Joe Paterno, Penn State, and an Important Rule

Early in the New Year, we were treated to another indication that many people just don't understand the concept of sexual assault. According to SI.com, Joe Paterno, the Penn State football coach, was asked to comment about one of his players who was accused of sexual assault. Paterno's comments included, "A cute girl knocks on the door. What do you do?"

You have GOT to be kidding!

OK, lemme get this straight.

• Joe Paterno has lived on this earth for 78 years, and he still doesn't know the difference between sex and rape?

• He is the primary authority figure to dozens of young men who walk his campus like gods, and he doesn't teach them what to do in that situation?

• He has witnessed an uncounted number of sex scandals in college athletics over the years, and he has never had to face this question before?

Joe Paterno has got to be aware that athletes are statistically more likely to commit sex crimes than members of the general public. Does he honestly believe that if "a cute girl knocks on the door," the inevitable and natural response is to rape her?

Teach the rules

Imagine, for a minute, if you were a member of a college football team -- say, the guy who does the kickoff returns. The coach would teach you some basic rules.

• Catch the ball. If you don't catch the ball, you're off the team.

• Don't drop the ball. If you drop the ball, you're off the team.

• Run toward the goal line. This requires running in a specific direction. If you run the other way and score for the other team, you're off the team.

• Run as far as you can without getting tackled. If you never gain any yardage, you're off the team.

And so on. And there are lots of other rules that the coach would teach you and everybody else on the team.

• Dedicate a large portion of your life to the football team. Attend practices. Work out on your own. Stay in shape all year round. The team should even determine how you eat and sleep.

• Sacrifice your health for the team. Willingly risk broken legs, arms, necks, backs, knees, etc. Get hit repeatedly. Risk heat stroke and other dangers. At every practice, push yourself so hard that you vomit.

• If you don't do all of that, you're off the team. The coach has the right to demand this -- and more --from every player. And as a player, you have a duty to obey.

All of these rules are pretty basic. They're accepted throughout college athletics. So why is it that college athletics seems unable to add one more rule? Something like:

• When a cute girl knocks on your door, DON'T RAPE HER!

This problem goes far beyond Joe Paterno. It is a widespread attitude in athletics. But if you're coaching such young men, shouldn't you teach them about that rule? If nothing else, just to make sure you don't lose a starting player the day before the Orange Bowl? And if you don't know what to do if a cute girl knocks on the door, shouldn't you ask somebody?

Easy to learn

When you get right down to it, the rules for sex are easier to learn than a single football play. And if you expect your players to follow the rules of Consent, that is certainly a more reasonable expectation than some of the demands the System puts on a first-string player.

Pretend you're a college football coach. And you decide that you want your linebackers to be able to run the 40 Yard Dash two-tenths of a second faster than their current best time. What would you expect them to do? You would expect them to pour their hearts and souls into improving their speed. You would expect them to devote enormous effort and suffering to it, because if they can't do it, you'll get somebody who can, and that's all there is to it. That's the kind of attitude the entire athletic System should have about the rules of Consent.

One symptom of a disease

I don't think Joe Paterno is all that unusual. Unfortunately, I think he is only the most visible symbol of a problem about sexual assault and violence against women that is widespread in athletics and our entire society. Knute Rockne said "Winning isn't the most important thing; it's the only thing!" But he was wrong. We need to insist that coaches -- and the entire System -- acknowledge that other things exist. Things like honor. And integrity. And being a real man.

We need to insist that the athletic System incorporates those ideals, instead of merely assigning them to the college P.R. department. We need to insist that these ideals get the priority they deserve. We need to insist on coaches who don't consider those ideals to be barriers to winning.

And if they can't do it, we'll get somebody who can. And that's all there is to it.