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New SI Cover: “We Were Penn State”

Sports Illustrated has had its share of memorable college football covers over the years. What the magazine opted for with its July 30 issue is sure to join those ranks.

With the NCAA bringing down the hammer on Penn State football Monday morning, SI went with the cover headline “We Were Penn State” — a disheartening twist on the rallying cry, “We Are Penn State,” that has united Nittany Lions fans for over 60 years.

A battle-worn Penn State helmet sits below the headline on a shrouded field, no doubt symbolizing the beating that the program has taken since November.

The response on Twitter conveys one emotion: “Wow.”

With all due respect to the legendary 1995 cover calling for the end of Miami (FL) football, this might be SI’s greatest college football cover ever.

[Bleacher Report Twitpic]

1:57 PM on 7/24/2012
  • HU

    This is why I (a PSU Alumus) will never purchase SI again. I hope the rest of my fellow Alumni feel the same. We Are Penn State and will FOREVER be Penn State!!!

    • SI CEO

      it’s b/c you CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!!! we don’t need you to buy our covers
      –SI CEO

      • RT427

        You certainly have no connection to the truth.

      • Bruce in TN

        Good for you! They just don’t get it! Part of that “it isn’t my fault”, football is sacred culture! Obviously, they have never been raped and sodomized as a defensless child by the very people that are entrusted with their safety and a University that perpetuated a culture of “legendary” characters with too much power. You can’t tell me that within a college football environment such as PSU, or any for that matter, that someone in all those years didn’t suspect, hear about, got a rumor about Sandusky and his young traveling partners! Players, coaches, faculty would have known something really bad was going on. Don’t do the crime unless you can do the time!
        BG in TN

        • ANTI-PSUHATER

          right, so you’re saying PSU players knew? Where’s your evidence, Bruce?

        • Jerry

          OK Bruce,

          You say “You can’t tell me that within a college football environment such as PSU, or any for that matter, that someone in all those years didn’t suspect, hear about, got a rumor about Sandusky and his young traveling partners! Players, coaches, faculty would have known something really bad was going on”. So why did the NCAA ignore the 2+ million dollar payoff by the University of Colorado for this one…….
          http://www.nacua.org/documents/gilmore.pdf
          I guess female students are fair game, especially when the football players themselves are the ones doing the raping…right Brucy! Unless of course they are Penn Staters, then it would be different. Pick and choose is the name of your game buddy.

      • JimC

        There are thousands of us, not PSU grads, who are disgusted by the ” piling on ” and a cheap attempt to sell your rag at someone else’s expense. I just received an ” invitation ” to subscribe. After I spit on it, I threw it into the shredder.

      • HU

        I know of no CEO who would make such a comment. They would have a lot more moral dicipline and intelligence than to make such a statement.

      • Siceohater

        sure you are

      • SantaC

        Dude, go to the county jail and go to paternos grave and while your at it pull out the CRAP you’re hiding in your own “closet” cause I’m sure you have plenty!!!  The people you’re ready to hang high for your own self gratification had nothing to do with what happened.  I’d like to know the trueth in your life cause you sure aren’t JESUS CHRIST ALMIGHTY!!!

      • stacey

        whoever this is they really don’t have the brains god gave geese!!!! SI CEO Really!!!!  Pretty Gutless and cowardly to say the least!!

      • Zerbe48

         lots of people won’t be buying your crap magazine full of low blow reporting.

    • PS NEVER AGAIN

      Your football program is shot to hell, it will never be the same again. Everytime some other school comes to play PS for the next 50 years, all that will be remembered is how your school turned its back on the kids being abused by some wacko. Everyone at PS should spend the rest of their life trying to help kids in need and not trying to feel sorry for yourself and the school about how the NCAA handled it.

      • Extram

        First they have to stop denying the truth. The actions of a few people DOES define what the Penn State program is/was all about. The Alumus may not like it, but that’s the way it is. They need to stop preaching to the rest of us and try a little shame for a while. Maybe we’ll forgive you down the road.

        • Extramhater

          shame for what? if you take that approach, then we all should be ashamed that this happened in our great country.

          • Coxtc

            We are ashamed. As a college football fan, I am ashamed. As a victim of childhood sexual abuse, I am ashamed.

