In light of team’s poor performance and off-field problems, it may be time for Paterno to step down

It seems like things just keep getting worse for our friends over in State College. Right… It seems like things just keep getting worse for our friends over in State College. Right now, Penn State is 2-6, but surprisingly, that isn’t the biggest problem Joe Paterno faces.

Looking over the list of off-the-field problems Penn State has had this year, you might get confused and think that you’re reading a script from ESPN’s “Playmakers.” With seven players involved in separate off-field problems, this team has gotten out of control.

On Tuesday, Paterno announced that the team’s leading receiver, Tony Johnson, would remain suspended for Saturday’s game against Ohio State after being charged with drunk driving. At the same press conference, Paterno also announced that lineman Tom McHugh was dismissed from the team after being charged with public drunkenness, underage drinking, and allegedly slapping a woman. The charges came just hours after Paterno had warned players to watch their behavior.

These off-field distractions have been happening all season long, leaving Paterno wishing that the lack of talent were the only problem his team had.

It all started when Anwar Phillips was charged with sexual assault last summer. Although Phillips was acquitted days before the season opener, it still had to be quite a distraction. Shortly thereafter, lineman E.Z. Smith was cited twice in the same week for underage drinking.

Twice in the same week? Come on, you’ve got to be kidding me.

Alcohol charges were also brought up against punter Jeremy Kapinos, and defensive lineman Scott Paxson was charged with criminal mischief after police said they caught him riding a stolen bicycle.

Wait … What?

Linebacker Dethrell Garcia was also charged with a DUI, but maybe we shouldn’t count this one, since he quit the team before being arrested.

Paterno said that this season has been the toughest of his 54-year career, and rightfully so. But things don’t look like they’re going to get any easier for Joe-Pa and the Nittany Lions.

This weekend, they take on Ohio State, who may not be playing like national champs, but are still seven-point favorites on the road this Saturday.

Penn State will, at best, finish 4-8 this year. Although that will surely bring a smile to most fans here at Pitt, Joe Paterno is ruining his legacy as one of the best college football coaches in history.

This week’s events are proof that Paterno has lost control of his team. Coming into this season, Penn State alumni and fans were mostly concerned with the fact that Paterno was failing to get the kind of recruits he had always gotten in the past.

Many believed that the top recruits would not feel comfortable committing to a program that had a head coach who would more than likely not be around for four years.

Now the problems are much worse. Paterno has said that he has no plans to retire, but if he truly cares about what is best for the program, he must step down at the end of this season.

He certainly won’t be going out on top, but that does not seem possible anymore. Paterno was a great coach, and he should be remembered as such. But there comes a time in a man’s life when he just has to know it’s time to walk away. It is time for Paterno to walk away.

Ryan Walker is a columnist for The Pitt News, and he knows that this column will bring tears to the eyes of his stepfather. Don’t worry, Dave, time heals all things.