Penn State Rocked by Investigation of Abuse Scandal
Why should we care about this incident? Tragically, children are sexually abused every day, and heaven knows it’s not news for college sports to be a breeding ground for illegal activity. But it is rare to see the institutional decay so clearly and at such high levels as we do in this report.
Do we believe Penn State is the only school where a university president would allow heinous crimes to continue in order to avoid bad press? Is Penn State the aberration, or the school that got caught?
Certainly, in releasing the report, the Board of Trustees took a courageous step towards pouring some bleach on the mold. And the majority of youth sports programs and the adults who lead them take their duties as guides and role models seriously.
We should note this story because it hurts us all when we realize the emperor has no clothes. It doesn’t matter if the scandal is an aberration or not — we should note it points out how close we all can be to moral failure. We should care because Penn State and the almost saintly Joe Paterno were so high in the college sports stratosphere they were almost “too big to fail.” And we should care when institutions are no longer accountable for their actions or mismanagement.
Hopefully the Freeh report will bring about some needed changes both at Penn State and in youth football as a whole. But whether it does or not, it’s a fascinating and very candid look at an institutional cover-up.
Joe Paterno’s dead and can’t object, he’ll get blamed for everything… never mind he reported it and was told by his superiors that they’d handle it and to shut up, and was fired by them went it went public without any of them losing their jobs.
Joe Paterno didn’t put the children first. Yes, others were equally guilty, but that doesn’t change Paterno’s guilt. Neither does his football record.
May his name rot.
Before his death, Paterno stated that he should have done more. The fact is he didn’t use his considerable influence to encourage a more proactive response.
But beyond that, back in 1999 Paterno agreed to allow Sandusky to retire, even though even at that time he was suspected of child abuse, AND Paterno participated in the deal where Sandusky was allowed to use his affiliation with and access to Penn State to “continue to work with you people.”
Paterno’s no hero but there are a couple of points you can’t forget. District Attorney Ray Gricar declined to pursue the allegations against Sandusky in 1998 and I don’t see how Paterno could have stopped Sandusky from getting his pension on the basis of allegations that law enforcement declined to pursue.
Further, going after Paterno because he was famous and well-respected overlooks other matters like why was Sandusky allowed to continue to run The Second Mile which Paterno had nothing to do with.
Isnt Louis Freeh the guy orchestrating the whitewash of the theft of $2 billion in private individual, segregated accounts at MF Global? I think he is. What is the difference between the cover up Louis Freeh is doing for Jon Corzine at MF Global and the disgusting coverup Joe Paterno did at Penn State. Children were molested at Penn State. Hundreds of adults were molested by Jon Corzine at MF Global. But so far, Jon Corzine is skating free, with the help of Louis Free.
The difference should be obvious. Jon Corzine is a high-profile Democrat with deep ties to Obama.
‘Nuff said.
Jerry Sandusky is a pig and a pedophile and I hope they rape him senseless in prison. He deserves nothing less than that for destroying so many young lives. As for the University, they should pay through the nose in civil law suit damages for allowing something like this to go on for so long. I have absolutely no pity for the University and all I really hope is that the people who are in charge now are not doing the same thing to other young kids.
My years in the medical field have taught me a few things. Where there is one pedophile, there are others. 100% guarantee. Dig deeper please.
I would agree.
For those who believe in the public fallacy that convicted pedophiles suffer for their depravity in prison, it’s a myth. If you have acquaintances who work in corrections, or doing time, they will tell that they are simply waiting to get out and molest again. They speak of it openly.
I am a life-long Alabama football fan although I went to school at Georgia Tech. I have been a huge fan of Joe Paterno for many years and always respected the clean program he ran at Penn State. It is just a tragedy that he cannot speak for himself regarding his actions in the Sandusky crimes. Jerry Sandusky has forever tarnished the reputation of a fine university and numerous outstanding people associated with Penn State both in and out of athletics. I met Joe Paterno in Tuscaloosa in 2007 and still consider it one of my most cherished moments. Coach Paterno and his family are all first class people as is everybody I have ever met associated with Penn State University.
