Shut it down. No more football at Penn State. Not for a while, anyway. And please don’t wait to be sanctioned by the NCAA, which moves at a glacial pace.
Now there can be no doubt. The sycophants, enablers, and excuse-makers can go away and stay away. The Penn State Board of Trustees can finally do the right thing and kill the school’s football program. Effective immediately. Football can come back to State College, Pa., someday. Not now.
This is not a hard decision anymore. Nor is it radical. It’s the decent thing to do, after a decade and a half of institutional indecency.
Please. No weeping for the players and coaches who are at Penn State now. We know they did nothing wrong. But they can transfer. Coaches can get jobs at other schools.
Football simply cannot go on after what we heard Thursday from former FBI director Louis Freeh.
Hired by Penn State’s Board of Trustees in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal, Freeh concluded that for more than a decade there was total disregard for the safety and well-being of children/victims by the most powerful men at Penn State. And that includes the fabled Joe Paterno.
Penn State needs to give its own football program the death penalty. The pompous NCAA, ever-reluctant to sanction big-revenue, elite members, will eventually figure out what to do about the obvious lack of institutional control in State College, Pa. The Big Ten could also step forward in the wake of Thursday’s disclosures. In the meantime, Penn State needs to stop the nonsense of attempting to play its 2012 season.
The games cannot go on. Playing football this fall would be just another demonstration that the vaunted football program is more important than protecting innocent children. Happy Valley needs some silent Saturdays to ponder how this happened and to make sure nothing like it could ever happen again.
As of this moment, the Nittany Lions are scheduled to open at home against Ohio Sept. 1 at noon. Two weeks later, the United States Naval Academy team is slated to play at Penn State. It’s “Military Appreciation Day.’’ Disgusting. If Penn State doesn’t do the right thing, the Naval Academy should refuse to send its team to State College.
The NCAA, quick to sanction phone calls to recruits or booster-paid tattoos, says Penn State needs to address four key questions regarding institutional control and ethics policies. The collegiate sports governing body says Penn State’s response will help decide what action needs to be taken.
There wasn’t much ambiguity in Freeh’s 267-page report, which was compiled over eight months and included interviews with 430 current or former college employees.
“In order to avoid the consequences of bad publicity, the most powerful leaders at the university . . . repeatedly concealed critical facts relating to Sandusky’s child abuse.’’
The four men cited are former school president Graham B. Spanier, former athletic director Tim Curley, former school vice president Gary Schultz, and the late coach Paterno.
The facts are the facts. With their appalling inaction, grounded in the belief that they were saving football from disgrace, these men allowed child rapes to go undetected and unreported for 14 years after they were first alerted of Sandusky’s crimes. They concealed facts and failed to go to authorities to protect the football program from “bad publicity.’’ They allowed rapes to continue in order to preserve King Football.
Joe Pa brought Penn State 409 wins, five undefeated seasons and two national championships. He put the school on the map and was honored with a statue which stands outside Beaver Stadium. Today it stands as a monument to the worst scandal in the history of college sports. The statue needs to come down.
According to USA Today, donations to Penn State are on the rise since the news of the scandal broke last year. More than 190,000 contributors have donated $209 million, which represents the second-best year in school history. Way to rally. Ya-hoo.
Penn State is going to need a lot of money to settle the lawsuits certain to follow Thursday’s report. Shutting down football for a few years will be another financial hit. No football means no TV money and a drop in alumni pledges.
Too bad. The Nittany Lions need to close shop for a while. No tailgating. No boola-boola. No Homecoming game. No Senior Day. There is no price tag to measure an institution’s lost soul.
Not the biggest fan of ESPN, but this isn't an ESPN issue. If anything, they are being even handed. If Millen wants to look like a Paterno protector, they put him on and let him embarass himself. If you don't think that's part of the story, you are missing the point.
But, there is a Mark May video where he basically buries Paterno, the University and Penn State Football for 5 minutes. Reporting the news means putting all sides on, not just the ones you or I agree with.
I wasn't being exclusive to this case. My overall point is an organization that would hire Matt Millen is a joke. ESPN lost any journalistic credibility years ago.
This show, another show, a show here and a show there.
I was thinking about the calls to shut down the Penn State Football program due to the actions of a predator and a handful of senior coaches and administrators, and my thought is that it should be left to the NCAA to handle the punishment. If you shut down the football program, whose players and fans were not aware of what was going on, how far do you take it?
Paterno gave money to the libraries. Should they be shut down?
The football program made lots of money for the athletic department, helping build new stadiums and facilities. Should the basketball, volleyball, tennis, etc. all be shut down?
Lay blame at those accountable. Paterno's legacy is tarnished and the school needs to distance themselves from the past. A handful of top admin will most likely end up in prison. To punish the innocent, the students, the alumni, the fans, and the student athletes is overreaction to a very bad situation.
I was thinking about the calls to shut down the Penn State Football program due to the actions of a predator and a handful of senior coaches and administrators, and my thought is that it should be left to the NCAA to handle the punishment. If you shut down the football program, whose players and fans were not aware of what was going on, how far do you take it?
Paterno gave money to the libraries. Should they be shut down?
The football program made lots of money for the athletic department, helping build new stadiums and facilities. Should the basketball, volleyball, tennis, etc. all be shut down?
Lay blame at those accountable. Paterno's legacy is tarnished and the school needs to distance themselves from the past. A handful of top admin will most likely end up in prison. To punish the innocent, the students, the alumni, the fans, and the student athletes is overreaction to a very bad situation.
I think you are looking at this backward. This has nothing to do with students, alumni, fans or athletes. It has everything to do with the fact that this predator was enabled and empowered (I took that from an article I read - I find that word extremely important in this discussion) by the Penn State Football Program. It's that simple. Would Sandusky have found a way to do his heinous crimes somewhere else? Perhaps. But, that's not the the point. It did happen with Joe Paterno and his band of idiots condoning those actions for the protection of the program. Sandusky not only used the football program to prey on his victims, he used it to cover his actions. Once again, with the full approval of Joe Paterno (implicit approval in this case was actually more powerful than explicit - it effectively held a gun to Joe and the University's heads once they did not report, as the e-mails presciently indicated). Therefore, that instition (within an institution) needs to be "reset." The mentality of - we can't shut down the program b/c of all the collateral damage to people that weren't involved is the very reason Joe Paterno encouraged his followers (as he was clearly the leader) NOT to report. So, now you (and others) suggest perpetuating that?
I find it even more troubling that the current Penn State President indicates how important the Football Program is to the school. Ummm... Aren't you missing the point?