      • Antipsuhater

        so we’re all guilty by association, huh, jerk? I guess I might as well just pack my bags and move out of PA,

        • aquacalc

          “so we’re all guilty by association…?”
          No, you’re not. Anyone who makes that accusation has no credibility.

          The criminal (and moral) guilt lies clearly with Sandusky and *anyone* — including JoePa, according to the inferences drawn by Freeh — who knew that he was abusing those boys and yet made protecting the revenue & prestige of the FB program their top priority. (To me, that includes McQueary — any woman who came across the unambiguously criminal situation he described would’ve done more as a reflex, not just slam a locker door and cowardly walk away to perform a career calculation, leaving that terrified little boy to his tormentor. He failed the fox-hole test.)

          But if, almost cult-like, fans build a strong identify based on Ws and FB glory (through no direct effort of their own, as they didn’t earn a starting spot on the team), then they also should expect that their identity will take a hit when (through not direct fault of their own) their program suffers as it does now.

          Fair? Maybe not. Real-world? You know the answer.

      • Stacey

        If you’re so incline to tell others to help, follow your own advice.  50 years don’t think so. maybe 5-10 years, most people don’t dwell on the negative they make changes and move on, just like the school is doing now

      • chris5656

        i think i’ve found possibly the biggest fool in this country….yes, yes!!  it has to be you..

      • highwaters

        you must be an Ohio ST fan to damn the whole university,,,if the ncaa is so mighty,,,they should have suspended the guilty parties, not everyone else instead, give PSU the option to remove them or face removall from playing in ncaa games,,that itself was the only fair punishment they could have given…..its not like sports had anything to do with it..

    • Jaihall

      ive receive SI for over 12 yrs,,,, this was the last straw for me

  • blaisecollin

    This is stupid, as most of the time when it comes from the media. Sure, it makes a fantastic title and will draw a lot of attention. But the actions of a few (3-4 people) do not define what the university stands for. WE STILL ARE PENN STATE!

    • VictimsAnonymous

      U STILL ARE PED STATE!!!

      • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_NIA3WXBXBBTANMOXKEBLKZKMKY Jr

         Wow…  how long did it take your simple mind to come up with something that pathetic, and that false?  Everyone should feel ashamed of you, even the victims.

      • Stacey

        As I said earlier…Tool

      • chris5656

        that statement takes the brain of a real genius..c’mon guy..SI CEO is obviously your typical uneducated individual who can’t think of an intelligent sentence to say.

  • TruthBeTold

    Love the SI cover!! Can’t wait to read what they have to say bout PED STATE!

    • http://www.facebook.com/mike.porvaznik Mike Porvaznik

      I hear Sandusky’s looking for a room mate.  Interested?

    • Stacey

      Coward!!!!!

  • Captainric

    Check out The “u”‘s most recent violations. Maybe they should bring back that 1995 cover

  • aragon86

    A good name is the result on many actions, and can be lost by one. And for Penn State, this incredible combination of morally depraved criminal activity combined with a total lack of institutional control is a doozy.

  • Adomihs

    WE ARE ……….. PENN STATE!!!! Shame on you SI. How long will we keep punishing the innocent?

    • chris5656

      it all has to do with selling magazines and making as much money as they can.  what else is new with this world??

  • John

    We Were Penn State – It obviously took a genius to come up with that one! This just goes to show how stupid sports writers can be. The slogan is “We Are Penn State” and that will always be the slogan – regardless of what anyone else thinks (personally I don’t care what people think). The student athletes who remain on the team can be proud of the stand that they have taken for PSU and themselves – it would be easy to transfer (and there are enough leaches out there wanting PSU players) but they wanted to stay – that speaks volumes for the type of players PSU has on their team. If you want to comment on this, please feel free, but I will tell you right now I won’t be reading it, because I don’t really care what you think! WE ARE!

    • Mporvaznik

      PENN STATE

    • Debbie

      Yes John…WE ARE!!!! And always will be…PENN STATE PROUD!
      Honored to be in the class of ’75!

  • JimC

    Yellow rag magazine.

  • POPPYITIS

    TYPICAL SI .iF THERE IS ANYTHING NEGATIVE IN SPORTS, SI WILL HAVE IT AND PROMOTE IT. i AM CANCELLING MY SUB. , FOREVER, AND i AM NOT A PSU FAN.

