Joe Posnanski, author of the New York Times bestseller Paterno, said of his piece, “it wasn’t ever, even at the beginning, going to be a love letter to Joe Paterno.”
Posnanski, who spoke in front of a crowd of over 200 people at Alumni Hall on September 14th, recounted the struggles and criticisms that he received in the composition of Paterno’s life story.
“They called it the worst-timed book in the history of the world,” he said. “That was before the book climbed to the top of the New York Times Bestseller list,” eliciting laughter from the crowd.
The argument for the ill-timed book stems from two factors: the fact that there may be more negative facts to come from the scandal at Penn State, and the fact that the book was released five weeks after the damning Freeh Report was released, indicting the university on its culture and lack of protection against incidents that led to the scandal.
Posnanski defended the timing of the book, saying, “I didn’t wait because his life was over, and I was writing about his life…People don’t want to face this book now.” He then continued, “[Paterno’s] words need to be in the conversation right now.”
The embattled author has continued to receive criticisms that have disrupted his peace of mind as well as his personal life. He let the criticism bother him until one day while writing he realized, “Everything that people say about me doesn’t matter, and it won’t help me write this book.”
Posnanski was first granted the authority to write the book on Nov. 10, 2011, after Paterno had declined the offer multiple times the previous two years. Paterno, who Posnanski said was often a tough person to crack, said that the coach’s “ringing endorsement” of Posnanski came when Sue Paterno said, “If you really want to write this, [he said] he won’t stop you.”
For just under one year, Posnanski was living in State College, acquainting himself with the Paterno family, attending Penn State football games and press conferences, and gathering materials to write about “the greatest football coach of all time.” However, as the university scandal unfolded late last November, Posnanski, as the entire university did, had to reevaluate his next move.
Scheduled interviews with former players, family members, and friends of Paterno for the book were cancelled, and Posnanski became ostracized as a person that no one wanted to talk to for fear of being included in a controversial book. However, while many fled the story at that point, the author maintained, “you find the strongest people in those moments.”
Many former players, including millionaire and California resident Don Abbey, were even more willing to speak and give an account of their time spent with Paterno than before the scandal had arisen.
Through this renewed support from a new demographic, Posnanski decided to continue writing the story he was trying to write, letting the facts come forward and not rushing into conclusions. “Every fact, no matter how inconvenient, I wanted it all out there.” Much like Paterno’s credo throughout the scandal, Posnanski echoed his desire to “seek the truth” regardless of personal feelings or preconceived notions of the head coach.
Decision time came upon the death of Paterno on January 22, 2012. Posnanski evaluated the proper time to release the book, as well as how to format it, as Paterno’s legacy was unclear at that point, and the only thing that could change that was more details coming out over the course of time.
“The publishing house was very good about everything,” Posnanski said. Simon & Schuster publishing company reassured Posnanski, “We want you to write the best book that you can write. Tell us what you need for that.”
Posnanski also continued to receive support and material from Paterno himself even after the scandal erupted and after Paterno became ill. The coach gave Posnanski a duffel bag with personal notes from the last 50 years, an offering that provided the author with invaluable insight.
“I had the same information as the Freeh Report months before its release…except I was able to talk with Paterno himself as well,” Posnanski explained.
Posnanski’s account of Paterno’s life hit the bookshelves on August 21, 2012, and while the insights into the coach’s life are unparalleled at this point, the author explains that neither he, nor the Freeh Report, is the final answer.
“The fact that [The Freeh Report] has been accepted as the last word is a travesty,” Posnanski proclaimed. “Time is going to continue to play a part in this story.”