Roche: Give O'Brien A Chance At Penn State
BOSTON (CBS) - I get a kick out of all these people "surrounding" and "in" the Penn State football program that are crushing newly appointed head football coach Bill O'Brien before he even steps onto a football field.
The Penn State program is in the process of going through arguably one of the biggest scandals in the history of college sports. Legendary coach Joe Paterno will forever have the scandal attached to his name. Shameful and sad. And, of course, it can't be put into words how badly you feel for all the victims.
So, with that as the foundation, Penn State made a clean break and hired a new coach who has nothing to do with the school. Bill O'Brien is an outsider. A fresh start. Good.
O'Brien was great at his introductory press conference as he read a letter welcoming any and all Penn State fans back to the campus at any time.
Yet, former Penn State players, alum, and some media folks are ripping the administration for not hiring someone with Nittany Lion ties. How about worrying about the investigation and the scandal.
Meanwhile, to expand on the O'Brien criticism... it really bothers me when a new head coach or manager is ripped apart before they begin. Why? I don't get it.
Look here in Boston at Terry Francona, Bill Belichick, and Claude Julien. Francona had a tough go of it in Philly before he came here as did Belichick in Cleveland. And Julien was on the brink of being fired until Nathan Horton beat the Canadiens in round one of the play-offs.
Advice to Penn State folks. Relax! And, give Bill O'Brien a chance.