Having prefaced my opinion with my deep respect and admiration of Coach Paterno and the Penn State family, if it is PROVEN TRUE – not just opined – that university officials knew of Sandusky’s activities and ‘swept them under the rug’, then everyone involved should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The atrocities and degradation suffered by those young people cannot be forgiven, not by me anyway. Sandusky is just the scummiest of the scum and I’m sure the devil has a room reserved in hell for you. If there are those that knew of his actions and either hid them or lied about them, then you also should go down legally (for many years) and then also share Sandusky’s condo in hell – even if you are from Penn State.
Read the Freeh report. It’s right there in their own emails. They knew.
The report is fairly fact filled and I would say provable. I tend not to opine on trials because I strongly believe that there’s a reason jurors can’t stay home and watch the proceedings on TV. Only those who are there can even hope to judge the testimony – which at a trial is orchestrated by attorneys. You have to also see the attorneys to fully get the picture.
But this report is pretty darned straight forward. I think after seeing it, those who are still awaiting trial might do well to plea bargain, if that’s even on the table.
A decade of free reign?
The least NAMBLA can do is fund a building on campus.
Libertyship46, I agree with you.
I was explaining it to someone today, how can this thing happen, all these adults look the other way. My explanation was that it was a bunch of heartless administrators protecting the cash flow from Penn State football. It is a TON of money. That is just my theory.
So, Penn State is a secular, non-sectarian, tax payer funded state institution for higher learning in the liberal arts? Don’t see any priests here acting out with the choir boys in the showers, or any bishops covering up the activities. Are not these the same sorts of officials that are going to be running those non-sectarian health care efficacy (death) panels? You know, those state officials that get to ration out whether a senior citizen’s quality of life points remaining qualifies for a hip replacement at taxpayer’s expense? Are these not the same sorts of officials that require religious institutions to insure and provide for abortion coverage? I wonder if these liberal arts types are pro-capital punishment?
The thing that Paterno’s defenders can’t get around is what he did after he reported Sandusky to his bosses, assuming that’s the proper response when you see a child molester at work. Never mind that he should have reported the criminal activity to the police, *after* he reported the incident to his superiors, he did nothing more. As far as we know, he never spoke to Sandusky about it personally; he also never asked those same superiors what had been done, if anything. And the excuse that Penn State had rules or regulations that prohibited reporting this sort of incident to the police is silly, in that even if it were so, a regulation that protects lawbreakers, especially pedophiles, is null and void: you still have a responsibility to report the activity, regardless of what your boss says.
Just because Paterno is a “legendary” figure in college football, he’s not absolved of responsibility here. Frankly, in my mind, Bear Bryant and those guys get to be called legendary, because they’ve been dead for decades, and we haven’t found anything out about them, like this, which would make them look less legendary. Paterno just passed, and it turns out he was focused enough on winning to at least decide not to decide when one of his assistant coaches turned out to be a pedophile, presumably because that might have damaged his ability to recruit players. So his priority was his football program, not the kids who were being molested by this child predator who worked for him for years. So much for his much-touted tradition of honor and integrity.
I think your information is rather incorrect. According to some of the internal documents Paterno approached his superiors to check on the status of the investigation against Sandusky. Also Paterno requested that Sandusky would not be allowed to use the Penn State football team lockers when the team did (and eventually Sandusky was not allowed to use them at all. It didnt matter since Sandusky had an office at another campus and could use the facilities there). Joe paterno never witnessed Sandusky’s activities, encouraged the witness to inform the Police (Penn State Campus Police), and talked to the Campus official who was in charge of the Campus Police.
I find it hypocritical that so many try to put all the blame on Paterno when none of his superiors did anything (and actively covered it up), the Pennsylvania State Police who had numerous previous accusations did not do anything, and a group of janitors who supposively witnessed a crime did not report it directly to the Police either. But I guess since Paterno did not command all of those around him (or should that be Him) to grab torches and pitchforks and kill Sandusky it must be Paterno’s fault…
Uh uh. Not buying it. I’m not saying that the others involved were blameless, but no one’s trying to exonerate the University president or the other officials involved. It’s only St. Joe who gets the rationalization treatment where he essentially is allowed to skate, because acknowledging what he did tarnishes his image as a *football coach* for Pete’s sake!
If he did check on the status of things afterwards, what was he told? “Oh, we’ve handled it…” So what? The fact of the matter is that he was told there was a crime, a pretty serious one, and he didn’t report it to the police. Given the man’s prestige and position, he could have (and definitely should have) insisted that the police be informed, and that he be told who was called, when, and the status of the investigation, as far as the school knew. Instead, for 10 years afterwards (!) he essentially did nothing, secure in the knowledge that whatever had happened, it wasn’t his responsibility, and he’d protected his football program at Penn State.
