Let's put it this way: If i was told by someone at my office that they witnessed one of my subordinates assaulting a CHILD IN the office, I would report it to my superiors and then expect to proceed directly to the police with those superiors and the witness. If there was any sort of resistance, I would report it to the police on my own. I would not sweep it under the carpet and wait NINE years to only mention it again under duress. I could not return to the same office every day without it gnawing at my conscience. This is not me on a soapbox, this is just basic human decency. If Paterno didn't feel this was important enough to report, it obviously makes me question his judgment and truthfully, sickens me. This act of omission directly contributed to whatever else may have happened in the last nine years. The university did the right thing, but they had no choice. The students rallying/protesting should take a step back and really consider what they are doing. I weep for the victims and their families and hope Sandusky gets what he deserves in general population prison.
Penn State Scandal
- Thread starter Ironhead
- Start date
Yes, he did need to get fired. We are talking about children being sexually assaulted. Paterno was told about it, then did the right thing in reporting it. Now here is where I lose respect for Paterno, he did not go to the legal authorities on his own once he realized the department heads were going to do nothing/sweep it under the rug.Paterno is not alone when it comes to law suits. He would have the same insurance coverage and the school does for this issue, as well as vicarious liability to protect him.
I don't think Paterno should have been fired. He reported the allegations as he should have and has fully co-operated with the investigation.
Joe Paterno did nothing after the initial report and he certainly was not alone in doing nothing."All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing"
I believe he, Sandusky(the coach in question), had already resigned due to earlier allegations.did paterno keep this coach on his staff after the allegations?
Sandusky retired in 1999. The reported case is from 2002. I heard of another case from 1998 in which Sandusky admitted to police that he acted in an inappropriate fashion, however they decided not to press charges at that time.did paterno keep this coach on his staff after the allegations?
To me the whole thing looks like Penn State tried to fully cover it up in 2002, and it ended up blowing up in Penn State's face. Joe Pa has now been made the fall guy and I expect he will end up suing the university and will end up settling out of court. The university will do anything they can to ensure that the total cover-up isn't exposed.
I find this quote from Paterno's statement Wednesday interesting:
"I have come to work every day for the last 61 years with one clear goal in mind: To serve the best interests of this university and the young men who have been entrusted to my care. I have the same goal today."
By not going to the police, trusting that the administration would do the right thing, he made a horribly wrong decision. He may have thought he was looking out for Penn State but he wasn't. And he should have been looking out for the children.
And the same goes for McQueary. Can someone tell me why this guy is still allowed to be on the sidelines?
"I have come to work every day for the last 61 years with one clear goal in mind: To serve the best interests of this university and the young men who have been entrusted to my care. I have the same goal today."
By not going to the police, trusting that the administration would do the right thing, he made a horribly wrong decision. He may have thought he was looking out for Penn State but he wasn't. And he should have been looking out for the children.
And the same goes for McQueary. Can someone tell me why this guy is still allowed to be on the sidelines?
I agree that the school will do everything it can to deflect as much criticism as possible. It will end up paying out a lot in law suit whether or not in or out of court.Sandusky retired in 1999. The reported case is from 2002. I heard of another case from 1998 in which Sandusky admitted to police that he acted in an inappropriate fashion, however they decided not to press charges at that time.
To me the whole thing looks like Penn State tried to fully cover it up in 2002, and it ended up blowing up in Penn State's face. Joe Pa has now been made the fall guy and I expect he will end up suing the university and will end up settling out of court. The university will do anything they can to ensure that the total cover-up isn't exposed.
As to the attempt to hold on to the 'dream' that the total cover up is not exposed, I think that train has left the station.
Sandusky may have "retired" back in 1999 but he has had access to the football stadium and all the buildings right up until last week. So while the university may have tried to hide this all along, Paterno did as well by allowing Sandusky to still access the University. Paterno had the power to say that this piece of crap was never coming back to the university and it would have happened. It sure looks to me like he was involved in the cover-up just as much as Penn State. Paterno won't be suing anyone, but he just may be named in a couple of lawsuits.
I would expound on that.I don't think Paterno should have been fired. He reported the allegations as he should have and has fully co-operated with the investigation.
On top of what you've pointed out, he has been the high profile , successful head coach for 45 years, and in that time, to my knowledge he has had an exemplary record as far as his conduct. So now you have a guy who has represented his university with class, but makes one mistake in judgement (assuming that his superiors who he reported to would handle the issue properly) at 80 years of age and is now a pariah. In light of how he has conducted himself for 45 years I think he should have at least been allowed to go out with some honour, finish out the season all the while admitting his mistake with remorse and resigning instead of getting fired.
On a somewhat related issue. Have you ever seen a child in a mall screaming and crying her eyes out? Was your immediate reaction "CHILD ABUSE" and you called 911 on your smartphone and took a video of the screaming child?