Yes, there are ramifications that ripple through if you shut the football program down. But, by not doing so, every single person that tailgates or goes through the turnstiles is effectively condoning what the football program wrought. I honestly have no idea how any freshmen decided to enroll in the University after the news broke in November.
Just as we think we've seen the worst that athletics can do in our society, Joe Paterno and Penn State Football come along and set a bar so low that I can't even fathom how the next Joe Paterno is going to come along and surpass it. The ends do NOT justify the means. The good does NOT outweigh the bad. By even intimating that, you are once again putting the victims aside and ignoring the damage that these men (Sandusky, Paterno, Spanier, etc.) have done.
Yes, there are ramifications. But, by not facing those both individually and as a group, aren't they all basically doing EXACTLY what Paterno, et. al. were doing - not taking the proper actions for some supposed greater good. It's completely hypocritical to say words of condelence to the victims then party it up on Saturday afternoons.
BTW, this all could become moot when the school's endowment and Ma Paterno's house is handed over to the victims 3 times over. Not that that solves anything for the victims. The least the community can do is stand up and say - "No!! We are not going to re-rape them every Saturday in the Fall by going to meaningless tailgates and football games."
Sorry. The world doesn't work the way you tell it to.
Penn State to State Pen.
Have fun playing soaped up jailhouse Slap and Tickle in the showers, Mr. Sandusky.
Wishing rape on a person - even a convicted rapist - just isn't right, in my opinion.
...
Ummm... you DO realize that part of Sandusky's defense was he was 'just playing' with those kids... right?
Who cares? I think it's wrong to wish harm on anyone. It's not a good mindset to pursue revenge like that...especially so if you're not even the victim.
The only people we should try to get even with...
...are those who've helped us.
Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
The least the community can do is stand up and say - "No!! We are not going to re-rape them every Saturday in the Fall by going to meaningless tailgates and football games."
I admire your passion, but this is nonsense.
I'm not sure what I think about shutting down the Penn State football program. It wasn't the program, it was several specific individuals. They should be held accountable. Not the other coaches, kids who are ON SCHOLARSHIP playing football, others in the community. I think it is a heavy-handed short-sighted approach to just simply say kill off Penn State football. What does it accomplish, besides hurting a whole lot of people that have nothing to do with the scandal?
I'm saddened that it seems like Joe Pa was a HUGE part of covering up and not reporting, he's done so much good. But no amount of good is enough to make up for it.
The least the community can do is stand up and say - "No!! We are not going to re-rape them every Saturday in the Fall by going to meaningless tailgates and football games."
I admire your passion, but this is nonsense.
I'm not sure what I think about shutting down the Penn State football program. It wasn't the program, it was several specific individuals. They should be held accountable. Not the other coaches, kids who are ON SCHOLARSHIP playing football, others in the community. I think it is a heavy-handed short-sighted approach to just simply say kill off Penn State football. What does it accomplish, besides hurting a whole lot of people that have nothing to do with the scandal?
I'm saddened that it seems like Joe Pa was a HUGE part of covering up and not reporting, he's done so much good. But no amount of good is enough to make up for it.
There are simple solutions for all that - for Scholarshipped players - offer to continue their scholarships for their education without football at PSU, or the NCAA allows a "free" transfer without any loss of eligibility or need to wait the standard year to play.
Again, what it accomplishes is it sets the precedent that Athletics is NOT more important than ANYTHING. The fact that a few men were in charge of that program and created the atmosphere is problematic. But, it was the Program ultimately caused/enabled the crime. So, why shouldn't it be held accountable?
Sorry. The world doesn't work the way you tell it to.
The least the community can do is stand up and say - "No!! We are not going to re-rape them every Saturday in the Fall by going to meaningless tailgates and football games."
I admire your passion, but this is nonsense.
I'm not sure what I think about shutting down the Penn State football program. It wasn't the program, it was several specific individuals. They should be held accountable. Not the other coaches, kids who are ON SCHOLARSHIP playing football, others in the community. I think it is a heavy-handed short-sighted approach to just simply say kill off Penn State football. What does it accomplish, besides hurting a whole lot of people that have nothing to do with the scandal?
I'm saddened that it seems like Joe Pa was a HUGE part of covering up and not reporting, he's done so much good. But no amount of good is enough to make up for it.
There are simple solutions for all that - for Scholarshipped players - offer to continue their scholarships for their education without football at PSU, or the NCAA allows a "free" transfer without any loss of eligibility or need to wait the standard year to play.
Again, what it accomplishes is it sets the precedent that Athletics is NOT more important than ANYTHING. The fact that a few men were in charge of that program and created the atmosphere is problematic. But, it was the Program ultimately caused/enabled the crime. So, why shouldn't it be held accountable?
You don't think all scholarships everywhere are filled? You are displacing students somewhere down the line.
I'd say getting rid of everyone involved and requiring significantly more transparency (the board either trusted too much or didn;t want to know) would do far more good then getting rid of football. Getting rid of football is symbolic at best and damaging to even more lives at worst.
Just my opinion. I do respect your opinion on the matter and I do think shutting football down should be "on the table" and discussed, but I just don;t think it makes any sense.
The people on here calling for NCAA sanctions and Death to the football program are idiots.
This had nothing to do with Penn States Football program.
ALso this is a criminal case, no NCAA violation occured.
This issue has hit my family very hard as most of them are PSU grads.
My dad Played for Joe Pa and Sandusky in the Mid 70's and Sandusky also happened to be my dad Position coach (LB). I have meet all these people involved, been around the program a long time and was offered a FB scholarship from PSU, I decided to play for a SEC school which is much close to where I live.
These are serious comments here... I KNOW I will discuss this from personal/emitional point of view but I will try and be as objective as possible.
From what I've read, The investigation into the 1998 accusation was "resolved" (charges dropped) by an email from the investigator (PA's Disctirct Attorney, who has now since dissapeared) to one of the 4 higher ups (not JoePa). Does the Freeh's report mention what that email says? People are using that as proof that everyone knew, but did Freeh actually say what was in the email? If there's no mention of the content, it seems like a pretty big failure on Freeh's part...
Also, is it clear that JoePa knew the 98 investigation was about pedo stuff? Or did he just know there was an investigation?
Reason I ask is that if the investigator (DA) determined no wrong doing on Sandusky's part in 98, or told the higher ups that it would disappear, how would the blame be on anyone but those 2? Also my dad told me that even back in the 70's Paterno and Sandusky DID NOT get along. They were not friends like everyone is making them out to be.