If your son had been molested by Sandusky, would you be content with Paterno’s minimum-action neccessary-to-serve-as-a-figleaf actions? Really? The man was supposed to be about honor and integrity, and this is the best he can muster: “I did only the minimum neccessary, and protected my program.” That’s it?
Some people live in fantasy-land.
“The fact of the matter is that he was told there was a crime, a pretty serious one, and he didn’t report it to the police.”
Paterno was told something, which has changed numerous times by the person who witnessed it (McQueary). Paterno made sure that those who were in charge were informed (even if he was not enthusiatic about it). Sandusky had been let go by Paterno (interestingly right around the incident) and was no longer under the charge of Paterno. Paterno does not have exclusive control of the Penn State property (including the office of Sandusky and other facilities at other campuses). Paterno is in no way directly involved (he did not witness it, nor was he the employer of Sandusky) and yet every article is “Joe Paterno and…”. There are numerous people whos responsibility is much higher than Paterno who did less. State Police and Pennsylvania DA who had numerous previous allegations, the Penn State Campus Police who did not cross reference the report, and the leadership of Penn State who lied about the incident. Why is Paterno pilloried? Because he is “better known”? Is this really about holding people responsible or about tearing down someone because they have become well known.
If my child informed me that he/she was molested (or if I heard a rumor), I (that should be an “I” in bold) would make sure that the allegations were thoroughly investigated, the person who is accused had no further contact with my child or any other child, until the investigation was completed to MY satisfaction. I would not rely on someone else to be the person responsible for the protection of my child, it is MY responsibility, not theirs. Especially if that person is not a directly involved person and has only recieved second hand information. People need to stop looking to others to take care of the problems of the world, when those people are not responsible for such. If you want a possible crime investigated, look to law enforcement it is their responsibility. No matter how revered a person is, it does not make them capable of shifting the world and stopping criminal activity due to their existance.
He was a football coach, as was Bear Bryant. They don’t get to become “legendary” for coaching or playing a game, no matter how good they were at the game. Let’s save legendary for something important.
Paterno was, and still is to a lot of people, practically a God-talk about a “big man on campus” and he could pretty much have his way at Penn State and in Happy Valley. So, the picture of him as just some ordinary, meek, clueless, innocent, embarrassed and flummoxed, old-fashioned guy–just an employee–and merely reporting up his supposed chain of command won’t wash; this was a savvy guy who reportedly knew everything that was going on at Penn State, and with s finger in every pie, a man with a lot of power, a man who could have stopped this on a dime, if he had wanted to.
The key “tell” for me was when, a couple of days after Sandusky’s arrest, Paterno leaned out of his front door and told a reporter that, good Catholic that he was, he and his wife prayed for each member of his family every night and, then, something to the effect that “now, they would start to pray for these poor kids” i.e. until the scandal broke he didn’t give these kids a minute’s thought.
Well JoePa, I’d say it was about ten years and who knows how much sexual abuse too late for those 8 or 10, and probably a whole hell of a lot more “poor kids.”
Bingo.
i hope everyone involved in this case, who didn’t do the right thing, burns in hell…
Joe Paterno included.
As a PSU alumni I really have to wonder about people going out of their way at this point defending Paterno’s reputation. Why do it? All you can say, AT BEST, is that he did the minimum he was required to do and then washed his hands of the problem. He was not the giant of a man that we thought he was. In the end, all he did was win a bunch of football games and when confronted by the great moral dilemma of his life his actions did not live up to what his public reputation demanded of him. I think its past time to come to grips with that.
It’s a well-documented fact that many homosexuals were sexually abused when they were young. But you wouldn’t know that from the incessant “born that way” propaganda spewed by homosexual groups. Since no one has found a gay gene yet, since no one can yet prove that ANYBODY has ever been born homosexual, what kind of “people” divert attention away from the sexual abuse of children to an unproven theory? Sandusky’s kind of “people”?
Obviously, homosexuality is not genetic and cannot be inherited. Sexual reproduction requires male and female, and homosexuality does not lead to reproduction. Individuals develop into homosexuals because of how they have been treated.
