During a preliminary hearing on Oct. 17, Penn State’s suspended tailback Austin Scott was officially charged with rape, submitted a plea of not guilty, and the matter is apparently going to trial sometime next winter. As a result, it’s almost certain that the fifth-year senior will never again play for the Nittany Lions.

And unless there is a significant injury the rest of the way to either starting tailback Rodney Kinlaw or new backup Evan Royster, PSU’s football team is probably better off without Scott on its active roster anyway. Some members of the team have privately conceded that this situation is probably “addition by subtraction.”

Scott was never really a model teammate anyway. And with the current charges hanging over his head, Scott would be even more of a distraction if head coach Joe Paterno was to allow him back on the field. The last two outings have shown us that the Kinlaw/Royster rotation has been much more productive than when Scott was in the picture in the season’s opening five games.

Yes, Scott is innocent until proven guilty. But for the sake of the program, it’s probably best that the Lions and their former can’t-miss blue chip recruit simply go their separate ways. – NEIL GEOGHEGAN.
.