Certainly the storied career of former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno has left many praising his legacy of career wins, devotion and loyalty to his university for so many decades, and his concern with providing a wonderful role model for the young men under his tutelage.

Sadly, the end of his career seriously tarnished the image of his decades of honor and success. Pundits will be debating for years whether to give Joe credit for what he accomplished or to revile him for what he did not do, with respect to the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse situation.

But it is precisely what he did not do that may be his greatest legacy after all. Because of what Joe did not do, sensitivity to the horrors of child sexual abuse (in and out of sports) is now at its highest level ever. Safeguards have become instituted in universities across the nation and victims are now encouraged to come forward, rather than living lives of secrecy and mental torment.

These crimes and sexual predators will always be among us, but because of the exposure of the Penn State situation, coaches, athletic directors, college deans and families of athletes will be on the lookout for signs and symptoms and as a result, countless abuses undoubtedly will be prevented.

Shortly after his dismissal, Paterno was diagnosed with lung cancer and broke his hip. Chemotherapy and radiation treatments weakened him, robbing him of his hair and his once-booming voice. In fact, in a recent interview with the Washington Post, he appeared frail, wearing a wig and speaking in a whisper. He canceled public appearances after the interview because of his failing health, according to family members and there was public speculation about how rapidly Mr. Paterno began physically failing when he gave every appearance of being hale and hearty just before he was relieved of his post.

It is really no surprise that a man who was so passionately devoted to his career and who suffered such major and humiliating stress, and the “death” of everything that he was justly famous for that his immune system deteriorated so dramatically and could not fight off the ravages of his illness.

For Paterno’s legion of fans, who referred to the coach affectionately as “JoePa,” the turbulent final months of Paterno’s life were a tragic end to an outstanding coaching career that was built around his motto of “success with honor.”

Rest In Peace Joe Paterno.

Although I believe his speech was scripted by media savvy consultants, I did find Tiger’s taking full responsibility for failing his wife, family, sponsors, colleagues and especially youngsters (who have put him on the pedestal of supreme role model) sincere and from the heart.

Moreover, the admission that he needs more therapy for his sex addiction was a relief to me, since so many people diagnosed with any addiction often look for a quick fix and deny their need for more help.  Addicts need years of therapy in order to gain insight and learn to shut down the Dopamine producing effects of their addiction.

Behavioral addictions, such as sexual or gambling addictions, can be just as powerful as an addiction to heroin, in terms of stimulating the pleasure center of the brain.  Most sex addicts live in denial of their addiction, and treating an addiction is dependent on the person accepting and admitting that he or she has a problem. In many cases, it takes a significant event—such as the incredible media circus that Tiger found himself in the center of to force the addict to admit to his or her problem.

Overcoming chemical addictions is facilitated by complete abstinence, but it is unrealistic to expect a sex addict never to engage in sex, particularly if he/she is still married.  Therefore, the stimulation of “normal” relations with his wife can stimulate the drive that Tiger is trying to overcome which is of course a natural conflict.

My professional sense is that Tiger and his wife will need 3-5 years of continual therapy in order to not only eradicate Tiger’s addiction, but to repair the damage to their relationship and the family relation and begin to build anew.  This can be accomplished, although there will certainly be ups and downs.  With Tiger’s profession and the travel that goes with it, trust will be a major issue for his wife to deal with and rebuild.  In addition, there are reports that there was a great deal of unprotected sex taking place, meaning that, in addition to the emotion impact of infidelity, there may be other consequences, such as sexually transmitted diseases, and in Tiger’s case, law suits!

None of this should be construed to be pessimism on my part.  Throughout my career as a psychologist, I have seen hundreds of couples rebound from these situations and build their marriages stronger than ever.  It can be done and I sincerely hope that the Woods family can be preserved.

However, if I had an opportunity to counsel Tiger Woods, I would tell him to be very cautious about continuing to surround himself by “yes men” and sycophants who will absolutely look the other way when he exhibits warning signs of falling back into that very destructive behavior. I would advise him to surround himself with people who genuinely have his and his family’s best interest at heart and who will not fail him by looking away.  That goes not only for his friends and colleagues, but for his therapy team, as well!

I wish Tiger and Elin Woods well and hope that they will make it through this very difficult time in their lives with their family still together and stronger than ever. In my next article, I will address the sport psychology issues involved in Tiger getting back into the swing of his golfing career.

Jack N. Singer, Ph.D.
Certified and Licensed Sport and Clinical Psychologist
Diplomate, National Institute of Sports Professionals, Division of Psychologists
Diplomate, American Academy of Behavioral Medicine
Certified Hypnotherapist, American Academy of Clinical Hypnosis

**You have permission to reprint in your publication or to your website/blog any articles by Dr. Jack Singer found on this Website as long as Dr. Jack Singer’s name and contact information is included. Jack Singer, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Pyschologist, Sport Psychologist, Marriage, Family & Relationship Therapist, Professional Motivational Speaker. http://drjacksinger.com, toll free 800-497-9880.