Phil Sheridan | Dark clouds closing in on Paterno

It is easier to clean up a stadium than the image of the football team that plays in it, especially when that team continues to make the wrong kind of news.

The Penn State football program took another hit yesterday when suspended running back Austin Scott was arraigned on charges of rape, sexual assault, and aggravated indecent assault. While it is important to remember that Scott is innocent until proven otherwise, and that these charges are not related to other recent incidents involving the Nittany Lions, the net effect is a cloud of smoke around Joe Paterno's program.

And where there is smoke, there is an 80-year-old coach who wants reporters to stop asking about the fire. During a news conference this week, Paterno pleaded with them to focus on today's Big Ten Conference game against Wisconsin.

The sooner Paterno accepts the need for questions about the state of his program, the better for him and for Penn State.

A few years ago, alumni were openly wishing Paterno would retire or be eased out, because his team wasn't contending for national championships anymore. Paterno's defenders cited his long service, his insistence on running a clean program, and his accomplishments as reasons Paterno should stay as long as he wanted. The coach was vindicated two years ago when his team surged back into national prominence with an 11-1 record.

So it's a bit ironic and more than a little bit sad that Paterno's current team is doing better on the field than off. Paterno survived a football downturn because of the decades he spent building up Penn State's image. Now the Nittany Lions have a respectable 4-2 record on the field, but a series of brushes with the law involving players has begun to tarnish that image.

In April, six players were charged with crimes after a brawl involving other students. Most of those charges were dropped, but two defensive starters still face felony charges. Paterno made national headlines when, in response to that incident, he announced that the entire team would clean up a section of Penn State's football stadium the day after home games.

Since then, four players have been cited by the campus police for underage drinking. Authorities are investigating an on-campus fight last weekend that may have involved players. Now Scott, Penn State's starting running back until the alleged incident, faces even more serious charges.

This week, Paterno conceded that he was involved in what originally was reported as a road-rage incident. Paterno said he saw a woman run a stop sign on campus, pulled her over, and let her know he witnessed her transgression. Then he had words with the woman's husband.

Even if you accept Paterno's account, it looks bad. He has players drinking and fighting and now allegedly assaulting women, and he's riding around making traffic stops? Fair or not, this creates the impression that Paterno doesn't have a handle on what's happening with his program.

In the past, Paterno handled criminal charges involving players by waiting for the criminal justice system to complete its work. The coach was criticized for not taking immediate disciplinary action against Rashard Casey, who was accused of assaulting a police officer, and Anwar Phillips, who was charged with sexual assault.

But Casey was not indicted by the grand jury that heard his case. Phillips was acquitted by a trial jury. Other players have been acquitted of less-well-publicized charges.

Those cases, as well as the false charges filed in the high-profile Duke lacrosse case last year, underscore the importance of reserving judgment on Scott. And it follows that Paterno would let defensive starters Anthony Scirrotto and Chris Baker play in spite of charges stemming from the April brawl.

As the hits to Penn State's image keep on coming, you have to wonder whether players are getting an unintended message from Paterno. Instead of respect for the criminal justice system, maybe they are getting the idea that the coach will back them no matter what.

In the NFL, commissioner Roger Goodell has begun suspending players as soon as they are formally charged with crimes. Goodell's position is that playing in the NFL is a privilege, not a right, and that the privilege can be denied anyone who tarnishes the league's image.

The risk - that an innocent player could be unfairly denied his livelihood - is something Goodell considers worth taking to clean up his league. That risk isn't as great at the college level. Players can remain on scholarship while serving suspensions from the team.

The only thing at risk, then, is the outcome of a football game or two.

Paterno achieved iconic status because he won without compromising the integrity of himself or his university. It is an admirable legacy, and one Paterno or Penn State must act quickly to protect.

Phil Sheridan:

Dark clouds are closing in on Joe Paterno.

A1.