At every point in America lately, when there's even the possibility of a lull in the conversation, things turn to Penn State.  The story is certainly gripping and fascinating in an extremely unhealthy way, and it has been on everybody's minds. The story has a feeling of some very creepy Steven King novel that you're only halfway through, and you don't know the ending yet.

 I remember watching the 1997 Rose Bowl when Penn State beat Oregon.  Even though my team lost, I was incredibly impressed by the quality of the Penn State football team and the quality of their fans. The whole outfit was extremely classy, with its aura of sportsmanship before anything, graciousness in both victory and defeat. And yet, this was the very time when Jerry Sandusky was doing his thing with hapless little boys under the auspices of his charity.

I told Jeffry today that if the entire Penn State football team had been lost in a plane crash, that wouldn't have done the damage that Jerry Sandusky and the mendacious system of the Penn State administration did to not only their football team but to their entire university.   Jeffry's a humongous sports fan, and he agreed. Think of Larry Craig. Think of Jim & Tammy Fae Bakker.  Think of Reverend Ted Haggard.  Each of these people are and will be eternal jokes and punchlines for their sexual pecadillos. They're still good for a slow night on Letterman or Leno. Drum roll, please.

Now think of Penn State's damaged reputation from this incident.  A hundred years could go by, and Penn State will still be remembered for this horrible, tawdry incident.  And here we come to the solution -- what really must be done if Penn State is to do anything to salvage its permanently damaged reputation.  And I call this the University of Chicago solution.

In the 1930s, the University of Chicago was a Big Ten school. Matter of fact, it was a powerhouse with the immortal coach Alonzo Stagg. For a time, Stagg not only was the UC football coach, but he was the UC basketball and baseball coach, too.  His reputation at the time was certainly the equal of Joe Paterno. In 1935 UC halfback Jay Berwanger was the first recipient of what later became known as the Heisman Trophy. And yet.

Robert Maynard Hutchins was the President of the University of Chicago in the late 30s, and as much as the football team added to the reputation of the school (as well as being a profit center), Hutchins made the very radical decision in 1939 to abolish UC Big Ten football totally.  And in 1946, Chicago withdrew participation in any Big Ten sports.  Why? Because Chicago wanted to concentrate on academic excellence, and  not on athletics.  This move seems to have served the University of Chicago pretty well -- given that it is in fact one of the top ten academic institutions in the world under any yardstick.

Penn State has also had a reputation for academic excellence.  And now it finds itself in a nightmare that will never end.  As long as Penn State has a major league football program, its players will always enter the stadium on Saturdays under a cloud.  If they're the visiting team, it will be hard for the crowd to resist making cruel jokes, chants, and displays at the expense of the Nitany Lions. Forever.

Yes, I know that much of your school identity is wrapped up in football.  Yes, I know how much money it brings in each year.  Yes, I know how important football is in general to the people of Pennsylvania. But if you are ever going to get out from under the cloud that Jerry Sandusky et. al. has placed you under -- there's only one solution:

Give it up.