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Talk about a guy who is a perfect candidate. Came from nothing, accomplished more than most ever will, did it here through PSU, and will rightfully credit the man who made it possible. Thanks Brandon
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anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
Guest
Brandon has been an instrumental figure/letterman in the fight for the truth. Here's the letter he wrote to fellow letterman in 2011....
Captains:
It would be an understatement to say that we are saddened by the recent allegations regarding Jerry Sandusky and the subsequent fallout. If these allegations are true then Jerry used Penn State Football and every one of us who may have helped Jerry with The Second Mile to lure in at risk children and then exploit them both mentally and physically. I thought that I knew Jerry Sandusky extremely well. Jerry was my position coach for five years and I have spent countless hours with him one on one putting in game plans and discussing ways to help him grow The Second Mile. I cannot express the confusion, pain, and anger I feel every time I think of Jerry committing such vicious crimes. With that said, at this extremely dark hour we have failed to see that another crime has been committed.
In the media fire storm that ensued the damning allegations against Jerry a lead villain has emerged; Joe Paterno. Not Jerry Sandusky, Tim Curley, or Gary Schultz but Joe the man who took second hand information and immediately gave it to his superior and the chief of university police.
My wife and I were fortunate enough to spend a few hours with Joe and Sue the day after the Board of Trustees made the decision to fire Joe. Even at the lowest point of his life, in typical Joe fashion Coach was more concerned with how his current and former players were doing than he was with his own situation. All of us know the immeasurable quality of Joe’s character and we also know that he’s a fighter. Coach pulled out his notes and said that he was ready to hold a press conference in his backyard to answer any questions and clear up any uncertainty the day after he was fired. However his advisers thought that it would appear defensive and be a mistake.
Joe assured me that Mike McQueary never told him that he saw Jerry Sandusky raping a boy in our locker room shower. Joe immediately went to his superiors and arranged a meeting with Mike, Tim Curley, PSU athletic director, and Gray Schultz, chief of university police. Remember that Jerry was not a football coach at the time and therefore Joe had no authority to do anything other than report what Mike told him to the authorities (which he did). Joe trusted Penn State’s Athletic Director and its Chief of Police to do their jobs and it appears they didn’t. The university
ultimately fired Joe Paterno because it didn’t do its job. And that is a crime.
Joe Paterno has always had the courage to stand up and fight for the people in his life. Joe regularly put his neck on the line and believed in many of us when nobody else would. In the past, Joe has supported us because he knew the character of the men that we’ve become. We all know Joe in a way that rest of the world does not. We know Joe’s true character. And now it’s time for us to stand up for him in his time of need.
With the exception of a few brave men, there has been a deafening silence from the Penn State Football family regarding Coach Paterno and what has made Penn State a special place for the last half century. We owe it to each other to speak up and do for Joe what he has always done for us.
Attached is a link to a recent Wall Street Journal article which attacks Coach Paterno for defending his players and calls Penn State an undisciplined program.
http://online.wsj.com/article/..._LEFTTopStories
There have been suggestions on specific actions that we can take to support our program. Following the holiday, we plan on sending you a rough draft of an action plan for your review. Thanks and have a good holiday weekend. WE ARE!
Brandon
Captains:
It would be an understatement to say that we are saddened by the recent allegations regarding Jerry Sandusky and the subsequent fallout. If these allegations are true then Jerry used Penn State Football and every one of us who may have helped Jerry with The Second Mile to lure in at risk children and then exploit them both mentally and physically. I thought that I knew Jerry Sandusky extremely well. Jerry was my position coach for five years and I have spent countless hours with him one on one putting in game plans and discussing ways to help him grow The Second Mile. I cannot express the confusion, pain, and anger I feel every time I think of Jerry committing such vicious crimes. With that said, at this extremely dark hour we have failed to see that another crime has been committed.
In the media fire storm that ensued the damning allegations against Jerry a lead villain has emerged; Joe Paterno. Not Jerry Sandusky, Tim Curley, or Gary Schultz but Joe the man who took second hand information and immediately gave it to his superior and the chief of university police.
My wife and I were fortunate enough to spend a few hours with Joe and Sue the day after the Board of Trustees made the decision to fire Joe. Even at the lowest point of his life, in typical Joe fashion Coach was more concerned with how his current and former players were doing than he was with his own situation. All of us know the immeasurable quality of Joe’s character and we also know that he’s a fighter. Coach pulled out his notes and said that he was ready to hold a press conference in his backyard to answer any questions and clear up any uncertainty the day after he was fired. However his advisers thought that it would appear defensive and be a mistake.
Joe assured me that Mike McQueary never told him that he saw Jerry Sandusky raping a boy in our locker room shower. Joe immediately went to his superiors and arranged a meeting with Mike, Tim Curley, PSU athletic director, and Gray Schultz, chief of university police. Remember that Jerry was not a football coach at the time and therefore Joe had no authority to do anything other than report what Mike told him to the authorities (which he did). Joe trusted Penn State’s Athletic Director and its Chief of Police to do their jobs and it appears they didn’t. The university
ultimately fired Joe Paterno because it didn’t do its job. And that is a crime.