    • Jpb0072003

      We all should do the same….boycott those that boycott

  • D

    Appropriate….but sad….

  • RVinKC

    The only thing I don’t agree with is the NCAA $60 million fine. That is money coming out of PSU’s funds that are going to an athletic asociation, when that $60 million should be going to the victims of these terrible crimes, not the NCAA!

    • Tmmorehart

      it is going to the victims…get informed before your talk…the ncaa is putting it all towards victim programs! Penn State was like the mob,they deserved what they got!

      • RVinKC

        Good to know, but you don’t have to be an ass about it. I think PSU go everything they deserved and have no sympathy or the program!

        • Craphead

          like I said we could shut the school down and that still wouldn’t satisfy you

      • Craphead

        yeah, that’s right we all should suffer for the actions/inactions of a handful that ran things…. why don’t we just shut the whole school down….would that make you freakin’ happy? nah, you’d probably just find another witch hunt to join

      • Hammer_island

        Victim Programs NOT the Real Vitims and who’s going to oversee that moneyand how much will the get payed ,lucky if they get 10%. NCAA what a joke

  • Bndmkt

    we are penn state will always be   i am proud of my school and its history  i will cancel my sub to your mag penn state s  graduation rate is one of the highest in ncaa  in all its history penn state has never been punished by ncaa proscutators did not have evidence to charge joe but ncaa punishes joe without evidence

  • Jpb0072003

    Police Chief and DA did not indite in 1998 and…..the DA is MIA…declared dead……that’s the real story….who has the leverage to concel that ???

    • Beepart

      The PA Givernor – he was AG!

    • Jaykay

      Paterno

      • Stacey

        Right tooltime!! You’re a keeper…Not

  • Gary frost

    Might as well say Penn State is the land of cheaters.Why did they let it go this far?I use to respect Joe Pa.But now,Shame,shame,shame on you!!!!And Jerry with that smile on his face.Hang him and let the nation watch.In prison,they had better put him in lock up forever.No one and I mean no one likes someone who mistreats kids!He’s dead meat in prison.Bet he won’t live another 5 years.

  • Anita Siegfried

    Stinks! Because WE ARE PENN STATE and ALWAYS WILL BE!

  • Rick

    Since being on the cover of Sports Illustrated for being successful is the “Kiss of Death”, maybe this means that PSU is about to rise from this media witch hunt and regain its rightful glory.  What a kick in the nuts it would be for the NCAA (the self-proclaimed keeper of moral integrity) if we were to go undefeated.  WE ARE and always will be PENN STATE!

  • Dingo

    The  ”Kick Them While Their down”  attitude is now the battle cry all over the country and SI 
    will lead the pack in the future issues with Penn State.  
    Believe me… we really feel the pain all over the state of PA on this terrible situation.
    Thing is …the players and school  will be punished for the crimes of a dozen people..

    Yes football was and will still be big at Penn State…. just like many other schools across the country on Saturday afternoon…..Auburn- Alabama- Ohio State,Michigan  etc all have the same loyal fans..
    I guess the Penn State  students and fans will be bashed for actually cheering for their team
    this Fall.  I can see a future cover …” How dare they cheer  for Penn State”

    • Trisha1026

      I’m a HUGE Michigan fan…I agree with you. What a horrible thing to do to the players on your team. This is NOT right.

  • Ed Smedley

    I will personally never pick up another SI magazine,and I suggest all Football Fans dump their subscriptions to this trash
    talking magazine. The football team for your information graduates most of it’s players,and they had nothing to do with
    this,and it has not been proven that Mr. PATERNO did either. I also urge all Nittany Lion fans to drop their State Farm
    Insurance,as they are stoping their sponsorship of PSU football. Let’s show them we are a united fan base and when you
    turn your back on one of us,you turn on us all. The president of the university dropped the ball,when it got to him he should have taken action,well he didn’t,and wound up taking everyone down with him. The football team should not have
    been punished at all,they committed no infractions but are being persecuted by the NCAA. They should be allowed to bring
    a Fedral lawsuit against the NCAA for the loss of the 40 scholarships over the next four years. That’s 40 young men being
    denied an education at a great university.

