Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer, July 13, 2012

With the release of the Freeh Report and all of its damning revelations yesterday, reaction was swift and blunt.You know how I feel about the whole story. If you missed it, you can read it here. Each weekday I usually post a collection of links and tweets about stories worth a read – you can find my daily posts here. Today's edition of my daily links focuses on Penn State. Here?s a look at how the Big Ten?s and nation?s leading pundits reacted. And, as you would suspect, it wasn?t pretty.

Michael Arace, Columbus Dispatch: Paterno?s legacy is nearly destroyed.

Bob Wojnowski, Detroit News: Paterno?s legacy forever stained.

Terry Pluto, Cleveland Plain Dealer: NCAA must penalize Penn State football program.

Jim Litke, Associated Press: Report takes halo over JoePa?s head and turns it into a noose; truth lies in between.

Herb Gould, Chicago Sun-Times: Freeh Report exposes Penn State.

David Jones, Harrisburg Patriot-News: It?s time for Joe Paterno?s fans to open their eyes.

Jim Carlson, Harrisburg Patriot-News: Penn State?s public image rebuilding will be long, hard road.

Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports: Joe Paterno?s new legacy-coach turned his back on helpless boys to protect himself and Sandusky.

Gene Wojciechowski, ESPN.com: Paterno empowered a predator.

Mark Schlabach, ESPN.com: Penn State deserves the NCAA?s wrath.

Stewart Mandel, SI.com: Vile Penn State case a lesson for naïve fans, power programs.

Grantland: A failed experiment.

Sally Jenkins, Washington Post: Joe Paterno, at the end, showed more interest in his legacy than Jerry Sandusky?s victims.

Lisa Olson, AOL Fanhouse: JoePa exposed as Penn State?s cowardly Lion.

USA Today: Freeh report blasts culture of Penn State.

Mike DeCourcy, Sporting News: Transparency would help college sports avoid Penn State situation.

And then there is this from former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, who at one time was engaged in a heated race with Paterno to see who would have the most victories as a Division I coach. Turns out, Bowden thinks that statue of JoePa outside of Beaver Stadium should be torn down. What do you think?

And Nebraska A.D. Tom Osborne thinks Penn State?s pain may linger on.

Paterno still has his backers. Did you see what former Nittany Lion linebacker and JoePa sycophant Matt Millen was saying yesterday? Needless to say, Millen was ripped and roasted for his comments.

TWEETS THAT MATTER

My take: Let that be lesson to all of you.

My take: No doubt. I have to think many people suspected things about Sandusky long before anything could be proven in the courts.

My take: Eighty-four players on a watch list!!! Eighty-four!!! Not a really exclusive club, huh? This is why watch lists put me to sleep. Names, names, names for trophy after trophy after trophy. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

My take: I can only hope.

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