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Thursday, 17 November 2011 17:57

Written by Reg Henry

Let us talk about what a constitutes a good friend.

A good friend stands with you through thick and thin. Even when the evidence looks damning, the good friend remains at your side. All the world shrieking denunciations does not deter such a friend from covering your back.

Franco Harris is such a friend to Joe Paterno. This week it cost Franco his business relationship with The Meadows Racetrack and Casino, which as you know, is operated by the Little Sisters of the Poor and is one of the great moral beacons of our time, as everybody in the gaming industry is.

 Mayor Luke Ravensthal is also on Franco's case — Mayor Luke, the one who is more moral than the pope and has never done anything the slightest bit wrong. The mayor thinks that Franco shouldn't be the board chairman of the Pittsburgh Promise because of his comments in defense of his friend. His stand, after all, is controversial, and oh the horror of being associated with something controversial if you are a suit.

Lordy, what a nation of midgets we have become.

Does Franco condone child abuse? No, he does not. He thinks that Joe Paterno had nothing to do with that. I happen to think that Franco is being naive about the coach's failure to insist on follow-up after the charges were made, but naivety is usually the failing of good people who cannot imagine wrongdoing. Naivety is a failure of judgement but it is not necessarily a moral failing.

Anyway, Franco was a football player, he is not a moral philosopher, and these midgets ought to cut him a break.

The Meadows, of course, can have business relationships with whom ever it pleases, but its management and the mayor ought be proud to be associated with Franco Harris, because it is very clear from this episode that he has what they lack: character. He does not jump in fright at controversy. He is faithful to his friend, which is what good people do.

I do not know Franco; I was introduced to him briefly once and his son and my daughter went to Sewickley Academy, I think in the same class, but I do not know him, and I am not in awe of him because he was a football player.

I am in awe of him because he stood up to be counted when being silent would have been the easier course.

I wish he were my friend.