  • BigRed

    I wouldn’t give a second thought to ANYTHING SI says. I stopped reading SI in 1997 when they did a story on the National Championship game between Florida and Nebraska. SI stated that UF was going to crush the ‘Huskers. Well, we know what happened, Tommie Frazier had possibly the best game of his career. So, I mailed their magazine back to them, with a big bold “F U” on the first page of their story, and havent picked up an issue of SI since. I would advise any PSU fan to do the same. Keep your head up PSU fans. Be proud of your University and what it stands for. Huskers are rooting for you…

    • Hammer_island

      Welcome to the Big Ten Bigred

    • http://www.facebook.com/mike.porvaznik Mike Porvaznik

      Thank you and welcome to the Big 10

  • Billybobyall

    They are paying for the sins of their fathers. Like it or not this is how it has always been so don’t act surprised. How many schools have been popped while the offending player(s) or coach(es) are still there? It’s rare. What that monster did at the school was the worst thing our society could offer. The fact that the school knew about it, swept it under the rug (because it was a humane way to deal with it), & allowed said monster to have the keys to the place with an office until 2011 is more than enough of a reason to punish the school in this fashion!!

    The paterno family needs to shut up, move away & allow the school to try to recover from the mess their dad was involved with. They are delusional about the entire situation…talk about “hero worship.” Also, why don’t they give a statement about the sweetheart deal their dad orchestrated after the grand jury testimony that wasn’t run by the entire board of trustees? And the chairman already resigned because he knew he’d get some heat as well. Sorry kids, your school is a mess.

    • StillAMPSU

      First of all, stupid name. Second, have you ever heard of due process? I am guessing with a stupid name like that you haven’t. Well, apparently all of the other haters haven’t either. Paterno has not been afforded due process, and neither have Curley, Schultz, and the others. ONLY Sandusky has had his day in court and only Sandusky has ben proven guilty.  The Freeh report is nothing more than his personal opinion and if you had the intelligence to read it and comprehend it, it lacked evidence. The NCAA should not be using that as their basis for thei sanctions.  The Freeh report is already being corrected for errors, but I guess you don’t care about that.    The Paterno family has more class then you could ever hope to have.  If you have some evidence that everyone knew, then you must be as guilty as what you proclaim they are.  Let it go through the legal courts, not the court of public opinion

  • Micky S

    Soooooo irresponsible!!!!  You should be ashamed.  Not a big Penn State fan, but C’mon…Blaming Penn State, or their football program, for these events is like blaming all respectable husbands for the acts of the few abusive ones. Keep the blame where it belongs (the monster that committed the acts and the few that chose to let him continue to hurt human beings). I hear 10 X more about Penn State, Paterno and the football program than I hear about Sandusky. What the hell is wrong with you people?????

  • dvcanes

    Hang in there Nittany Lions, as a UM Hurricane alum I can tell you SI is a trash magazine.  They thrive on negative becasue it sells to haters.  We know from first hand the type of reporting this magazine promotes when they trashed us in 1995 to drop football and how awful our program was.  Many of us cancelled our subscriptions.  I have never bought one since let alone thumb through one on the rack, although dropping your subscription won’t hurt their sales it gives you satisfaction that they don’t get your money.  We are now as alum, fans etc. dealing with the same trash reporters of Yahoo especially the ass clown Charles Robinson.  He is obviously pissed at the fact that his first story last year wasn’t as huge as he thought it was, being told by a convicted ponzi schemer that he resurfaced this past friday with and identical story about the newest players and recruits.  So as our slogan is Us against the world.  YOU ARE and always will be PENN STATE.

    • obie

      After SI’s 1995 editorial “Why the University of Miami Should Drop Football”, one of the best-selling T-shirts on campus read “Why Sports Illustrated Should Drop Dead”.  Then, after Miami won the 2002 Rose Bowl, SI was touting a subscription offer which included a commemorative UM football and a leatherette-bound issue, both recalling the Hurricanes’ 2001 championship season.  It’s rather apparent that SI will do just about anything to market itself, so I say — even as a Miami alumnus — to Penn State’s players, students, and fans (none of which were involved with Sandusky’s crimes or the subsequent cover-up) to hold your heads high:  your University needs your positive support now more than ever.

