Another Penn State alumni has lost his job in wake of the Penn State scandal. This time it was Franco Harris who worked for The Meadows Race Track and Casino. He spoke out about Joe Paterno and why he thought he shouldn't have been fired for the scandal that occurred at the school. Here is what he had to say and the response from the casino.
"I feel that the board made a bad decision in letting Joe Paterno go.
I'm very disappointed in their decision. I thought they showed no
courage, not to back someone who really needed it at the time. They were
saying the football program under Joe was at fault.
"They really wouldn't give a reason. They're linking the football
program to the scandal and, possibly, the cover up. That's very
disturbing to me. ... I think there should be no connection to the
football program, only in the case that it happened at the football
building with an ex-coach. I'm still trying to find out who gave him
access to the building, who signed that contract."
"When I heard that, it blew my mind," Harris said. "Why would they
bring the moral into the legal? Now, everyone gets to interpret in their
own way. That's what really bothers me: Joe did what was right for him
to do. He forwarded the information to his superiors. That's the legal
procedure at Penn State.
"If I had to choose today between the moral integrity and character
of Joe Paterno and the politicians and commentators criticizing him, I
would pick Joe Paterno, hands down, no contest every time."
Here is the statement issued by the Casino
"In light of the recent
developments with Franco Harris regarding Joe Paterno’s dismissal,
Franco and The Meadows have mutually decided to put their business
relationship on hold at this time, while these matters are looked into
further."
Harris and his Steelers teammate Rocky Bleier were hired by the Meadows
in early October to "assist the entertainment facility with various
outreach activities, charitable events and public appearances." They
also did television advertisements.
Seems like something that shouldn't be a fire-able offense especially at a casino. Their morals aren't really top notch anyway. Isn't there something called the right to free speech?
