Where have you gone, Franco Harris oh, a nation casts its lonely eye to you?


What has happened to our beloved Franco?
"Franco’s Tiananmen Square moment"
Oh, how I yearn for the Franco Harris of old, the affable, hard-running and successful Pittsburgh Steeler and Penn State Nittany Lion running back. He was so beloved by Pittsburgh that some in the city paid a sculptor to build a statue recalling Franco in arguably the greatest moment in Pittsburgh Steeler history: The Immaculate Reception. 
In fact, the Steelers built a monument of their own and unveiled it last Dec. on the 40th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception.
<http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nfl/news/20121222/steelers-immaculate-reception.ap/>
Today, many in Pittsburgh and in Penn State are wondering what has happened to be beloved player who became a successful businessman after his football career ended. 
In fact, he is almost a cartoonish character with some of what he has done since the Jerry Sandusky scandal broke in late 2011. 
Today, the students at Penn State are fighting back against Harris and the others of his ilk who are trying to make the election to the board of trustees almost a Scarlet Letter moment. If you voted to fire Joe Paterno, you must go. 
That is all the people and their groups care about in a trustee. The multi-billion premiere research university is now at the mercy of those who talk only about mistakes made by the those trustees in the "Sandusky Affair."
First, Harris was pictured on television during a Penn State game after Joe Paterno was fired with a cutout of the coach in Harris' box. 
Now, he has recorded what some are calling "Franco’s Tiananmen Square moment." 
A small group of these people who are being called "Joebots" marched on the last trustees meeting. Not having anything happen to their satisfaction, Franco stood in front of a van that was carrying some previous trustees to their vehicles. 
According to Charlie Thompson of PennLive, the crowd was upset when trustees, mostly emeriti, left the Penn Stater via university vans. Protesters challenged them to address the crowd.
"Harris, the most public face of the pro-Paterno loyalists, then was moved to step into the driveway in front of one of the vans. The driver calmly steered up onto the curb and drove around him to loud choruses of “Shame on You!”
Some have dubbed it "Franco’s Tiananmen Square moment."
The university right now is interviewing prospective candidates for a new president, and you would think that the alumni would be very concerned with that. You would be wrong. The only concern of these people is ridding PSU of Rodney Erickson, the president who was rushed into office when Graham Spanier was released because of his inaction in the Sandusky affair, and all of the board members who voted to terminate Paterno. 
Erickson and the board made some decisions that in retrospect could have been handled better. Franco's crowd blame the president for accepting the NCAA sanctions without question.
Yes, I would love to have the old Franco back. This one has really gone off the deep end.


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