Here's Jay Paterno Trolling Penn State Fans

Here is JayPa trying to sell the cliched notion that adversity builds strength.

"Tough times have their benefits. One is that they expose the true character of the people in your life. Under pressure, everyone shows his or her true stripes. Some back away slowly, some run to be supportive, some tell you the truth you need to hear and some turn at the first sign of trouble and rip into you."

Here is JayPa trying to guilt fans for getting so upset over football, because they could be in Afghanistan.

"Of course, “tough times” are relative. Even some of my closest relatives think things are depressingly tough because of one loss or an uncomfortably close win. Think of soldiers in a gunfight in Afghanistan. That is the most extreme of “tough times.” Sports are just games."

Here is JayPa postulating a false initial state of affairs, to characterize the present discontent as flippant and radical.

"A few weeks ago, many people were trumpeting Penn State’s superiority because win or lose, we do things “the right way.” They mocked other universities for their alleged violations of NCAA rules. At the same time, Joe Paterno was revered for his track record of over 60 years of college athletics without a single major NCAA sanction. Now, some Facebook “friends” have decided they want to tell me what they really think about Joe Paterno and the Penn State football program. And about me."

Here is JayPa dispelling anyone critical as disloyal and “not real fans.” He would have made an excellent Communist.

"The VAST majority of Penn State fans are true blue, true believers and true to their belief in Success with Honor. There are some, however, who profess the faith in good times and then look for the nearest exit when times get tough. That is certainly their right to do so. But true fans of any team – even those of us who root for the BoSox – choose to stay loyal, through the thick of two World Series titles in four years and through the current thin of 14 losses in 18 games."

Here is JayPa making a cliched point about modernity then dispelling it in the next paragraph. Is the Internet making us jerks? Or are we all jerks?

"It may be the times in which we live. This is an era of over-hyped expectations and instant gratification, where the idea of building something of value — with values — over the long haul is often neither wanted nor appreciated. It is human nature and it is not new."

Here is JayPa trying to guilt fans by pointing out these are just human beings (and impressing us with his Latin).

"One player may be playing hurt or sick. Another may be playing knowing that a family member had passed away or that his mother or father is battling cancer. It is all a part of the complex issues and individual circumstances that make college coaching different and, at times, difficult. We are operating in many cases “in loco parentis” — in the place of parents."

Penn State fans have expectations. Such expectations are not unwarranted, considering the Penn State football turns a $50 million profit per annum. While a dose of adversity can build strength, persistent doses of adversity, occurring far too often to be rationally justified, breed cynicism and discontent. Persistent assertions to build on said adversity become trite and ineffective with overuse (sort of like a two-page offensive playbook).

Previously: Jay Paterno Thinks College Football Players Have a Sweet Deal

[Photo via Getty]