Joe Paterno has always had the courage to stand up and fight for the people in his life. Joe regularly put his neck on the line and believed in many of us when nobody else would. In the past, Joe has supported us because he knew the character of the men that we’ve become. We all know Joe in a way that rest of the world does not. We know Joe’s true character. And now it’s time for us to stand up for him in his time of need.
With the exception of a few brave men, there has been a deafening silence from the Penn State Football family regarding Coach Paterno and what has made Penn State a special place for the last half century. We owe it to each other to speak up and do for Joe what he has always done for us.
Attached is a link to a recent Wall Street Journal article which attacks Coach Paterno for defending his players and calls Penn State an undisciplined program.
http://online.wsj.com/article/..._LEFTTopStories
There have been suggestions on specific actions that we can take to support our program. Following the holiday, we plan on sending you a rough draft of an action plan for your review. Thanks and have a good holiday weekend. WE ARE!
Brandon
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anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
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anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
Guest
Here's his statement:
Dear Penn State Family –
I’m writing to announce my candidacy for the Pennsylvania State University Board of Trustees and to ask for your support. I’m asking for the opportunity to fight for your interests and to fight for the future of our great University.
I love Penn State. Penn State has changed the trajectory of my life. By joining the Penn State Family, I’ve grown from an inner-city kid from a tough background to a global financier who has helped structure and advise Corporate Boards across 5 continents. I’ve been blessed to have achieved a high-level of success in both sports & business and feel a responsibility to serve the community that has done so much for me.
Penn State is a world-class research institution, with the world’s largest Alumni network, and has the world’s largest student-run charity. There is no question that Penn State is a leading institution and at the forefront of higher learning. However, there are many challenges facing our great University. The rising cost of tuition, board governance & accountability, and shrinking state funding are all issues that hamper Penn State’s ability to improve, to continue to lead, and to carry our standard of excellence into the future.
Having been recognized as a natural leader, I have developed a skill set that makes me uniquely qualified to represent our Alumni on Penn State’s Board of Trustees. I’m a graduate of the Smeal College of Business and hold a degree in Marketing (1999). I was a four-year starter on Penn State’s Football team and was elected team captain in both 1998 & 1999. I was selected as a consensus All-American in 1999 and earned First Team All-Big 10 honors in both 1998 & 1999.
In 2000, I was drafted by the New York Giants and had a seven-year NFL career. While in the NFL, my teammates elected me to be their NFLPA Union Player Representative. In this role I advocated on players’ behalves and educated my peers on their contractual rights and obligations under the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. As a Player Representative, I helped to develop and negotiate the strategy to maximize player value in the 2006 - 2011 NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Following my NFL career, I earned an MBA from Columbia Business School in 2010. Joining Goldman Sachs after graduation as a member of its Real Estate Investment Banking Team based in New York (2010), I transferred to Goldman’s Middle East Banking Team based in Dubai in 2012. While at Goldman I provided advice on M&A transactions and advised corporate boards on their optimal structure & governance practices. In 2015, I moved to London to join a real estate private equity firm and am now a Vice President at Round Hill Capital.
I’m asking for your vote. I will bring a strong, young, and diverse voice to Penn State’s board. One that will challenge the status quo and that will work with other board members to improve on every aspect of our University. The great Joe Paterno said “You either get better or you get worse, but you never stay the same.” If elected I promise to wake up every day thinking of ways to make an impact, to improve Penn State and to help lead our great University into the future.
Thank you for your support!
Brandon
Alumni Trustee Nomination Ballot Request Link:https://trustees.psu.edu/2018election/index.html
I ask that you nominate me by populating the form with the follow information:
Brandon Short’s Nomination Information
First Name: Brandon
Middle Initial:
Last Name: Short
Class Year: 1999
Follow me on
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BShort4PSU/
Twitter: @brandonshort43
Thanks. Based on that excellent statement and everything else I know about Mr. Short, he has my vote.
(On Brandon Short: Please take this opportunity to remember that Penn State has a culture problem.)
It is always interesting to see what those that actually had a view of the facts and actions from the inside the university observed and KNOW in this case, versus what those with no inside information or view at all but with ulterior motives reinvented testimony alone spew as fact.
Brandon Short is one of the most friendly and thoughtful PSU football players I have every met among a ton of very friendly thoughtful PSU players. He would do the University proud as a Trustee.
Brandon Short is one of the most friendly and thoughtful PSU football players I have every met among a ton of very friendly thoughtful PSU players. He would do the University proud as a Trustee.
Is he still based in London?
Why should I vote for him? The last football player that won a seat on the board simply was using it as a spring board to bigger political things.