I can't agree with you on this. As a previous poster mentioned Sandusky had access to the Penn States facilities as of last week. Not only that but his players were encouraged to get involved with the Sodomizer's charity 2Mile. Who cares if Paterno was successful or had a profile....if he allowed his players to get involved with this charity even after he found out about this assaults than not only do you have him not going to the police but you have him continuing to support this child molestor. Seems pretty fucked up to me. Not exemplary at all. Fuck who knows what else went on in the time before 98.I would expound on that.
On top of what you've pointed out, he has been the high profile , successful head coach for 45 years, and in that time, to my knowledge he has had an exemplary record as far as his conduct. So now you have a guy who has represented his university with class, but makes one mistake in judgement (assuming that his superiors who he reported to would handle the issue properly) at 80 years of age and is now a pariah. In light of how he has conducted himself for 45 years I think he should have at least been allowed to go out with some honour, finish out the season all the while admitting his mistake with remorse and resigning instead of getting fired.
There's a chance that scenario may be slightly different than seeing a 10 year old getting fucked up the ass by someone you know is not their parent (not that that really matters here).On a somewhat related issue. Have you ever seen a child in a mall screaming and crying her eyes out? Was your immediate reaction "CHILD ABUSE" and you called 911 on your smartphone and took a video of the screaming child?
There is lots of blame to go around...and YES PATERNO must be let go, as the whole deal is a HUGE distraction. And I blame the media for biting on the PATERNO angle and causing this firestorm. AS THEY SHOULD
But lets step back....
A graduate student WITNESSED the assault.... He told his Dad (Never told Police)
The Dad told Paterno - (Dad never went to the Police)
Paterno told his Superiors (Never went to Police)
The Superiors 'handled' it. (Never went to Police)
I WONDER - to avoid HUGE embarrassment, were the parents brought in???...perhaps making a deal with the school and they decided to deal with it on their own. If so .. Victim parents never told Police either (speculative at this point...but trust me..you heard it here first. If it turns out parents profited..that IS THE MOST EGREGIOUS MORAL FAILURE OF THEM ALL!!!!!
SO THERE IS LOTS OF BLAME TO GO AROUND... Paterno just happens to sell the most papers!!!
But lets step back....
A graduate student WITNESSED the assault.... He told his Dad (Never told Police)
The Dad told Paterno - (Dad never went to the Police)
Paterno told his Superiors (Never went to Police)
The Superiors 'handled' it. (Never went to Police)
I WONDER - to avoid HUGE embarrassment, were the parents brought in???...perhaps making a deal with the school and they decided to deal with it on their own. If so .. Victim parents never told Police either (speculative at this point...but trust me..you heard it here first. If it turns out parents profited..that IS THE MOST EGREGIOUS MORAL FAILURE OF THEM ALL!!!!!
SO THERE IS LOTS OF BLAME TO GO AROUND... Paterno just happens to sell the most papers!!!
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I heard that Joe Paterno has been charged. For me personally, this is unnecessary. Losing his job, reputation takes a huge hit, legacy has been tarnished beyond repair. That is enough.
That said, I think the area DA is just covering all her bases. I doubt he will end up serving any time.
That said, I think the area DA is just covering all her bases. I doubt he will end up serving any time.
No.. PATERNO has not been charged.....
The headlines talks about him "not being in charge" at upcoming football games
The headlines talks about him "not being in charge" at upcoming football games
Lou Holtz issued a statement yesterday on case:
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It is obvious I do not know the facts concerning the disaster at Penn State. But, I am frustrated and mad. I always had great respect for Joe Paterno and Jerry Sandusky. I thought Jerry Sandusky's teams were the best coached defensive teams we faced at NC State and also at Notre Dame.
I do not recall ever being in Mr.Sandusky's presence off the field until 2009 and that was for one evening. I was asked to speak for the Second Mile in 2007. I declined but did consent to do so in 2009. It was a fundraiser and when I looked at their purpose and mission I thought it was a great cause. I was told that Joe Paterno, and other prominent people, had spoken and supported the cause. Cal Ripken Jr. had spoken in 2008.
I arrived in Harrisburg the afternoon of the event, attended several functions of their best supporters and spoke that evening. I not only refused a fee, but made a few thousand dollars donation as I was impressed with their organization, cause and the corporations and private citizens that supported it.
I normally make a contribution when I speak at a fundraiser because I can't ask people to donate if I am not willing to do so as well.
The contact I had with Jerry Sandusky was basically limited to taking pictures with he and the sponsors. I did say very positive comments about Coach Sandusky during my speech as he was a great coach and his cause I thought was important.
At no other time had I ever heard a negative comment or rumor about Jerry Sandusky and the fact he still had an office at Penn State led me to believe that there were no problems. I try to do research in a charitable cause before I consent to speak because I want to make sure it is an honest cause and the proceeds would go to help others.
Only yesterday did I realize I was on their advisory board. I have had no contact or correspondence with Second Mile or Jerry Sandusky since 2009 with the exception of thank you notes for one of their most successful events.
