In the summer of 2012, when he had committed to PSU, certain people associated with the governance of this University took actions which resulted in the University and to a great extent its football program, being slammed. Suddenly, before he ever started school, and before the coach who recruited him ever coached a game, a bunch of men and some women in their 50s, 60s and 70s tried to give Hack's and O'Brien's respective careers away before they ever started. They consented to allow the NCAA to try and KILL our football program.
Let's keep in mind what that giveaway meant for Christian Hackenberg--before he took a snap: Silas Redd bolted, the kicker bolted, the entire country vented its wrath upon everything colored Blue and White. He could have left and simply signed on elsewhere, gotten an excellent education, and people like us would not know a thing about him. I heard Tommy Schutt's name during the Ohio State game the other day--wasn't he a kid who had committed to us but bolted when the sanctions hit?
I am sure there are others which you all could remind me about, but the point is clear. Hack and the guys like Mauti and many others who were already in the program stayed when they could have easily left, and carried off something that I think is pretty much unparalleled in the history of modern sport--they were loyal. They kept their commitments. They STOOD UP and said "Hell no, you can't make ME quit."
If I were Hack's Dad, I would like to say that I would have advised Hack to keep his commitment, but let me just say I am glad I did not have to make that judgment. It is truly remarkable when you think of it, how the program faltered but never wavered from the true line laid down for 60 years or more.
Reflecting on what kids like Hack and the others did, I have never been prouder to be a PennStater. They exemplified the values of hard work, sacrifice, loyalty, commitment, keeping your word, supporting your teammates and friends. They voted with their feet. They stood their ground.
And now, as we admire their courage and tenacity and decency and honor, let's consider the other group of PennStaters previously mentioned. Faced with a shaky indictment of some high level admins brought by a porndog prosecutor, they ran for the tall grass at the first sign of trouble. They threw Joe and those 18-22 year olds right under the bus, then lectured the rest of us about how to behave.
They took the funds entrusted to their use for the betterment of this University, and flung it at Freeh and anyone else Freeh's shameful falsehoods gave license to make a claim. How many hundred million did they waste? And most recently they had to be forced by a court of law to even give the alum trustees access to the so-called source documents.
I wish to apologize to the members of Hack's generation for the failures my generation of PennStaters forced them to live with. We cannot fix what they did, but some day we can tell this story with all the hidden facts filled in and make our apology complete. I am happy to say that I hope I am well instructed by their example, and I hope I can live up to it if the day should ever come when I have to show myself.
But back to Hack for just a moment. What did this mean to him, a kid who no doubt dreamt of gridiron glory from junior high or earlier? What did it mean to him when the sanctions caused him to play on teams without quality depth? In Hack's case in particular, it meant that he got beat like a rented mule for three years. I pray he is not seriously injured now, because that was the one intolerable thing which could have occurred--the crippling of our football program might have resulted in a lifelong injury to Hack or another player--their loyalty and decency and courage repaid forever by pain and suffering and disability. We have all seen this sort of thing happen to players (and other people) who did not have a BoT pay 8+ million of OPM to set up the circumstances.
I am glad Hack is leaving only because it is his time to shine. I hope he gets his degree this spring, or soon thereafter. I have no doubt he understands this is only a game, because I have seen in his honorable conduct the powerful influences in his life which will not let him forget it. He will need that degree because there are big things awaiting him AFTER football.
The kid's got a tremendous amount of character. He looked this disaster they caused right in the face and said "So what? I said I was coming, I'm coming."
If only the leaders of our University and the Commonwealth had an ounce of that integrity. What a different situation this would be.
Let's keep in mind what that giveaway meant for Christian Hackenberg--before he took a snap: Silas Redd bolted, the kicker bolted, the entire country vented its wrath upon everything colored Blue and White. He could have left and simply signed on elsewhere, gotten an excellent education, and people like us would not know a thing about him. I heard Tommy Schutt's name during the Ohio State game the other day--wasn't he a kid who had committed to us but bolted when the sanctions hit?
I am sure there are others which you all could remind me about, but the point is clear. Hack and the guys like Mauti and many others who were already in the program stayed when they could have easily left, and carried off something that I think is pretty much unparalleled in the history of modern sport--they were loyal. They kept their commitments. They STOOD UP and said "Hell no, you can't make ME quit."
If I were Hack's Dad, I would like to say that I would have advised Hack to keep his commitment, but let me just say I am glad I did not have to make that judgment. It is truly remarkable when you think of it, how the program faltered but never wavered from the true line laid down for 60 years or more.
Reflecting on what kids like Hack and the others did, I have never been prouder to be a PennStater. They exemplified the values of hard work, sacrifice, loyalty, commitment, keeping your word, supporting your teammates and friends. They voted with their feet. They stood their ground.
And now, as we admire their courage and tenacity and decency and honor, let's consider the other group of PennStaters previously mentioned. Faced with a shaky indictment of some high level admins brought by a porndog prosecutor, they ran for the tall grass at the first sign of trouble. They threw Joe and those 18-22 year olds right under the bus, then lectured the rest of us about how to behave.
They took the funds entrusted to their use for the betterment of this University, and flung it at Freeh and anyone else Freeh's shameful falsehoods gave license to make a claim. How many hundred million did they waste? And most recently they had to be forced by a court of law to even give the alum trustees access to the so-called source documents.
I wish to apologize to the members of Hack's generation for the failures my generation of PennStaters forced them to live with. We cannot fix what they did, but some day we can tell this story with all the hidden facts filled in and make our apology complete. I am happy to say that I hope I am well instructed by their example, and I hope I can live up to it if the day should ever come when I have to show myself.
But back to Hack for just a moment. What did this mean to him, a kid who no doubt dreamt of gridiron glory from junior high or earlier? What did it mean to him when the sanctions caused him to play on teams without quality depth? In Hack's case in particular, it meant that he got beat like a rented mule for three years. I pray he is not seriously injured now, because that was the one intolerable thing which could have occurred--the crippling of our football program might have resulted in a lifelong injury to Hack or another player--their loyalty and decency and courage repaid forever by pain and suffering and disability. We have all seen this sort of thing happen to players (and other people) who did not have a BoT pay 8+ million of OPM to set up the circumstances.
I am glad Hack is leaving only because it is his time to shine. I hope he gets his degree this spring, or soon thereafter. I have no doubt he understands this is only a game, because I have seen in his honorable conduct the powerful influences in his life which will not let him forget it. He will need that degree because there are big things awaiting him AFTER football.
The kid's got a tremendous amount of character. He looked this disaster they caused right in the face and said "So what? I said I was coming, I'm coming."
If only the leaders of our University and the Commonwealth had an ounce of that integrity. What a different situation this would be.