Why should I vote for him? The last football player that won a seat on the board simply was using it as a spring board to bigger political things.
Lubrano, McCombie and Tribeck have terms expiring in 2018. Can/will all three run again? If so, which one should Brandon Short replace, if any?? It's too bad Brandon didn't run last year. Maybe we could have gotten rid of Jubelirer.
Is he living here now? Cause I thought he was living in Dubai?
He probably gets my vote as well.
Well in Brandon's case he has already achieved the bigger and better things.
Brandon spoke at a Rose Bowl reception last year. He was as brilliant and articulate a speaker as you would ever want to hear. I kept remembering Joe's comments about him at the Nittany Lion Club breakfast honoring seniors his final year. Joe said that, growing up, he had to eat his breakfast cereal with water because his family could not afford milk. What a success story.
Twitter bio @brandonshort43 says he's living in London. Perhaps Brandon Short can teach John Amaechi a thing or two.
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anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
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Yup. Tom Bradley has some great stories too about Brandon and how he lived with his grandmother and is a real rags to riches story and exemplary product of Joe's Grand Experiment. I was at Penn State the same time as Brandon and he was almost always wearing the Penn State gear given to football players for free which is why I laugh when people suggest we have anything close to 'bagmen' at Penn State. Sure, Enis got a blazer and was promptly benched for the bowl game. Bama players run around in decked out cars and no one cares.
Mimi says hi, you remember her right?
The one that does live here and was too busy
attending the opera.
Folks, don’t let the endorsement of this asshat change your view of Brandon.
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anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
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Is it possible to attend via teleconference? Also, a flight doesn't seem like the kind of thing to keep Short from attending meetings.
Coming up on the 6 year anniversary of Joe's passing and these stories get me a little misty.
A flight from London is about the same timeframe as a flight from LA including connections. No real big deal.
Like it matters who the alumni elect. Sorry, it doesn't.
Brandon has my vote. For me there’s certainly a very convincing level of evidence that Brandon “gets it” and will fight hard with passion, commitment and loyalty for the sake of getting the truth told and ensuring that the attributes of honor, leadership and character of Joe Paterno are upheld. His articulate messages are filled with indications he will be intentional and unrelenting in giving his very best to empty the septic tank that is our BOT and not just restore but elevate the pride, success and brand of our great University.
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anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
Guest
Wonder if PS4RS will continue to support their folks...or do they even matter anymore?
I don't know, but if they could point to one single accomplishment I'd be somewhat more inclined to pay attention to what they have to say.
I don't believe that they can.
Brandon Short is a fine human being and an even finer example of Success With Honor, a baton he carries and a tradition he lives very proudly!
My respect for Brandon is enormous. He had the courage to fight the likes of Joyner in 2011 after Joe was fired. Unfortunately, his efforts and those of other Lettermen were undercut by Ira Lubert.
By the way, the BOT now meets only five times per year. For those Trustees unable to attend those meetings, telecommuting is made available so distance should be no object.
My respect for Brandon is enormous. He had the courage to fight the likes of Joyner in 2011 after Joe was fired. Unfortunately, his efforts and those of other Lettermen were undercut by Ira Lubert.
By the way, the BOT now meets only five times per year. For those Trustees unable to attend those meetings, telecommuting is made available so distance should be no object.
Thanks. I think people lassume that physical proximity is a requirement for these types of meetings.
In all fairness, it has been extremely difficult for the alumni-elected trustees, who are on the inside, at least to a certain degree, to make a positive impact due to the power structure of which they are not a part. PS4RS is, of course, farther removed. However, PS4RS has managed to bring together and mobilize like-minded alumni, those who love this university and who demand the truth. That is an accomplishment. PS4RS also has been highly influential in alumni trustee elections to advance their charter (which some admittedly do not favor). Furthermore, due to their excellent coordination, PS4RS has managed to outlive rival sycophant-based organizations. As a result, such sycophants have not been able to win alumni seats on the board.
It is easy to sit back and throw stones because we as alumni have not gotten everything we have demanded. However, that does not mean that the effort has been wasted. We are better because of the efforts of the alumni-elected trustees since 2012 and PS4RS. There is, however, still much work to do. Current and future alumni-elected trustees and PS4RS know this, and I believe they remain committed to the cause.
I respect McCombie but he has been a disappointment, perhaps because expectations were so high for him. Tribeck has been a non-factor. All hat and no cowboy. Both should step aside.
So they get an attendance trophy. Good intentions do not equal accomplishment. Sure, the deck was stacked, but a loss is still a loss. I'm not throwing rocks, just calling it what it is.
I have walked away from Penn State, but I still vote in every election... BOT, Alumni Council, just to voice my displeasure. I give no money, and am critical of the current leadership at every opportunity. I have not been on campus in 4 years while I previously returned about a dozen times each year. I can't say I don't care at all. I think "barely care" is more accurate.I thought you gave up on Penn State five years ago.
