Perhaps Joe Paterno would still be planning next year's practices if he had come out earlier and said something. But the wagons were circled over the Penn State administration's inability to report a suspected pedophile to police.

The wagon circling didn't help the situation, especially due to the speculation that more boys had been assaulted due to the failure to notify, which is not just a policy problem but an actual crime. Others above Paterno are being charged, but he's the face of the department, and people aren't buying that he did enough just to pass a bit of information along about his own defensive coach.

Will this be how JoePa is remembered? Probably not, but it'll be a long lesson for anyone who thinks that institutional protection is stronger than a public demand for justice.

Now, I am reminded of another recent circling of the wagons over an allegation of hazing, which is nothing compared to the Penn State situation, except that a longtime popular coach is hoping a problem with go away without ramifications. Coming clean is always the best option, even if means stepping aside.