There was clearly info covered up and/or misinterpreted by many people throughout the years, but I haven't seen anything saying who specifically knew what and at what time. Seems like a whole bunch of accusations and assumptions with very little hard evidence backing it, at least according to articles I'm reading.
The report is basically one man's take on a situation that spanned over numerous years. If you listen to his Freeh's audio press conference from yesterday he clearly uses verbiage insinuating that his conclusions are essentially his opinions/assumptions. All it does is shift blame to 4 individuals while ignoring the mistakes and misactions of many other organizations and people outside and larger than Penn State.
Again, These are just questions and comments I have on this.
There are simple solutions for all that - for Scholarshipped players - offer to continue their scholarships for their education without football at PSU, or the NCAA allows a "free" transfer without any loss of eligibility or need to wait the standard year to play.
Again, what it accomplishes is it sets the precedent that Athletics is NOT more important than ANYTHING. The fact that a few men were in charge of that program and created the atmosphere is problematic. But, it was the Program ultimately caused/enabled the crime. So, why shouldn't it be held accountable?
In reality, the NCAA cannot do a thing if the bylaws were not broken. This is a federal case now.
The people on here calling for NCAA sanctions and Death to the football program are idiots.
This had nothing to do with Penn States Football program.
ALso this is a criminal case, no NCAA violation occured.
This issue has hit my family very hard as most of them are PSU grads.
My dad Played for Joe Pa and Sandusky in the Mid 70's and Sandusky also happened to be my dad Position coach (LB). I have meet all these people involved, been around the program a long time and was offered a FB scholarship from PSU, I decided to play for a SEC school which is much close to where I live.
These are serious comments here... I KNOW I will discuss this from personal/emitional point of view but I will try and be as objective as possible.
From what I've read, The investigation into the 1998 accusation was "resolved" (charges dropped) by an email from the investigator (PA's Disctirct Attorney, who has now since dissapeared) to one of the 4 higher ups (not JoePa). Does the Freeh's report mention what that email says? People are using that as proof that everyone knew, but did Freeh actually say what was in the email? If there's no mention of the content, it seems like a pretty big failure on Freeh's part...
Also, is it clear that JoePa knew the 98 investigation was about pedo stuff? Or did he just know there was an investigation?
Reason I ask is that if the investigator (DA) determined no wrong doing on Sandusky's part in 98, or told the higher ups that it would disappear, how would the blame be on anyone but those 2? Also my dad told me that even back in the 70's Paterno and Sandusky DID NOT get along. They were not friends like everyone is making them out to be.
There was clearly info covered up and/or misinterpreted by many people throughout the years, but I haven't seen anything saying who specifically knew what and at what time. Seems like a whole bunch of accusations and assumptions with very little hard evidence backing it, at least according to articles I'm reading.
The report is basically one man's take on a situation that spanned over numerous years. If you listen to his Freeh's audio press conference from yesterday he clearly uses verbiage insinuating that his conclusions are essentially his opinions/assumptions. All it does is shift blame to 4 individuals while ignoring the mistakes and misactions of many other organizations and people outside and larger than Penn State.
Again, These are just questions and comments I have on this.
Exhibit A why the program needs to be put on hiatus. I'm sorry your childhood memories are ruined.
Not to answer every ridiculous point you are trying to make, but YES, it is perfectly CLEAR that Paterno knew the about the 1998 incident. Trying to parse what is so clearly laid out is laughable. And your (and many like you) attitude is why there needs to be a stop to the insanity.
Sorry. The world doesn't work the way you tell it to.
The people on here calling for NCAA sanctions and Death to the football program are idiots.
This had nothing to do with Penn States Football program.
ALso this is a criminal case, no NCAA violation occured.
This issue has hit my family very hard as most of them are PSU grads.
My dad Played for Joe Pa and Sandusky in the Mid 70's and Sandusky also happened to be my dad Position coach (LB). I have meet all these people involved, been around the program a long time and was offered a FB scholarship from PSU, I decided to play for a SEC school which is much close to where I live.
These are serious comments here... I KNOW I will discuss this from personal/emitional point of view but I will try and be as objective as possible.
From what I've read, The investigation into the 1998 accusation was "resolved" (charges dropped) by an email from the investigator (PA's Disctirct Attorney, who has now since dissapeared) to one of the 4 higher ups (not JoePa). Does the Freeh's report mention what that email says? People are using that as proof that everyone knew, but did Freeh actually say what was in the email? If there's no mention of the content, it seems like a pretty big failure on Freeh's part...
Also, is it clear that JoePa knew the 98 investigation was about pedo stuff? Or did he just know there was an investigation?
Reason I ask is that if the investigator (DA) determined no wrong doing on Sandusky's part in 98, or told the higher ups that it would disappear, how would the blame be on anyone but those 2? Also my dad told me that even back in the 70's Paterno and Sandusky DID NOT get along. They were not friends like everyone is making them out to be.
There was clearly info covered up and/or misinterpreted by many people throughout the years, but I haven't seen anything saying who specifically knew what and at what time. Seems like a whole bunch of accusations and assumptions with very little hard evidence backing it, at least according to articles I'm reading.
The report is basically one man's take on a situation that spanned over numerous years. If you listen to his Freeh's audio press conference from yesterday he clearly uses verbiage insinuating that his conclusions are essentially his opinions/assumptions. All it does is shift blame to 4 individuals while ignoring the mistakes and misactions of many other organizations and people outside and larger than Penn State.
Again, These are just questions and comments I have on this.
Exhibit A why the program needs to be put on hiatus. I'm sorry your childhood memories are ruined.
Not to answer every ridiculous point you are trying to make, but YES, it is perfectly CLEAR that Paterno knew the about the 1998 incident. Trying to parse what is so clearly laid out is laughable. And your (and many like you) attitude is why there needs to be a stop to the insanity.
Please explain? These are simple questions to which you didn't answer any of them...
I addressed in my post the Paterno knew about 1998, But again as someone who has actually read this case, the 1998 incident was dropped by the investigator (District Attorney).
My questions were clear on this, The DA told the highers ups about the charges being dropped,
What exacly was relayed to Paterno, What was he told?
What attitude are you talking about?
Also my dad told me that even back in the 70's Paterno and Sandusky DID NOT get along. They were not friends like everyone is making them out to be.
That really doesnt matter. Apparently whatever JoePa knew -- he was probably more concerned about his football program being implicated than Sanduskys well being. JoePa fucked up, no two ways about it. But I dont think the football program needs to be shut down completely as long as all people involved in the cover up of this case have been removed.
Also my dad told me that even back in the 70's Paterno and Sandusky DID NOT get along. They were not friends like everyone is making them out to be.
