Interesting read.....
Link:
https://www.change.org/p/the-penn-state-board-of-trustees-make-paterno-field-at-beaver-stadium/u/31134322?cs_tk=Auz91tQPtRSHAJAglGMAAXicyyvNyQEABF8BvMD9XqNU9HFRHUxHE-_APcg=&utm_campaign=3c25ce93491d452ab4d141c5e0841c2c&utm_content=initial_v0_6_0&utm_medium=email&utm_source=petition_update&utm_term=cs
Here it is, I wasn’t going to tell anyone about the whole conversation that I had with Graham as I mentioned in a post update from weeks back, but I’m tired of the fighting, opinions, hate emails, yes hate emails from Penn Staters telling me what I’m doing is horrible, give up, move on, Joe Paterno didn’t want any recognition like this, etc. The emails stating, I will never sign your petition because Joe wasn’t about recognition, that my group needs to stop this useless crusade, leave well enough alone, etc.
SORRY, THE BUCK STOPS NOW…. Graham Spanier enlightened myself, along with my son, Blake Jr., when he told us both, the following, “I’m going to tell you something that 99 percent of the people today still have no idea about, and I can tell you that in 2011 only 3 people knew about the plan that was set into place”. Tim Curley (our former Athletic Director), Graham Spanier and none other than Joe Paterno all agreed on a special dedication. Joe signed paperwork that 2011 was his last season as Head Coach of the team, though many figured that much, what nobody knew was the rest of the story.
“The 3 of us all planned on holding a dedication to name the field after Joe, effectively “Joseph Vincent Paterno Field at Beaver Stadium”. I hope everyone read that sentence, after 11 years of arguing, personal opinions, threats against me, and more, I have been fighting the good fight, and have been doing it correctly from day 1 of our petition! Maybe it was a subliminal message from Joe himself that was sent to me, “you go kid, you are doing it right, this is what we had planned, don’t let anyone stop you”. If you want to give your opinion on why my petition was always to name the field after Joe, have at it, come up with your stories, I’d love to read them.
I would love to be the guy to say, “I told you so”, after all the literal garbage that I’ve put up with for over 11 years, but hell yes, I TOLD YOU SO… I deserve that much satisfaction for all that some of you have put myself, Art Greenwald, and my son, Blake Jr. through. I on the other hand was so relieved when Graham told us that this was planned, and the field was going to be named exactly how our petition was fighting for, otherwise it would have been back to the drawing board. It could have been worse, Graham could have said what some of you naysayers have over the last 11 years, “Joe didn’t want this, you should stop”. BUT GRAHAM DIDN’T SAY THAT, he was beyond thankful for The Paterno Field Group to keep carrying the torch for Joe, and that things are definitely changing in the right direction for the first time since 2011.
It’s now time to pass this post onto those friends