If the allegations are true, I, like the many good people who support Second Mile, am upset over being misled. However, the pain and sadness I feel for the abused children fills me with rage and anyone who enabled this to happen should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
We, as a society, cannot allow this to happen again. Hope this answers any questions you may have.
Sincerely,
Lou Holtz
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7214183/statement-lou-holtz
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It is obvious I do not know the facts concerning the disaster at Penn State. But, I am frustrated and mad. I always had great respect for Joe Paterno and Jerry Sandusky. I thought Jerry Sandusky's teams were the best coached defensive teams we faced at NC State and also at Notre Dame.
I do not recall ever being in Mr.Sandusky's presence off the field until 2009 and that was for one evening. I was asked to speak for the Second Mile in 2007. I declined but did consent to do so in 2009. It was a fundraiser and when I looked at their purpose and mission I thought it was a great cause. I was told that Joe Paterno, and other prominent people, had spoken and supported the cause. Cal Ripken Jr. had spoken in 2008.
I arrived in Harrisburg the afternoon of the event, attended several functions of their best supporters and spoke that evening. I not only refused a fee, but made a few thousand dollars donation as I was impressed with their organization, cause and the corporations and private citizens that supported it.
I normally make a contribution when I speak at a fundraiser because I can't ask people to donate if I am not willing to do so as well.
The contact I had with Jerry Sandusky was basically limited to taking pictures with he and the sponsors. I did say very positive comments about Coach Sandusky during my speech as he was a great coach and his cause I thought was important.
At no other time had I ever heard a negative comment or rumor about Jerry Sandusky and the fact he still had an office at Penn State led me to believe that there were no problems. I try to do research in a charitable cause before I consent to speak because I want to make sure it is an honest cause and the proceeds would go to help others.
Only yesterday did I realize I was on their advisory board. I have had no contact or correspondence with Second Mile or Jerry Sandusky since 2009 with the exception of thank you notes for one of their most successful events.
If the allegations are true, I, like the many good people who support Second Mile, am upset over being misled. However, the pain and sadness I feel for the abused children fills me with rage and anyone who enabled this to happen should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
We, as a society, cannot allow this to happen again. Hope this answers any questions you may have.
Sincerely,
Lou Holtz
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7214183/statement-lou-holtz
Otherwise known as CYA.Lou Holtz issued a statement yesterday on case:
I remember back on the 90's when they first were talking about Joe Pa retiring that Sandusky was being groomed to be the heir apparent.
Then all of a sudden he retires. Probably at the time people were thinking it was because he figured he didn't want to wait for Jo Pa to retire and he didn't want to be a head coach anywhere else. But the 1998 incident is likely the reason he retired.
Then all of a sudden he retires. Probably at the time people were thinking it was because he figured he didn't want to wait for Jo Pa to retire and he didn't want to be a head coach anywhere else. But the 1998 incident is likely the reason he retired.
Good post. Some to add to it. There was a mother that didn't want to be identified last night on one of the TV shows. She suspected something and confronted the perv - he admitted it and she didn't go to the police. There was a police investigation, but nothing came of it. Yesterday, I watched the Dr. Phil show - basically a mother-in-law coached here grand daughter to say her father sexually abused her - he was considered guilty with out a trial. The guy was devastated. He passed the lie detector test with flying colours, the mother in law failed.There is lots of blame to go around...and YES PATERNO must be let go, as the whole deal is a HUGE distraction. And I blame the media for biting on the PATERNO angle and causing this firestorm. AS THEY SHOULD
But lets step back....
A graduate student WITNESSED the assault.... He told his Dad (Never told Police)
The Dad told Paterno - (Dad never went to the Police)
Paterno told his Superiors (Never went to Police)
The Superiors 'handled' it. (Never went to Police)
I WONDER - to avoid HUGE embarrassment, were the parents brought in???...perhaps making a deal with the school and they decided to deal with it on their own. If so .. Victim parents never told Police either (speculative at this point...but trust me..you heard it here first. If it turns out parents profited..that IS THE MOST EGREGIOUS MORAL FAILURE OF THEM ALL!!!!!
SO THERE IS LOTS OF BLAME TO GO AROUND... Paterno just happens to sell the most papers!!!
With so many of these incidents, in so many institutions are we looking at the problem and solution correctly? Make no mistake, I do not have the answers - but it would appear that this exists to a higher exent than we might ever have guessed. It isn't like there aren't several very high visability situations exposed recently. When the Catholic Church was going through several highly publicized cases you would have thought it would have given the victims courage to come forward. Yet they didn't and there must be a reason that all trying to eliminate this must understand before it can begin to be fixed.
If anything is to come of this tragedy hopefully it will be for everyone to find a way to successfully eliminate this terrible crime.
Well saidThere are a number of victims in this despicable affair. Joe Paterno is not among them.