That really doesnt matter. Apparently whatever JoePa knew -- he was probably more concerned about his football program being implicated than Sanduskys well being. JoePa fucked up, no two ways about it. But I dont think the football program needs to be shut down completely as long as all people involved in the cover up of this case have been removed.
NO SHIT he fucked up...
Still no answers to my questions...
Yes JoePa fucked up but to what degree, The 1998 incidend was dropped by the DA. Saying that 1998 incident happend now is just using hindsight...
Joe was told the 1998 incident was dropped, What was he told, Who told him?
The Freeh report is extremely vague and inferious (is that a word?) Joe's name appears in two emails.
Other than that, what proof do you have of what Joe knew?
The people on here calling for NCAA sanctions and Death to the football program are idiots.
This had nothing to do with Penn States Football program.
ALso this is a criminal case, no NCAA violation occured.
This issue has hit my family very hard as most of them are PSU grads.
My dad Played for Joe Pa and Sandusky in the Mid 70's and Sandusky also happened to be my dad Position coach (LB). I have meet all these people involved, been around the program a long time and was offered a FB scholarship from PSU, I decided to play for a SEC school which is much close to where I live.
These are serious comments here... I KNOW I will discuss this from personal/emitional point of view but I will try and be as objective as possible.
From what I've read, The investigation into the 1998 accusation was "resolved" (charges dropped) by an email from the investigator (PA's Disctirct Attorney, who has now since dissapeared) to one of the 4 higher ups (not JoePa). Does the Freeh's report mention what that email says? People are using that as proof that everyone knew, but did Freeh actually say what was in the email? If there's no mention of the content, it seems like a pretty big failure on Freeh's part...
Also, is it clear that JoePa knew the 98 investigation was about pedo stuff? Or did he just know there was an investigation?
Reason I ask is that if the investigator (DA) determined no wrong doing on Sandusky's part in 98, or told the higher ups that it would disappear, how would the blame be on anyone but those 2? Also my dad told me that even back in the 70's Paterno and Sandusky DID NOT get along. They were not friends like everyone is making them out to be.
There was clearly info covered up and/or misinterpreted by many people throughout the years, but I haven't seen anything saying who specifically knew what and at what time. Seems like a whole bunch of accusations and assumptions with very little hard evidence backing it, at least according to articles I'm reading.
The report is basically one man's take on a situation that spanned over numerous years. If you listen to his Freeh's audio press conference from yesterday he clearly uses verbiage insinuating that his conclusions are essentially his opinions/assumptions. All it does is shift blame to 4 individuals while ignoring the mistakes and misactions of many other organizations and people outside and larger than Penn State.
Again, These are just questions and comments I have on this.
Exhibit A why the program needs to be put on hiatus. I'm sorry your childhood memories are ruined.
Not to answer every ridiculous point you are trying to make, but YES, it is perfectly CLEAR that Paterno knew the about the 1998 incident. Trying to parse what is so clearly laid out is laughable. And your (and many like you) attitude is why there needs to be a stop to the insanity.
Please explain? These are simple questions to which you didn't answer any of them...
I addressed in my post the Paterno knew about 1998, But again as someone who has actually read this case, the 1998 incident was dropped by the investigator (District Attorney).
My questions were clear on this, The DA told the highers ups about the charges being dropped,
What exacly was relayed to Paterno, What was he told?
What attitude are you talking about?
Blockhead - Paterno ran everything and even his higher-ups deferred to him on all matters involving anything to do with football: see squashing PSU investigation/punishment into the brawl involving the football players and. It's pretty telling that Curley originally wanted to go to authorites but chaged him mine one day after meeting with Paterno. I know you probably have deep feelings for the man but no reasonable person can truly believe Paterno didn't know what was going on.
As for those calling to shut down the football program I guess that should be shut down after we close down the boy scouts and every catholic church in america. and should we close every school that the teachers are sleeping with students? i think that is a huge overreaction.
Also my dad told me that even back in the 70's Paterno and Sandusky DID NOT get along. They were not friends like everyone is making them out to be.
That really doesnt matter. Apparently whatever JoePa knew -- he was probably more concerned about his football program being implicated than Sanduskys well being. JoePa fucked up, no two ways about it. But I dont think the football program needs to be shut down completely as long as all people involved in the cover up of this case have been removed.
NO SHIT he fucked up...
Still no answers to my questions...
Yes JoePa fucked up but to what degree, The 1998 incidend was dropped by the DA. Saying that 1998 incident happend now is just using hindsight...
Joe was told the 1998 incident was dropped, What was he told, Who told him?
The Freeh report is extremely vague and inferious (is that a word?) Joe's name appears in two emails.
Other than that, what proof do you have of what Joe knew?
Those questions are irrelevant now. "An internal probe into the Penn State child sex abuse scandal found that top university officials, including former president Graham Spanier and then-head football coach Joe Paterno, concealed allegations of abuse by ex-assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky to "avoid the consequences of bad publicity."
To what degree did he fuck up? He allowed a grown man to RAPE underage boys without consequence. There is no degree to that. Its fucking pathetic and the bottom of the barrel. How much lower can you go? No degree...just the bottom.
Blockhead - Paterno ran everything and even his higher-ups deferred to him on all matters involving anything to do with football: see squashing PSU investigation/punishment into the brawl involving the football players and. It's pretty telling that Curley originally wanted to go to authorites but chaged him mine one day after meeting with Paterno. I know you probably have deep feelings for the man but no reasonable person can truly believe Paterno didn't know what was going on.
As for those calling to shut down the football program I guess that should be shut down after we close down the boy scouts and every catholic church in america. and should we close every school that the teachers are sleeping with students? i think that is a huge overreaction.
Joe was part of leadership, the most recognizable to the outside public, but not the highest ranking member of the institution. Many more individuals, both inside and outside of PSU, also failed to respond appropriately to this tragedy.
People love a villain. In this situation, a lot of people made mistakes, this report is essentially one man's interpretation of events. The report doesn't really uncover anything new. All it does is shift blame to 4 individuals while ignoring the mistakes and misactions of many other organizations and people outside and larger than Penn State. If it helps people sleep at night to assert all blame to a major figurehead, well that's their opinion, albeit an ignorant one...
Those questions are irrelevant now. "An internal probe into the Penn State child sex abuse scandal found that top university officials, including former president Graham Spanier and then-head football coach Joe Paterno, concealed allegations of abuse by ex-assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky to "avoid the consequences of bad publicity."
To what degree did he fuck up? He allowed a grown man to RAPE underage boys without consequence. There is no degree to that. Its fucking pathetic and the bottom of the barrel. How much lower can you go? No degree...just the bottom.
