John Amaechi on Joe Paterno: "You can't be a part-time man of principle"
By Tim Ryan
Dan Le Batard had John Amaechi on his show yesterday to discuss the Penn State scandal and, as you might have expected, the former Nittany Lion knocked it out of the park in his usual eloquent fashion. Despite being embarrassed and horrified by what’s allegedly taken place at Penn State, Amaechi approached the topic with reason, logic and sensibility, otherwise known as character traits that, for the most part, cease to exist in State College.
The clip is close to seven minutes long, which equates to roughly nine hours in internet time, but it’s absolutely worth watching in its entirety. Though if you’re truly pressed for time, skip ahead to the 3:35 mark where Amaechi drops the following line:
“Again, nostalgia, history, legacy, loyalty, all of these things that are personal selfish qualities are getting in the way of empathy for young people who, we know, the evidence shows, lives have been changed forever. Damaged forever.”
John Amaechi clearly needs to serve as the voice of reason far more often. A former pro basketball player who uses the phrase “unwittingly complicit” simply must be the go-to guy for issues that stretch well beyond the game.