I feel your decision to stifle discussion on the PSU scandal

[Smack]

is a mistake and very disappointing.

I understand your reluctance to deal with such a messy subject, but my points are as follows:

- This is way way bigger than some run-of-the-mill behind the scenes sex scandal story. This is a story that has implications that reach into every aspect of college football.

- In fact, until further notice, this is the only relevant college football story. Stories about the actual games pale in comparison, and I don't care if you're in Pennsylvania or New Mexico. To have a website that discusses college football and doesn't allow discussion of this story is like having a politics website that currently isn't allowing discussion of Cain's sexual harassment issues or Perry's gaffe at the last GOP debate.

- By keeping things "focused on football," you are in your own small way contributing to the shroud of silence that made Sandusky's alleged crimes and the cover-up possible in the first place, and which continues to make college football programs places where this kind of thing can happen. To repeat my analogy, this is like having a website and message board for Catholics and not permitting discussion on pedophile priests. This is exactly the kind of message board where this topic MUST be allowed, where super die-hard football fans can be influenced to think twice before blind devotion to their sport causes them to either allow or participate in terrible actions under the cover of secrecy and keeping it focused on the game.

- Again I understand your impulse to talk about the game rather than off-the-field issues, but in this case I believe you are being short-sighted, and frankly somewhat cowardly, by refusing to acknowledge that this story is so far beyond any others of this kind, and reaches so much deeper, as to be a completely different and unique case.

So, to reiterate, I urge you to reconsider your decision and to have at least one forum dedicated to this story and surrounding issues. I feel it's necessary in any place where college football is talked about for this story to be freely discussed. By insulating your users here from it, you are saying, as has been said all along in this tragedy, that it's OK to sweep all this under the rug and forget about it, and talk instead about how Penn State is going to deal with Taylor Martinez. Well, that's not OK with me and it shouldn't be OK with you.
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[Webmaster]

I appreciate your feedback, but I don't think you understand my decision.

We aren't some big media company or institution trying to hide the news. The news is out there, every one of our members has heard all the gory details 1000 times from many different sources.

Of course everything that has happened at Penn State is a lot more important than football or anything that will be posted on this forum. However, that doesn't mean it needs to be discussed here. We have always had many forbidden topics from politics, to race, to religion, and now a child abuse sex scandal. These topics are just too difficult to moderate and have the potential to rip apart the forum. It will be very difficult for members to chat about something as trivial as the next big game when they are having heated arguments about these hot button topics. Some members hate each other just because they root for a different teams. I find it hard enough keeping the peace between Lions and Packers fans. I have no desire to moderate a discussion about a child abuse sex scandal.

Also, I did give the members a chance to discuss this, but many members feel that because graphic details have been published in the media, it is OK to post them on the forum. We are a family friendly site and there no way some of these details can be posted here.

Finally, I understand that many of you want to discuss this, heck in some places that is all anyone wants to discuss. So feel free to use Facebook, twitter, or another forum to discuss it. Then come back here for some great football talk. That is what we do best and what we will always focus on.

If anyone else has comments or questions, please send me a PM.