No State Penn jokes here this morning, promise.

The latest criminal news involving Penn State football players is too sad to ridicule for a couple of reasons:

One, the six players who face a preliminary hearing today because of an April 1 incident in State College -- including starting safety Anthony Scirrotto and cornerback Justin King -- didn't just let down their families and teammates. They let down their old coach. This nonsense is the last thing Joe Paterno needs at 80.

And two, Paterno maybe, just maybe, could have done more to prevent the trouble. Does he really have his finger on the pulse of his team working at home? Is there any other coach in any other major college sport who gets away with that? Is that in the best interests of the Penn State program? The players? Even Paterno?

All of it is sad.

It mostly falls on the players. They are old enough to be held responsible for their actions. It should be pointed out that none has been convicted of anything yet. The six have been charged in connection with an incident that apparently began as a street altercation between a female companion of Scirrotto and another Penn State student, then escalated later when Scirrotto and the other players went into an off-campus apartment, allegedly looking for vengeance. The facts of the case are unclear. King, for instance, has said through his attorney that he acted as a peacemaker. We have a legal system to sort out such things.

But, at the very least, it appears the players are guilty of poor judgment. Even King must explain why he entered that apartment in the first place. As Penn State players, he, Scirrotto and the others should know they live under a spotlight in State College and that everything they do is news. Certainly, they should know street vengeance isn't the answer to anything. We have the police for that.

This is the type of thoughtless behavior that could do terrible damage to a Penn State team that is expected to contend for the Big Ten championship this season. Scirrotto was first-team All-Big Ten last season and led the league with six interceptions. King is a top cornerback. If one or both are suspended, the team could pay a big price. Their teammates deserve better than that. Paterno deserves better.

Yeah, Paterno must be pretty steamed about now.

Maybe even at himself.

No, this isn't the first time Paterno players have found trouble. It won't be the last time, either, if he's able to fulfill his goal of coaching another 40 years or so. Young men, ages 18 to 23, don't always make thoughtful decisions. Sooner or later, it catches up to every coach at every school.

But that doesn't mean Paterno shouldn't re-think his ridiculous policy of working at home. He talked at length about it last month before the Penn State spring game, saying it eliminates the distractions he faced at the office.

"I make my own coffee and have a cup of coffee and I can work three, four, five or six hours in a row without interruptions. I think maybe in the sense that I am not there, I am a little bit more productive. At least, I feel that way."

More productive? Maybe.

But a better coach? Hardly.

What about interacting with his coaches? Paterno said most of them have worked with him for so long that they don't need him looking over their shoulder. "I think I spend enough time with them and just let them go and coach."

Fair enough.

So Paterno is a figurehead coach. It's not exactly a secret that Tom Bradley runs the Penn State defense and that Paterno's son, Jay, and Galen Hall run the offense. It has been that way for some time.

But what about building relationships with the players? Of seeing them every day outside of a practice situation? Of being aware of the pressures they are under and the issues they are dealing with?

Is it really so out of line to think there are Penn State players who never have had a one-on-one conversation with Paterno, at least not since the recruiting process?

There's no way Paterno can spin that.

You would think it would be just the opposite with him, that he would reach out to his players, now more than ever. There's about 60 years age difference between him and them. Talk about a generation gap.

This is just another example of Paterno having way too much power for Penn State's good. What? You think Penn State president Graham Spanier and athletic director Tim Curley are going to tell him to start showing up at the office? They are the same administrators who asked for Paterno's resignation after the 2004 season and were sent away without it, embarrassed, exposed as weak. He tells them what to do, not vice versa.

This time, Paterno is wrong.

Maybe it's unrealistic and foolish to suggest that Paterno somehow could have prevented the incident with Scirrotto, King and the others. But it's not off base to say there's much more to coaching than looking at tape in the privacy of your den.

Coaching is about dealing with people -- coaches and players -- not about hiding from distractions.

Paterno should know that better than anyone.