Bye-bye, Rene, Bye-bye

I try not to do too much gloating over the misfortunes of others, but when justice is served I cannot help but feel glad about it. Today's dose of satisfaction comes by way of the news that Penn State's longtime women's basketball coach, Rene Portland, has decided to step down from her post, with 2 years still left on her contract.

Penn State's saying it was her own decision, but I can't think of too many folks who leave well-paying jobs that they're passionate about without being pushed out the door. And it's about time: the feathers tickling all this into action, of course, are the repeated allegations against Portland regarding her homophobic comments and behavior towards her players. A suit was filed last year by dismissed player Jennifer Harris that sought to take Rene to task for her behavior, and the University's only response (despite Harris' claims having been backed up by numerous alumnae of the program) was to slap Portland on the wrist with sensitivity training and a $10,000 fine. Now that she's posted 2 losing seasons in a row, though, they finally have the cover to clear the decks.

A shame they had to be so cowardly about it, but still glad to see this one sent packing.