Let's Keep Those Memories Untarnished: A Letter to The Other Penn State

Today was a rough day for Penn State, one of many still to come I fear. Men seriously screwed up, mistakes were made, and people were hurt by a monster. I wish there was more I could do than apologize to the victims and tell them that my thoughts are with them.

It's hard knowing that this tragedy will loom over all of us for years to come. People will automatically think of this failure of men as a reflection of the school as a whole. And that's simply not the case. Penn State will always hold a special place in my life. Not because of the men that were in charge. Not even because of football. It was The Other Penn State. It was all the people I met there -- all the friends I made, all the conversations we had that helped me figure shit out in my life. All the times we waited at Canyon for pizza at Halloween, all the times I ate R U Hungry, and all the times we had Monkey Boys at The Saloon. I had teachers there that gave me truly inspiring words that lead me down this wonderful path.

And most importantly, it's where I met the most amazing woman in my life, who I would be lost without.

Tonight, as every headline badmouths Penn State, and the alumni feel as bad as I do, I just want to say, "Thank You," to all the people there that actually did things right and helped me become the man I am today. Those are the memories that I hold highest.

Let's keep those memories untarnished.