which was canceled earlier this year.
Conversely, the episode of "Costas Tonight" with the Paterno family response on Wednesday night aired 42 minutes later than it's scheduled 11 p.m. airtime on NBC Sports Network, which gets watched by a fraction of the audience of NBC or ESPN, even on a good day.
Segments, including some video, from the show were shared with other media outlets before the episode aired but, simply put, not many people got to see the Paterno's side of the story.
Plus, for the Paternos and their supporters (whose lawsuit seems less frivolous as the missteps of the NCAA become more obvious to a wider audience) the news of the lawsuit was not really what mattered. Again, people expected a lawsuit.
More than anything, the Paternos and their supporters -- who could eventually emerge victorious in the court of public opinion because of the NCAA's ongoing problems and the questions that come to mind with a logical examination of the case -- need some sort of seemingly high-profile neutral voice in their corner.
That could've been Costas, who pledged a few months ago to review the Freeh Report (because of problems with it that have become obvious) and the situation in general. His opinion and response were not among the take-away messages from the latest episode of "Costas Tonight" or the latest episode in the Penn State saga overall, though.
If the family's opportunity to to share its side of the story ends up as the extent of Costas's evaluation, that might be a little less than the Paternos need. And, if the story continues to play out on a barely watched and under-distributed sports channel, that's not a good thing either -- even if the host ranks as one of the best in the business.
No comments:
Post a Comment