New Penn State football coach Bill O'Brien is taking the reins of a big-name program, but its reputation is in tatters after the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal made the football program national news for several weeks this fall. O'Brien appeared at the Indiana vs. Penn State men's basketball matchup last weekend, and Jon Wertheim, in a piece at the website of SB Nation's partner Sports Illustrated, says that O'Brien should seek advice from Indiana basketball coach Tom Crean. Here's a snippet of what he thinks Crean might say.
Use your outsider status to your advantage. I wasn't an Indiana guy and you're not a Penn State guy. You're going to have to prove that you belong in the "family" and understand the culture, the tribal rituals, the sensibilities, all that. But it also means you're untainted.
Wertheim (as Crean, of course) also suggests O'Brien warn fans that the team may win less than usual in the coming years. He also suggests O'Brien do as much as possible to meet fans throughout the state, and that he recruit aggressively.