But I shouldn't have been surprised.
As angry as I was with Penn State because of its entanglement in the child sex scandal, The Pennsylvania State University is still a huge part of who I am.
Looking back, I was even wearing a Penn State sweatshirt when I held Michael for the first time.
But I am - and always will be - still proud to call myself a Penn State fan.
Part of that is because football, and yes, Joe Paterno himself, are far down the list of things that make me proud to be Penn Stater.
I tell you this in case this is the first time you've ever stumbled upon this blog because the next sentence is going to be a doozy.
I fully support the idea that the Penn State shutter its football program. (Or at least impose upon itself a version of the NCAA's death penalty)
I'm not alone among Penn Staters for thinking so - especially now that more evidence is out there that Joe Paterno not only knew about Sandusky but acted in the cover-up.
First, let me knock down the arguments against punishing the team.
1. This was a sex abuse problem - not an NCAA problem: Right on the first part, wrong on the second. The involvement of Athletic Director Tim Curley alone makes this an NCAA problem. The fact that these events occurred in the football facilities makes this an NCAA problem. If the emails CNN and NBC have uncovered are anywhere near what they look like, than Paterno's involvement makes this an issue of lack of institutional control.
2. The current players and Bill O'Brien had nothing to do with this scandal: That's a very true statement. And a very moot point. If I commit murder or manslaughter, I go to jail. My son, who was not involved with the murder, is punished. He essentially loses a father. My wife, who was not involved in the crime, is punished because she loses a husband.
Second, If the team isn't going to be shut down for a year, let's look at how the Penn State athletic department should punish itself.
1. Erect a statue of ten faceless boys and girls. They will be in different age groups and races, representing the victims of child abuse everywhere. Surround the statue with plaques that resemble the ones around the Paterno. List facts about child abuse and where people can donate or turn to on these plaques.
2. Place another plaque on the Paterno statue. This one explains Paterno's entanglement in the scandal.
3. Do not erase Sandusky from the record books: In fact, Penn State should have a page about Sandusky in every media guide the produce. Again, it should mention where to get help a victim, and how to help if you're a victim. A video about helping victims should be shown during every home game.
4. Raise awareness and help victimes: At a minimum, 5 to 10 percent of ticket sales should go to PCAR, RAINN and other programs that help victims.
5. Don't take money from the bowls: For the next 10 years - a year for every victim - donate the proceeds to the previously mentioned charities.
6. Trade two athletic scholarships: Take two scholarships from the football program and donate them to prospective students suffering from abuse. They go to Penn State for free. Do not identify them.
Part of me says Penn State should forfeit all of the games they played from 1998 until Tom Bradley took over. But I've always thought retroactively forfeiting games was asinine. Anyone can find out the results of the game with relative ease. It's not a real punishment and it doesn't accomplish anything.
I think the previous list takes some money out of the athletic department and stops them from whitewashing our history while donating money to the necessary outlets and reminding us to be ever vigilant.
As good friend Adam Michael points out, it's not that the fans and alumni aren't being punished already:
"Penn Staters are finding out what it's like to be an innocent Arab, an innocent black man from a poor neighborhood.That they are not the clothes they buy and wear, that they are not the neighborhood they come from... but they also have to prove that every single day."
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