Oh, there irrelevant becase you can't answer them?
When I say degree, what I mean is, what knowlegdge did Joe have.
That is the question I am asking YOU...
Please tell me with Proof WHAT DID JOE KNOW?
This was a state wide cover up. From the State DA, police, PSU president, PSU AD and Paterno.
Not just Paterno...
Those questions are irrelevant now. "An internal probe into the Penn State child sex abuse scandal found that top university officials, including former president Graham Spanier and then-head football coach Joe Paterno, concealed allegations of abuse by ex-assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky to "avoid the consequences of bad publicity."
To what degree did he fuck up? He allowed a grown man to RAPE underage boys without consequence. There is no degree to that. Its fucking pathetic and the bottom of the barrel. How much lower can you go? No degree...just the bottom.
Oh, there irrelevant becase you can't answer them?
When I say degree, what I mean is, what knowlegdge did Joe have.
That is the question I am asking YOU...
Please tell me with Proof WHAT DID JOE KNOW?
This was a state wide cover up. From the State DA, police, PSU president, PSU AD and Paterno.
Not just Paterno...
Nope, I cant answer them, and I dont care to.
I dont know to what degree specifically Joe knew...nobody knows that except Joe. The problem I have with this is that if he even had suspicions that Sandusky was doing something illegal, he should've investigated it. If he had any inclination that Sandusky, a man who worked under him, was violating young defenseless boys, he shouldve investigated. Penn State, a university that is trying to keep their image, just admitted that Joe concealed allegations of abuse. What more do you want? Are you saying he didnt do anything wrong?
Before his death in interviews, Paterno himself said he was devastated by these events and wished he had done more to prevent them. Again, what more do you want?
:fp:
Paterno "was an integral part of this active decision to conceal" and his firing was justified, Freeh said at a news conference. He called the officials' disregard for child victims "callous and shocking."
Our most saddening and sobering finding is the total disregard for the safety and welfare of Sandusky's child victims by the most senior leaders at Penn State," said former FBI Director Louis Freeh, who was hired by university trustees to look into what has become one of sports' biggest scandals. "The most powerful men at Penn State failed to take any steps for 14 years to protect the children who Sandusky victimized."
Nope, I cant answer them, and I dont care to.
I dont know to what degree specifically Joe knew...nobody knows that except Joe. The problem I have with this is that if he even had suspicions that Sandusky was doing something illegal, he should've investigated it. If he had any inclination that Sandusky, a man who worked under him, was violating young defenseless boys, he shouldve investigated. Penn State, a university that is trying to keep their image, just admitted that Joe concealed allegations of abuse. What more do you want? Are you saying he didnt do anything wrong?
Before his death in interviews, Paterno himself said he was devastated by these events and wished he had done more to prevent them. Again, what more do you want?
:fp:
Paterno "was an integral part of this active decision to conceal" and his firing was justified, Freeh said at a news conference. He called the officials' disregard for child victims "callous and shocking."
Our most saddening and sobering finding is the total disregard for the safety and welfare of Sandusky's child victims by the most senior leaders at Penn State," said former FBI Director Louis Freeh, who was hired by university trustees to look into what has become one of sports' biggest scandals. "The most powerful men at Penn State failed to take any steps for 14 years to protect the children who Sandusky victimized."
Do you still need more?
To your first part, Why do you expect him to investigate something that was already investigated and in which the charges were dropped by the State District Attorney?
To your second Part. You can find the report anywhere and read it. I suggest you do so and come to your own conclusion on it, The report shows no evidence against Paterno and its pretty much one guys interpertation of stuff we already knew.
I would like to state that I am not Defending Paterno, Just trying to find the truth on this matter as PSU has a great impact on me and my family
Nope, I cant answer them, and I dont care to.
I dont know to what degree specifically Joe knew...nobody knows that except Joe. The problem I have with this is that if he even had suspicions that Sandusky was doing something illegal, he should've investigated it. If he had any inclination that Sandusky, a man who worked under him, was violating young defenseless boys, he shouldve investigated. Penn State, a university that is trying to keep their image, just admitted that Joe concealed allegations of abuse. What more do you want? Are you saying he didnt do anything wrong?
Before his death in interviews, Paterno himself said he was devastated by these events and wished he had done more to prevent them. Again, what more do you want?
:fp:
Paterno "was an integral part of this active decision to conceal" and his firing was justified, Freeh said at a news conference. He called the officials' disregard for child victims "callous and shocking."
Our most saddening and sobering finding is the total disregard for the safety and welfare of Sandusky's child victims by the most senior leaders at Penn State," said former FBI Director Louis Freeh, who was hired by university trustees to look into what has become one of sports' biggest scandals. "The most powerful men at Penn State failed to take any steps for 14 years to protect the children who Sandusky victimized."
Do you still need more?
To your first part, Why do you expect him to investigate something that was already investigated and in which the charges were dropped by the State District Attorney?
To your second Part. You can find the report anywhere and read it. I suggest you do so and come to your own conclusion on it, The report shows no evidence against Paterno and its pretty much one guys interpertation of stuff we already knew.
I would like to state that I am not Defending Paterno, Just trying to find the truth on this matter as PSU has a great impact on me and my family
all circumstancial evidence points that JoePa knew, even back to 1998. not sure how anyone in their right mind could dispute that. to me anyone disputing it is just a blind loyalist.
Nope, I cant answer them, and I dont care to.
I dont know to what degree specifically Joe knew...nobody knows that except Joe. The problem I have with this is that if he even had suspicions that Sandusky was doing something illegal, he should've investigated it. If he had any inclination that Sandusky, a man who worked under him, was violating young defenseless boys, he shouldve investigated. Penn State, a university that is trying to keep their image, just admitted that Joe concealed allegations of abuse. What more do you want? Are you saying he didnt do anything wrong?
Before his death in interviews, Paterno himself said he was devastated by these events and wished he had done more to prevent them. Again, what more do you want?
:fp:
Paterno "was an integral part of this active decision to conceal" and his firing was justified, Freeh said at a news conference. He called the officials' disregard for child victims "callous and shocking."
Our most saddening and sobering finding is the total disregard for the safety and welfare of Sandusky's child victims by the most senior leaders at Penn State," said former FBI Director Louis Freeh, who was hired by university trustees to look into what has become one of sports' biggest scandals. "The most powerful men at Penn State failed to take any steps for 14 years to protect the children who Sandusky victimized."
Do you still need more?
To your first part, Why do you expect him to investigate something that was already investigated and in which the charges were dropped by the State District Attorney?
