It’s easy to find the revelations from the investigation of Penn State University revolting, disgusting and ethically horrible. That’s because they are.

Five senior-ranking officials at the institution knew about the child abuse and did nothing to stop it other than ask Jerry Sandusky to keep visitors out of the shower room, according to an in-depth investigation by former FBI director Louis Freeh.

These revelations come after legions of Joe Paterno fans last year defended him at great lengths, even taking to the streets.

People at Penn State and elsewhere in college sports need to ask themselves: What lengths are they willing to go to defend successful sports programs? Is the success on the field more important than everything in the real world?

No, it’s not. It’s just a football program. Football, for all its glory, is just a game.

And anyone who gets to play or coach that game for the sake of pay or for scholarship is quite fortunate. The finest colleges — the ones where academics rule the day — always seem to remember that.