Nebraska assistant Ron Brown (center) received praise for leading a prayer circle at Penn State in the wake of Joe Paterno's firing, and has come under fire for his recent anti-gay comments. (ZUMAPRESS.com)

We promise to return to making jokes about Todd Graham soon, but we need to detour into complete seriousness here for just a bit. We saw the lead “Nebraska assistant coach Ron Brown says he’ll keep speaking out against homosexuality even if it costs him his job” and, well:

“To be fired for my faith would be a greater honor than to be fired because we didn’t win enough games,” Brown said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I haven’t lost any sleep over it. I realize at some point, we live in a politically correct enough culture where that very well could happen.”

People are faceted creatures. The IT guy who shuns any light that doesn’t emanate from a computer screen can treasure an encyclopedic knowledge of orchid and bonsai care. The teacher who inspired you to read and write for pleasure, really read and really write, might be a cold father to his children and an indifferent lover to his wife. I got a really nice note not too long ago from a guy who used to bully me mercilessly in junior high, thanking me for saying nice things about his football team, although I think he’d still throw me in a locker if he got the chance. Facets are funny.

It was just six months ago that Brown earned national acclaim for leading a prayer for healing at midfield before the Cornhuskers’ game at scandal-torn Penn State.

Remember that? It was a really nice moment, actually. Really.

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