To your second Part. You can find the report anywhere and read it. I suggest you do so and come to your own conclusion on it, The report shows no evidence against Paterno and its pretty much one guys interpertation of stuff we already knew.
I would like to state that I am not Defending Paterno, Just trying to find the truth on this matter as PSU has a great impact on me and my family
I see you ignored the bolded part.
I'll just repeat it:
Before his death in interviews, Paterno himself said he was devastated by these events and wished he had done more to prevent them.
McQuerry came to him in 2001 (or was it 2002), and told him Sandusky was fondling a kid. There were plenty of opportunities for him to step up to the plate and do what was right. He simply didnt do enough, and he admitted that.
Sorry, I dont need more than that. He fucked up, bottom line. When kids are involved, you cant just sit back and let shit like this happen.
Sorry that this strikes home for you, but its ok to admit people made horrific mistakes and just move on. shit happens, and its out of our control most of the time. Hey, im a huge Gator fan, but if my school was implicated in something like this, i'd just hope that they would have the determination to make it right, apologize, and work toward making a better future and preventing this from ever happemning again.
So, now that we got that out in the open, what SEC team were you with? Maybe we can move our argument on to SEC.
As with the Catholic Church and the Mormon Church, no parent can send a child into the world without wondering not only if a Sandusky is near their child but also if there are Paternos and Spaniers, Curleys and Schultzes who lack the courage and priority to protect them. The trusted failed, and everyone lost.
_______________________________
As to those alluding to the Boy Scouts, etc. - yes, the individual areas that failed should be shut down. Just like the Football program at Penn State, but not the University. I haven't seen anybody calling for the school to be shut down. Just the Institution within the Institution. So, in the case of the Boy Scouts, the analogy would be that the individual troops are discontinued. Honestly, I can't tell you if that's been done or not. But, even if not, why can't there be a first to lead? It makes it ok not to do right because someone else doesn't?
Paterno knew enough and was powerful enough to put a stop to it. He persuaded the "higher ups" that his psycophants are trying to hide him behind to NOT go to the authorities. He was clearly in charge despite titles. He crushed the female Board Member that tried to confront him about fights players were involved in. There is no doubt who was king in the land of Nit(tany)-wits. And it was all done to prevent bad publicity and damage to the program.
I honestly hope his family loses everything due to law suits. Perhaps, then, they too can finally come to the realization of what their pa-pa caused. Imagine if Jay Paterno was one of the teen-agers Sandusky did this to.... What would Joe's reaction have been then?
Sorry. The world doesn't work the way you tell it to.
As an alum and current employee at PSU I can say that the whole thing is shameful and a nightmare that I still wish we could wake up from. My heart still breaks for the victims, and to think that the leadership of the University I love had a hand in letting that monster get away with what he did for a decade is almost more than I can bear.
But whatever the true motivation for not doing enough to stop it - which we will probably never know, by the way - I'm not about forget the good that Penn State does. It's an amazing institution and I am still proud of my association with it. Once this storm settles and the media focus their attention elsewhere I'll be proud of how PSU rises from the ashes of this scandal and makes 'Success with Honor' something to be said with pride and not sarcasm. And hopefully the good that comes from all this bad will help other people in other places understand how to make sure something like this never happens again. If that's the end result of all this - if just one child is spared such a horrific fate - I think 99% of Penn Staters past and present would agree everything that has happened to us as a University this past year was worth it.
He was at the very least told about the '98 incident and when he heard from McQueary about the shower incident 3 years later he did nothing until days later. He didn't want to ruin his cohorts weekend! Are you fucking kidding me? He knew enough in '99 not to want Sandusky to bring 2nd mile kids on campus because it could be a "liability." He knew too much to never have done anything.
As an alum of SMU, the only school to receive the death penalty, it seems comical that people don't think they deserve it. It's the definition of lack of institutional control. He raped children on campus while coaches and AD's did fucking nothing!
This show, another show, a show here and a show there.
As an alum and current employee at PSU I can say that the whole thing is shameful and a nightmare that I still wish we could wake up from. My heart still breaks for the victims, and to think that the leadership of the University I love had a hand in letting that monster get away with what he did for a decade is almost more than I can bear.
But whatever the true motivation for not doing enough to stop it - which we will probably never know, by the way - I'm not about forget the good that Penn State does. It's an amazing institution and I am still proud of my association with it. Once this storm settles and the media focus their attention elsewhere I'll be proud of how PSU rises from the ashes of this scandal and makes 'Success with Honor' something to be said with pride and not sarcasm. And hopefully the good that comes from all this bad will help other people in other places understand how to make sure something like this never happens again. If that's the end result of all this - if just one child is spared such a horrific fate - I think 99% of Penn Staters past and present would agree everything that has happened to us as a University this past year was worth it.
I appreciate the situation you're in, but let's be clear on 1 thing - the TRUE MOTIVATION is perfectly clear - protecting the Football Program. Do insiders not see that?
And, yes, Penn State has the largest Student run fund raiser (among other good things) - the Danceathon for Children's Cancer. But, would you trade all that to give these children back their lives? The choice is simple - end the root cause - football (for now at least) and focus on the good you speak of. If one impacts the other, then was it a worthy cause to begin with? And if not, have we become that Machiavelian?
Sorry. The world doesn't work the way you tell it to.
Comments
The sick bastard still believes he did nothing wrong , what kind of childhood did this guy have .....
I agree. Nothing having to do with football should go on there for a few years. I'd feel nasty even walking in the locker rooms.
I wasn't being exclusive to this case. My overall point is an organization that would hire Matt Millen is a joke. ESPN lost any journalistic credibility years ago.
Paterno gave money to the libraries. Should they be shut down?
The football program made lots of money for the athletic department, helping build new stadiums and facilities. Should the basketball, volleyball, tennis, etc. all be shut down?
Lay blame at those accountable. Paterno's legacy is tarnished and the school needs to distance themselves from the past. A handful of top admin will most likely end up in prison. To punish the innocent, the students, the alumni, the fans, and the student athletes is overreaction to a very bad situation.
I think you are looking at this backward. This has nothing to do with students, alumni, fans or athletes. It has everything to do with the fact that this predator was enabled and empowered (I took that from an article I read - I find that word extremely important in this discussion) by the Penn State Football Program. It's that simple. Would Sandusky have found a way to do his heinous crimes somewhere else? Perhaps. But, that's not the the point. It did happen with Joe Paterno and his band of idiots condoning those actions for the protection of the program. Sandusky not only used the football program to prey on his victims, he used it to cover his actions. Once again, with the full approval of Joe Paterno (implicit approval in this case was actually more powerful than explicit - it effectively held a gun to Joe and the University's heads once they did not report, as the e-mails presciently indicated). Therefore, that instition (within an institution) needs to be "reset." The mentality of - we can't shut down the program b/c of all the collateral damage to people that weren't involved is the very reason Joe Paterno encouraged his followers (as he was clearly the leader) NOT to report. So, now you (and others) suggest perpetuating that?
