State College, PA - The biggest supporter of the University of Oregon - Phil Knight - spoke at Joe Paterno's memorial service on Thursday, and he offered up an extremely controversial defense of Paterno's actions in the Penn State sexual abuse scandal.
In his speech, Knight discussed Bill Bowerman, the man who he once called his hero in an Esquire Magazine interview. Bowerman was Knight's college track coach and partner. After Bowerman died in 1999, though, Knight said he needed to find a new hero.
And that's when he turned to Joe Paterno:
"When Bill Bowerman died on Christmas Eve in 1999, I asked myself what do I do for a hero now? Two months later on the Nike trip, the answer showed itself across the table wearing a thick set of eyeglasses. I said, 'I'm not asking your permission, I'm just telling you, I need someone to look up to. You're my new hero.' His response was typical. He threw that left hand up and said ah, shaa.
"In the 12 years since, through four losing seasons, big bowl wins, 12-win seasons, through All-Americans, through players with criminal charges, with four-point students and players dismissed from the team for discipline, never once did he let me down. Not one time."
After that, Knight turned to the Jerry Sandusky allegations of sexual abuse, claiming that Paterno did the right thing and that the media has turned him into the bad guy:
"Conventional wisdom dictates that I would phrase it a different way. It would say in 11 of those 12 years he never let me down and those years outweighed this last year, but nobody ever accused me of wisdom of any kind, let alone conventional.
"In the year in question it turns out he gave full disclosure to his superiors, information moved up the chain to head of campus police and president of the school. The matter was in the hands of a world class university and by a president with an outstanding national reputation. Whatever the details of the investigation are, this much is clear to me: [If] there was a villain in this tragedy it lies in that investigation, not in Joe Paterno's response to it.
"And yet, for his actions, he was ex-coreated by the media and fired over the telephone by his university. Yet in all his subsequent appearances, in the press, on TV, interacting with students, conversing with hospital personnel, giving interviews to Sally Jenkins, he never complained, he never lashed out. Every word, every bit of body language conveyed a single message: We are Penn State.
"So I do not follow conventional wisdom. Joe is my hero. Every day for 12 of the last 12 years. But it does lead me to this question. Who is the real trustee atpenn state university?"
Knight then wrapped up his speech with a thank you to the man who became his hero 12 years ago:
"In periods of stress and grief, not only does your mind do funny things, you say things that surprise you. When I came back from mass on Sunday, Penny said, 'Heather called. Joe has passed.' The first words out of my mouth, way out of sequence and typically self-centered, through the tears I asked, who is going to be my hero now? It's a question everyone in this arena should ask and I do not have an answer for you, but i can tell you this much, that old hero, he set a standard that will live forever. Thank you."
The biggest supporter of University of Oregon athletics, the founder of Nike, and a staunch defender of Joe Paterno left the stage to the tune of a standing ovation.
It begs the question: Do you agree with Phil Knight?
© 2011 Max Price - All Rights Reserved.
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