Eddie Robinson would not be happy about this. In fact, he’d be embarrassed. An attorney in Grambling, Louisiana, where Robinson coached at Grambling University for 57 years, has asked the NCAA infractions committee to vacate some of the late Joe Paterno’s wins at Penn State in light of evidence indicating he might have participated in a cover up of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse drama.
Her goal: To move Robinson back to the top position in all-time NCAA Division I victories. What a cheap approach.
Paterno has 409 career wins. Robinson has 408, getting passed by Paterno less that two weeks before the Sandusky case broke.
City attorney Pamela Breedlove said she filed the request with the approval of Mayor Edward Jones because the university is such a valued and important part of the city, according to the Shreveport (La.) Times.
Breedlove said she did not have an opinion about how many victories should be vacated, which speaks to how outrageous this request.
The three-page letter she sent to the NCAA details the city’s position, which says that the Freeh Report’s conclusions are enough evidence to give the record back to Robinson.
”We just believe that you would want to associate the record with someone who had the character of coach (Eddie) Robinson,” Breedlove said. ”Especially now that we’ve come to realize how bad things really were (at Penn State).”
Robinson, who was a man of immense character and pride, would be irate over such silliness. He would never want to achieve the record by retroactively taking away Paterno victories. In fact, it is a ludicrous notion for the NCAA to consider and an even worse idea to believe Robinson would be in agreement of such a tactic.
NCAA spokesman Amy Kudwa Dunham confirmed that the letter had been received, but added that the ”issue is not before the infractions committee at this time.” She declined additional comment.
The school president at Grambling neither endorsed nor dismissed the idea.
”Grambling State University is a proud institutional member of the city of Grambling, Louisiana and a proud member of the NCAA,” Frank G. Pogue said in a statement. ”We are as passionate about Coach Eddie legacy as anyone. This is an NCAA matter.”
Robinson, who died in 2007, had 45 winning seasons during his career that spanned more than half a century.
Grambling plays in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA), a step below the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A), which is where Penn State competes.