I find it even more troubling that the current Penn State President indicates how important the Football Program is to the school. Ummm... Aren't you missing the point?
Yes, there are ramifications that ripple through if you shut the football program down. But, by not doing so, every single person that tailgates or goes through the turnstiles is effectively condoning what the football program wrought. I honestly have no idea how any freshmen decided to enroll in the University after the news broke in November.
Just as we think we've seen the worst that athletics can do in our society, Joe Paterno and Penn State Football come along and set a bar so low that I can't even fathom how the next Joe Paterno is going to come along and surpass it. The ends do NOT justify the means. The good does NOT outweigh the bad. By even intimating that, you are once again putting the victims aside and ignoring the damage that these men (Sandusky, Paterno, Spanier, etc.) have done.
Yes, there are ramifications. But, by not facing those both individually and as a group, aren't they all basically doing EXACTLY what Paterno, et. al. were doing - not taking the proper actions for some supposed greater good. It's completely hypocritical to say words of condelence to the victims then party it up on Saturday afternoons.
BTW, this all could become moot when the school's endowment and Ma Paterno's house is handed over to the victims 3 times over. Not that that solves anything for the victims. The least the community can do is stand up and say - "No!! We are not going to re-rape them every Saturday in the Fall by going to meaningless tailgates and football games."
Who cares? I think it's wrong to wish harm on anyone. It's not a good mindset to pursue revenge like that...especially so if you're not even the victim.
...are those who've helped us.
Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
I admire your passion, but this is nonsense.
I'm not sure what I think about shutting down the Penn State football program. It wasn't the program, it was several specific individuals. They should be held accountable. Not the other coaches, kids who are ON SCHOLARSHIP playing football, others in the community. I think it is a heavy-handed short-sighted approach to just simply say kill off Penn State football. What does it accomplish, besides hurting a whole lot of people that have nothing to do with the scandal?
I'm saddened that it seems like Joe Pa was a HUGE part of covering up and not reporting, he's done so much good. But no amount of good is enough to make up for it.
There are simple solutions for all that - for Scholarshipped players - offer to continue their scholarships for their education without football at PSU, or the NCAA allows a "free" transfer without any loss of eligibility or need to wait the standard year to play.
Again, what it accomplishes is it sets the precedent that Athletics is NOT more important than ANYTHING. The fact that a few men were in charge of that program and created the atmosphere is problematic. But, it was the Program ultimately caused/enabled the crime. So, why shouldn't it be held accountable?
You don't think all scholarships everywhere are filled? You are displacing students somewhere down the line.
I'd say getting rid of everyone involved and requiring significantly more transparency (the board either trusted too much or didn;t want to know) would do far more good then getting rid of football. Getting rid of football is symbolic at best and damaging to even more lives at worst.
Just my opinion. I do respect your opinion on the matter and I do think shutting football down should be "on the table" and discussed, but I just don;t think it makes any sense.
This had nothing to do with Penn States Football program.
ALso this is a criminal case, no NCAA violation occured.
This issue has hit my family very hard as most of them are PSU grads.
My dad Played for Joe Pa and Sandusky in the Mid 70's and Sandusky also happened to be my dad Position coach (LB). I have meet all these people involved, been around the program a long time and was offered a FB scholarship from PSU, I decided to play for a SEC school which is much close to where I live.
These are serious comments here... I KNOW I will discuss this from personal/emitional point of view but I will try and be as objective as possible.
From what I've read, The investigation into the 1998 accusation was "resolved" (charges dropped) by an email from the investigator (PA's Disctirct Attorney, who has now since dissapeared) to one of the 4 higher ups (not JoePa). Does the Freeh's report mention what that email says? People are using that as proof that everyone knew, but did Freeh actually say what was in the email? If there's no mention of the content, it seems like a pretty big failure on Freeh's part...
Also, is it clear that JoePa knew the 98 investigation was about pedo stuff? Or did he just know there was an investigation?
Reason I ask is that if the investigator (DA) determined no wrong doing on Sandusky's part in 98, or told the higher ups that it would disappear, how would the blame be on anyone but those 2? Also my dad told me that even back in the 70's Paterno and Sandusky DID NOT get along. They were not friends like everyone is making them out to be.
There was clearly info covered up and/or misinterpreted by many people throughout the years, but I haven't seen anything saying who specifically knew what and at what time. Seems like a whole bunch of accusations and assumptions with very little hard evidence backing it, at least according to articles I'm reading.
The report is basically one man's take on a situation that spanned over numerous years. If you listen to his Freeh's audio press conference from yesterday he clearly uses verbiage insinuating that his conclusions are essentially his opinions/assumptions. All it does is shift blame to 4 individuals while ignoring the mistakes and misactions of many other organizations and people outside and larger than Penn State.
Again, These are just questions and comments I have on this.
Exhibit A why the program needs to be put on hiatus. I'm sorry your childhood memories are ruined.
Not to answer every ridiculous point you are trying to make, but YES, it is perfectly CLEAR that Paterno knew the about the 1998 incident. Trying to parse what is so clearly laid out is laughable. And your (and many like you) attitude is why there needs to be a stop to the insanity.
Please explain? These are simple questions to which you didn't answer any of them...
I addressed in my post the Paterno knew about 1998, But again as someone who has actually read this case, the 1998 incident was dropped by the investigator (District Attorney).
My questions were clear on this, The DA told the highers ups about the charges being dropped,
What exacly was relayed to Paterno, What was he told?
What attitude are you talking about?
That really doesnt matter. Apparently whatever JoePa knew -- he was probably more concerned about his football program being implicated than Sanduskys well being. JoePa fucked up, no two ways about it. But I dont think the football program needs to be shut down completely as long as all people involved in the cover up of this case have been removed.
Still no answers to my questions...
Yes JoePa fucked up but to what degree, The 1998 incidend was dropped by the DA. Saying that 1998 incident happend now is just using hindsight...
Joe was told the 1998 incident was dropped, What was he told, Who told him?
The Freeh report is extremely vague and inferious (is that a word?) Joe's name appears in two emails.
Other than that, what proof do you have of what Joe knew?
