>>"From the first day I got to Penn State, it didnt
feel right. I had a bad feeling I wouldn't fit in for
some reason. I was kind of like an outcast."

<snip>

But by mid-October, Wasserman's depression began to
take hold.

<snip>

Wasserman's father, Charles, was quickly contacted and
he worked with Jay Paterno to get Zac some help.
Wasserman was referred to a school psychologist who
made a dual diagnosis of clinical depression and
Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD),
according to Charles, and was treated with
psychotherapy and medication.

"He was able to hide it really well throughout," said
Charles, a licensed psychologist since 1979. "It was a
really significant form of clinical depression. He
lost so much of his personality."<<

It's obvious to me that Wasserman suffered from
clinical depression before he got to Happy Valley,
perhaps for a long time. His failure to earn the
starting spot didn't cause his depression. Quite the
opposite--it was likely the depression degraded his
on-field performance.

His father's quote that Zac "was able to hide it
really well throughout," is very telling. This is
rather common among folks with depression. I hear it
all the time at suicide survivor meetings--happy on
the outside and miserable on the inside.

>>"His exact words to me were: 'You will be the Carson
Palmer of Penn State.'"<<

This is a little misleading, as Bradley wasn't talking
about "Carson Palmer, Heisman Trophy Winner." At the
time Carson Palmer was a freshman at USC who'd earned
the starting slot by the end of the season.

>>"I would come in and get playing time and be
starting by the sixth or seventh game. When he told us
that, we were like 'Wow.' Here is Penn State, one of
the most honest schools about recruiting, and telling
me I would start my freshman year. I couldn't pass up
that opportunity and the chance to play for Joe
Paterno. Obviously they lied and did that just to get
me out there."<<

I don't believe for a moment Tom Bradley and/or Joe
Paterno promised Zac he'd be staring by the 6th or 7th
game. I don't doubt Zac was told he would have the
OPPORTUNITY to compete, but handed the job before
stepping onto campus? No way. Methinks he was hearing
what he wanted to hear.

>>Wasserman arrived at Penn State with another highly
touted freshman quarterback recruit, Zack Mills of
Ijamsville, Maryland...<<

"Highly touted freshman" is an overstatement. Our
other two QB targets, Wasserman and Jeff Smoker, were
Parade All-Americans. Of the three, Mills was a
distant third in the eyes of the "experts."

>>The two shared repetitions throughout preseason.
Gradually, those repetitions began to decrease, and by
the fourth game of the season, Joe Paterno pulled
Wasserman aside and told him he was redshirting, which
he did.<<

Which is also exactly what Joe said to Mills.

This whole story is very sad. It's amazing that our
top two targets in the class of 2000, Wasserman and
Smoker, are such a mess. Thank goodness for the
General!

Penn State Proud, Chicago Board of Trade Kevin



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