      • Jaihall

        thx, obie,,these are words from a cane alum, if a rival like that understands it then why are so many others so hell bend…

  • Cjrito

    did anyone read the article before verbally shredding SI for their cover? The point of a cover is to get the attention (it clearly worked). But did anyone actually read the article before assigning a position to ALL of SI?!?

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_NIA3WXBXBBTANMOXKEBLKZKMKY Jr

    I’ve had no respect for SI for years.  They deserve no ones money, and as a former subscriber I know I’ll never hand over another cent to them again.

    Sincerely,
    Jr

    BTW despite the pleas of SI guess who’s still alive, and will remain alive?  The University of Miami.  So much for your calls otherwise.

  • Pleitch58

    The Ncaa pointing its crooked finger awagont Psu is a joke. Sports Illustrated loves to jump on the defamation wagon. Where were you when all the children needed a voice.

  • Jaykay

    You are……..done.

  • Jaykay

    Fran Ganter’s resignation or ouster would be a nice sign that things may turn around. He has only been there forever. Maybe he never took showers though ?

  • http://www.facebook.com/steven.m.quakenbush Steven M Quakenbush

    you were penn state now you are just a rabble for all your talk of unity jo pa was a man much admired by me until the truth came out and he failed as did all the others from Mccleary on up to the top children were harmed by the decision of your coach not to persue the matter legaly for this his great works are destroyed along with any sympathy for the program that promoted the monster Sandusky to be a predatore walking your golden hallswhere is your cry for the children be men and take the lumps brought on by your beloved coach place the blame where it lay not at SI or the NCAA.How odd that a sports news mag would run with the most important non football event in the history of college athletics shame on you for reporting the news SI rofl

    • Jaihall

      blame the coach for not doing the police’s job,

  • MikeB6485

    Kind of along the lines of an editorial cartoon posted by Jeff Koterba in the Omaha World Herald on   Tuesday, July 24th showing the Nittany Lion statute in jail; completely surrounded by jail bars.

  • Rafhoot48

    While I have many comments to make about several of the issues raised here I will just say that:
    1./  What is the thinking of those of you who say or imply that the entire University is guilty and should be punished when it was the act of one man and, at worst the inaction of 2 or 3 others. 
    It smacks of jealosy and pettiness.

    2./  In his own comments on this tragedy, Nick Sabin commented that any actions taken should be driven by a concrete and productive goal in mind.  The only goal I can see should be reparations to the victims to make up (if it CAN be made up) for whatever suffering this may have caused them in life. 
    I.E., how does it help anybody to ban the football team (what did they do?) from bowl berths (which further penalizes Penn State and all Big 10 schools a significant amount of money),
    reduce the number of scholarships available to allow a prospective student athlete the opportunity to get a college education (when they might not otherwise be able to afford one), 
    Remove Paterno’s statue when he hasn’t been convicted of any crime and the outcry by many students should stand as an indication that they WANT there (Please spare me the BS that is a painful reminder to a lot of people.  Presumably those people are so turned off by all this that they wouldn’t be going to games anyway so they won’t be subjected to it.  The statue is there in honor of a guy who coached the team to over 400 wins.  What is the tie-in between this scandal and this accomplishment?  So much has been read into the sole statement uttered by Paterno “I wish I had done more…”.  Who knows what he meant by that?  Everybody assumes that it meant he was painfully aware of what was transpiring and did nothing.  This is getting longer than I wanted so I’ll leave it to you to jot down other connotations of these 6 words.

    The events were absolutely tragic – no question.  But what will make the pain go away for these victims…$2M each?  $5M?  $10M?  What would give any of you a pretty comfortable life compared to te one your living now?  So when are various authorities going to stop getting in linean prescribing yet another penalty on top of the enormous penalties handed down by the NCAA (not to mention the millions of dollars already pledged by the Paterno family and the University for these and other victims of child-abuse)?  How many people have to exact their pound of flesh and how will it help the victims?  Does anybody really think that it took all these sanctions to make sure other schools don’t allow this to happen?  After all the media mania and sensationalism would any school be stupid enough to turn a deaf ear to such an event at their own institution?

