Bears’ Adams backs Paterno’s firing

While Bears tackle Anthony Adams and kicker Robbie Gould, both former Penn State players, have strong feelings for their alma mater, their first thoughts now are about the victims in the sexual abuse case that has rocked the campus and the country.

The firing of 84-year-old head coach Joe Paterno and the unrest on campus have stirred emotions, but the primary focus should be on the victims, the two players say.

“Just kind of mixed emotions because we all know what coach Paterno meant to the university, and we all know what he meant to us as individuals,” Adams said. “It’s just been a tough couple of days. To see how everything unfolded on TV it’s just been ridiculous. You kind of feel for all the victims and the victims’ families. Our thoughts and prayers go out to them. It’s just crazy.”

While hundreds of Penn State students gathered in protest of Paterno’s firing after 46 years as the school’s head football coach, Adams said it was fair to hold the legendary coach to the same standards that he expected of his players.

“Is it fair?” Adams said. “Yeah, that’s what we were based off of at Penn State. That’s why we say, ‘We are Penn State,’ because we do things different, and we hold ourselves to that higher standard anyway, so yeah it’s fair.”

Adams clearly is having difficulty dealing with the bombshell and the aftermath of allegations that longtime (1969-99) defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky engaged in sexual abuse of at least eight boys over a 15-year period. But he is trying not to let that tarnish his memories of his years at Penn State (1998-2002).

“My memories there were always good,” Adams said. “They always taught me how to become a man first and a football player second. They always were making sure that we went to study hall and that being a student was why we all were there. Being a football player was kind of secondary. My thoughts about how I was brought up at Penn State were always great experiences.

“But this right here is just sad, it’s disgusting.”

Gould said he hoped all involved, especially the victims and the other innocents, could recover from the sordid and shocking developments.

“I feel bad for the victims,” Gould said.

“It’s definitely a sad situation. It’s sad for everybody involved,” he added. “It’s sad to see your alma mater go through it.”

A somber Adams said he has been in constant communication the past few days with former college teammates and friends.

“I’ve got so many text messages that I can’t keep battery life on my phone,” he said. “People want to see how I’m doing, see how other people are doing, see how the coaches are doing. One person has affected the whole university, and not only the whole school but families; victims. There are more victims that are stepping up and saying this happened and that happened, so it’s just … it’s disgusting.

“I’m trying my best to … you can’t make sense out of this stuff; 23 pages, that report, it’s hard to read that.”