Blockhead - Paterno ran everything and even his higher-ups deferred to him on all matters involving anything to do with football: see squashing PSU investigation/punishment into the brawl involving the football players and. It's pretty telling that Curley originally wanted to go to authorites but chaged him mine one day after meeting with Paterno. I know you probably have deep feelings for the man but no reasonable person can truly believe Paterno didn't know what was going on.
As for those calling to shut down the football program I guess that should be shut down after we close down the boy scouts and every catholic church in america. and should we close every school that the teachers are sleeping with students? i think that is a huge overreaction.
Those questions are irrelevant now.
"An internal probe into the Penn State child sex abuse scandal found that top university officials, including former president Graham Spanier and then-head football coach Joe Paterno, concealed allegations of abuse by ex-assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky to "avoid the consequences of bad publicity."
To what degree did he fuck up? He allowed a grown man to RAPE underage boys without consequence. There is no degree to that. Its fucking pathetic and the bottom of the barrel. How much lower can you go? No degree...just the bottom.
People love a villain. In this situation, a lot of people made mistakes, this report is essentially one man's interpretation of events. The report doesn't really uncover anything new. All it does is shift blame to 4 individuals while ignoring the mistakes and misactions of many other organizations and people outside and larger than Penn State. If it helps people sleep at night to assert all blame to a major figurehead, well that's their opinion, albeit an ignorant one...
When I say degree, what I mean is, what knowlegdge did Joe have.
That is the question I am asking YOU...
Please tell me with Proof WHAT DID JOE KNOW?
This was a state wide cover up. From the State DA, police, PSU president, PSU AD and Paterno.
Not just Paterno...
Nope, I cant answer them, and I dont care to.
I dont know to what degree specifically Joe knew...nobody knows that except Joe. The problem I have with this is that if he even had suspicions that Sandusky was doing something illegal, he should've investigated it. If he had any inclination that Sandusky, a man who worked under him, was violating young defenseless boys, he shouldve investigated. Penn State, a university that is trying to keep their image, just admitted that Joe concealed allegations of abuse. What more do you want? Are you saying he didnt do anything wrong?
Before his death in interviews, Paterno himself said he was devastated by these events and wished he had done more to prevent them. Again, what more do you want?
:fp:
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/07/12/re ... -children/
Paterno "was an integral part of this active decision to conceal" and his firing was justified, Freeh said at a news conference. He called the officials' disregard for child victims "callous and shocking."
Our most saddening and sobering finding is the total disregard for the safety and welfare of Sandusky's child victims by the most senior leaders at Penn State," said former FBI Director Louis Freeh, who was hired by university trustees to look into what has become one of sports' biggest scandals. "The most powerful men at Penn State failed to take any steps for 14 years to protect the children who Sandusky victimized."
Do you still need more?
To your second Part. You can find the report anywhere and read it. I suggest you do so and come to your own conclusion on it, The report shows no evidence against Paterno and its pretty much one guys interpertation of stuff we already knew.
I would like to state that I am not Defending Paterno, Just trying to find the truth on this matter as PSU has a great impact on me and my family
all circumstancial evidence points that JoePa knew, even back to 1998. not sure how anyone in their right mind could dispute that. to me anyone disputing it is just a blind loyalist.
I see you ignored the bolded part.
I'll just repeat it:
Before his death in interviews, Paterno himself said he was devastated by these events and wished he had done more to prevent them.
McQuerry came to him in 2001 (or was it 2002), and told him Sandusky was fondling a kid. There were plenty of opportunities for him to step up to the plate and do what was right. He simply didnt do enough, and he admitted that.
Sorry, I dont need more than that. He fucked up, bottom line. When kids are involved, you cant just sit back and let shit like this happen.
Sorry that this strikes home for you, but its ok to admit people made horrific mistakes and just move on. shit happens, and its out of our control most of the time. Hey, im a huge Gator fan, but if my school was implicated in something like this, i'd just hope that they would have the determination to make it right, apologize, and work toward making a better future and preventing this from ever happemning again.
So, now that we got that out in the open, what SEC team were you with? Maybe we can move our argument on to SEC.
The conclusion:
As with the Catholic Church and the Mormon Church, no parent can send a child into the world without wondering not only if a Sandusky is near their child but also if there are Paternos and Spaniers, Curleys and Schultzes who lack the courage and priority to protect them. The trusted failed, and everyone lost.
_______________________________
As to those alluding to the Boy Scouts, etc. - yes, the individual areas that failed should be shut down. Just like the Football program at Penn State, but not the University. I haven't seen anybody calling for the school to be shut down. Just the Institution within the Institution. So, in the case of the Boy Scouts, the analogy would be that the individual troops are discontinued. Honestly, I can't tell you if that's been done or not. But, even if not, why can't there be a first to lead? It makes it ok not to do right because someone else doesn't?
Paterno knew enough and was powerful enough to put a stop to it. He persuaded the "higher ups" that his psycophants are trying to hide him behind to NOT go to the authorities. He was clearly in charge despite titles. He crushed the female Board Member that tried to confront him about fights players were involved in. There is no doubt who was king in the land of Nit(tany)-wits. And it was all done to prevent bad publicity and damage to the program.
I honestly hope his family loses everything due to law suits. Perhaps, then, they too can finally come to the realization of what their pa-pa caused. Imagine if Jay Paterno was one of the teen-agers Sandusky did this to.... What would Joe's reaction have been then?
But whatever the true motivation for not doing enough to stop it - which we will probably never know, by the way - I'm not about forget the good that Penn State does. It's an amazing institution and I am still proud of my association with it. Once this storm settles and the media focus their attention elsewhere I'll be proud of how PSU rises from the ashes of this scandal and makes 'Success with Honor' something to be said with pride and not sarcasm. And hopefully the good that comes from all this bad will help other people in other places understand how to make sure something like this never happens again. If that's the end result of all this - if just one child is spared such a horrific fate - I think 99% of Penn Staters past and present would agree everything that has happened to us as a University this past year was worth it.
As an alum of SMU, the only school to receive the death penalty, it seems comical that people don't think they deserve it. It's the definition of lack of institutional control. He raped children on campus while coaches and AD's did fucking nothing!
I appreciate the situation you're in, but let's be clear on 1 thing - the TRUE MOTIVATION is perfectly clear - protecting the Football Program. Do insiders not see that?
And, yes, Penn State has the largest Student run fund raiser (among other good things) - the Danceathon for Children's Cancer. But, would you trade all that to give these children back their lives? The choice is simple - end the root cause - football (for now at least) and focus on the good you speak of. If one impacts the other, then was it a worthy cause to begin with? And if not, have we become that Machiavelian?