    Everybody has ASSUMED that the victims are scarred beyond belief and are loving to see PSU punished beyond reason.  Check this out:

    Brent Musburger takes on NCAA and “rush to judgment” on Penn State. “Terribly disappointed..”
    http://ow.ly/ctcUJ

    http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=8194445
    Subject: Quote by victim 12
    “I wish people would stop talking about giving Penn State football the death penalty and taking down the statue of Joe Paterno. Yeah, I had to submit to Mr. Sandusky 11 years ago. At that time I had no idea what was happening to me, but I did know it was abnormal and strange. Now I would like to move on with my life. But if they take away Penn State football, or take down the statue, that would not make me feel any better. In fact, it would hurt me very much. I love Penn State, and I love Joe Paterno. He did so much good for so many people, and Penn State is such a great University with awesome traditions. It would hurt me every day for the rest of my life knowing that my testimony was responsible for all this. Can people please let Penn State and the rest of us heal?” –Victim #12 “I am a victim of childhood sexual abuse. There are two reasons why a victim does not testify. First reason is fear that no one will believe you.. Second is the fear of destroying something that you love. The penalties that people are insisting taking place at Penn State is just the type of reason that victims like myself do not testify. It would only make the scars much more deeper.”

    And the NCAA claims to have the victims at heart.

    • Stacey

      Hey two wrongs don’t make a right. PSU deserved to have the book thrown at them. Musberger brings up very good points in his argument. The NCAA should have waited until criminal trials were over before riding their charger into the china shop!! When will this organization operate in a normal fashion rather than screwing everything up everytime it gets involved?

  • “Roscoe”

    Can’t wait to see the Mad magazine cover. 

  • Jaihall

    i guess its just easier to further punnish the inocent students, fans, and families involved with PSU, than to speak the real truth,,, NCAA allowed a hand full of fools to possibly destroy one of the proudest schools in the country,,,i guess all the innocent people here are just casualties ….huh  that seems like a crime in itself……. NCAA try just sticking to sports

  • Lolabee

    My son will be an incoming freshman this fall at PSU. This cover was very disheartening for him to see. Just cancelled my subscription!!

  • Eric Welling

    all these pedophile state fans with subs to si loved it when si praised jopa and penn state, loved it when si took to task other programs that didnt live up to jopas lofty standards. then si reports on pedophile state negativly and you all go balllistic. how hypocritical of the white and blue. you never seem to think of the children abused, you only think about football. you make excuses when sane people would be looking for answers and solutions and making amends for the past crimes of those who caused all this. blaming magazines, sports networks, other schools and conferences is just a cop out. place the blame where it belongs, on those who allowed it to happen. accept that the ncaa HAD to do something. stop trying to defend the indefendisble and lashing out at everyone. once penn state fans can do that then in four years it can be we are penn state with pride, but continue this attitude and it will be pedophile state forever. now I realize most of you will not understand logic or reason, but try.

  • chris5656

    Last I checked, Penn State is alive and well and they will continue to be so this so-called great cover will fall on deaf ears in time.  

  • Mrd2wv

    Hey people, what football team maybe you should realize the whole football is number one mentality led your sorry coach and administration to this point. Better to shut up and take your lumps.  We’lll seee how many of you show up loss after loss.SAD BUT NONE OF YOU GET IT AND NONE OF YOU PLAYED FOOTBALL THERE EITHER, Poor victems and people like you all living large talking trash through a game.

  • Relaxedballer

    I believe that all the alum and Penn St. people who are fans dont realize what this college did to these children and allowed ALL INVOLVED!!!! to put children in danger at there school and on trips. The pain that these kids go through is enormous and it will go on for a lifetime. The emotional heart break will shatter there lives and there families but then it seems to be ok with ALL PENN ST people. We are Penn St. is no more! get that reality in your mindset and belive that We were Penn St. will always be remembered for a lifetime and when all those football players go on camera maybe the smart thing to do would be to apoligize to the victims and realize that THERE COACH KNEW!!!!! and did very little to save those kids from harm.. Be mad all you want but all will not even have a clue to how these kids feel inside unless you have been through it yourself. So get off your pedestal that you have put yourself and that school on because it has crumbled right underneath your eyes…

    • highwaters

      the college did nothing wrong a few individuals are to blame not every player , student and fan,,,,how can so many of you not get that…..none of the real guilty parties are punished by this,,,dahhhhh

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