The Harrisburg Patriot-News editorial board wonders about Penn State’s decisions to promote from within in the wake of firings related to the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Rodney Erickson, for example, was promoted to become the president of the university almost immediately after the departure of Graham Spanier, and Dave Joyner, also a PSU insider, will reportedly be the school’s new athletic director. Several candidates to be PSU’s next head football coach already have connections to the school. The article also asks why Steve Garban did not step down from the Board Of Trustees.
I can understand where the desire for a fresh perspective comes from, obviously, but from where I sit, it’s not really needed except on the most obvious level. After a child-molestation scandal to which Erickson, Garban and most other people still employed by Penn State had no known connection, it should be pretty easy for them to take precautions to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Ultimately, this editorial does not present any legitimate reasons why these people aren’t right for the jobs they’re filling, just innuendo.