I assure you, I have never been molested or mistreated in any way. My upbringing was good, working-class, salt of the earth western Pennsylvania. Everyone around me drank Stroh’s beer, did the kind of work that left you with a sore back and I’m guessing my entire town never ate quiche in their lives. I am sexually and romantically attracted to both men and women, in almost equal proportion, and have been since the onset of puberty. I assure you, I was born this way and no “treatment” from any outside individual or environmental factor caused it.
Several thoughts:
In these horrors, which span decades, there are the silent ones. The powerless kids are one set. The dead are another. JoePa’s decline and death, prevented him from his say about this report. If you live long enough, the aura of people like Louis Freeh wears thin. He made a bucket of money on this work, and shoved his name in the lime light, again. If he has skeletons in his closet, would he be any more open than the Penn State executives?
Lastly, it seems our culture can hide evil, via executive cover up. Every powerful organization has been exposed, but the big shots are rarely sanctioned. In the cases involving harm to kids, the clock should run longer than for adults. And if superiors cover up the crimes of their subordinates, for the good of the organization, I would consider using a bull whip on them during half time of the big game, in full HD. If future executives stain their crotch when they learned of kid abuse in their organization, we would be a better society.
I was wondering about the situation from the point of view of future prevention. So the current idea is that if there is an allegation of sexual abuse, we always believe the accuser and declare the accused guilty? Just because the allegations were true in this case does not mean that every allegation is going to be true – it’s why we have a justice system. If you preemptively declare someone a child molester, you have ruined their life, and unless they actual are just such a scumbag, you are going to be sued for defamation.
Hindsight is 20/20, but real life situations are rarely so straightforward.
The sorry son of bitch should have been taken out back and shot execution style along with the rest of the sorry bastards that tried to cover it up.
Exactly. Child molestation should carry an automatic death sentence, no exceptions.
No human obligations to other humans are greater than to protect the vulnerable young and elderly. Ignoring/minimizing/covering up child abuse is beyond despicable.
I believe the Penn State football program should receive the ‘Death Penalty” for a time equivalent to the length of time of the transgressions.
SMU received the “Death Penalty” for a much less egregious recruiting process.
I can tell you another reason that people are giving Joe Paterno the benefit of the doubt. He was perceived as slipping a lot in recent years, and maybe even earlier. I don’t think he was anything more than a figurehead near the end. A quick look at the Freeh report gives the same impression, as if Paterno were someone the others used to talk to while they ran the program.
If people are defending him because he won football games, or because he seemed likable, that’s wrong. I don’t think that’s the whole reason that people are reluctant to accuse him, though.
It is a curious contrast. Muslims going on jihad reportedly have few qualms about sodomizing the suicide bomber to better fit the explosives up the rectum or stash the explosives on children and babies to better get it aboard a plane to blow it up. I don’t know what is more venal, barbarians destroying children for Allah or civilized, educated college administrators destroying children for football. Maybe they needed that money to meet Title Nine funding requirements for gender equality in sports?
Does the NCAA have the cojones to step up? I doubt it with the big money involved. PSU’s “death penalty” is already long overdue – should have already been applied, so all the jocks could leave and find employment at one of the other football factories.
BTW, almost all universities tell students and faculty to report crimes to the U. security forces and let them deal with it – “Keep it in the University, so we don’t harm our perfect image.” Hypocrites of the highest order.
Well all those JoePa defenders, who have argued that Paterno was just a tired old man, who we should all just let rest in peace, are gonna have a lot of “splainin to do” about the news, out today in the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/14/sports/ncaafootball/joe-paterno-got-richer-contract-amid-jerry-sandusky-inquiry.html?emc=na) that, as the Sundusky scandal was about to break, Paterno aggressively pushed for a final year payment package that upped his salary, included use of the university’s private jet, use of the head coach’s private box at Beaver Stadium, next to the President’s box, for the Paterno family for the next 25 years, and even his wife’s use of the team’s hydrotherapy facilities–bumping up his final year’s salary from $3 million to $5 million–and the Board of Trustees, in the midst of dealing with the fallout from the Sandusky case, caved in, especially in the face of threat of lawsuits by Paterno’s family if they tried to cancel the contract.
Time to take a good hard look at the rollin’ in dough, overly permissive “Spanier Years,” and to see just what Spanier and his compliant, laissez faire, “Paterno and Football forever” Board of Trustee have wrought.