Sexual abuse charges Rock Penn State University (Page 5)

Paterno is the celebrity.  He will receive the most attention.  That may be frustrating, but it's just the reality.

I do agree that it's terrible that this will most likely be JoePa's most lasting legacy, despite the overwhelming good he did for many young men....but the sad reality is that it will.

Don't believe it?  Ask Woody Hayes.

This is what needs to occur if PSU has any desire to begin the 'healing' process for the institution. 

As Left Brain stated, this will be a major part of the Paterno legacy at PSU.  It's sad but true.  The man has been a part of the university for more than 36% of its existance but he will be remembered for this more than that.

Is anyone who follows Penn State aware of the circumstances that Sandusky left under back in 1999? All I see currently is that he was in line to succeed Paterno for the head coaching position. Did he just get tired of waiting, was there a falling out? 

Wondering if when this all is on the table that it turns out he was forced to leave because the University knew about the 1998 investigation. I certainly hope that isn't the case, leads to some pretty bad implications if it was well kept secret for over a decade.

Joe may have followed protocol for reporting such an incident...but this goes well beyond "chain of comand" in the sense of reporting this despicable situation. Joe failed on a moral level and that is what compounded the situation leaving the door open for more boys to be put in harms way.

If these boys were on the grid iron and malicously put in harms way, the coach would have stepped in to protect them..so on the field or off the field...he failed these boys and thus if his legacy falls victim to his failure to protect...then so be it. That should be the least of the concern .... as Fred D mentioned....everything else pales in comparison.

I read the entire GJ report and I have to say I am with Scout on this one. I am surprised at the amount of judgement and condemnation going Paterno's way in this thread from a bunch of people who are in no way acquainted with what truly happened.

The GA is the most suspicious person beside Sandusky to me. If he truly saw what he says he saw, he did nothing but slam the door and run away. Then he goes home and calls his dad. Then he tells Joe the next day. I'm sorry but someone with the lack of moral fiber it takes to witness a rape and run the other way and ask daddy what to do about it is someone I find incredibly suspicious. Who is to know what he actually told Paterno? There is no way we can know. Sure he can recall great detail and share his story with strong conviction now that the GJ is asking, but at the time he couldn't even dial 911 without asking for advice?!?! He obviously lacks character and moral conviction and his say so is what everyone is using to crucify Paterno.

We don't know if the GA told Paterno he saw rape or if he told Paterno he saw a good game butt slap in the shower. Keep in mind there was a policy investigation in 98 regarding similar circumstances and there was found to be no criminal activity by the authorities you all place so much trust in. 

I don't think Paterno should go down in flames given such limited and imperfect information. I don't think he should be crucified on the GA's say so when he is obviously a person who lacks moral fiber and conviction. 

I just don't get the "chain of command" stuff I see here and have heard on the radio about this (or anything like it---protect the accused?!?!  WTF??)

Something I deal with frequently---So you go to the store and the clerk keeps your credit card when you leave and then proceeds to use it.  The store decides to "handle it."  UMMMM hello the store is NOT the victim!!  YOU are the victim---it's your card with your name---NOT the store's so even though it is their employee you should be contacted and YOU can decide what to do.  So instead of running this up the chain of the university how about contact the parent responsible for the VICTIM and let them decide what to do---and I'm sorry but protect the accused (sorry that was posted on page 1 or 2 about a school policy...........that SHOULD be criminal!).

And it doesn't matter that JoePa has been there longer then dinosaurs---if this was a NCAA violation the whole staff would have been burned at the stake last week...but this type of allegation and there are people (including here) defending JoePa as the second coming of Christ?!?!

Can anyone explain/reconcile the following facts?

a) Paterno knew of the allegations made against Sandusky by the GA.

b) Paterno maintained a relationship with the GA...he is now an assistant coach.

c) Paterno maintained a relationship with Sandusky .... "There were multiple incidents that were reported to have occurred including the 2002 one on the PSU campus!!
Yet they allowed him to be there until 2011, they allowed him to have young boys there apparently until 2007 and PSU allowed Sandusky to run OVERNIGHT football camps in Erie and another satellite campus up until 2009 despite all of this information."

How could Paterno have a relationship with both of these men when one had to be lying about child molestation? 

I've seen all the JoePa rallies on ESPN, etc.  I wonder if these kids even understand what they're cheering for.

And that's why I used religion---blind faith/worship of something/someone without thought or reason (by some)

And as usual Fred summed it up properly---children are the victims PERIOD.  can't feel sorry for others.......

Perpetrators of sexual abuse on children often depend on good people mentally justifying inaction as "following the rules".  It may not be illegal, but right and legal are not always the same.  Time and testimony will tell where along the line Paterno and the others fall.  

As the parent of teenaged boys who have done camps at Penn State, I'm really questioning whether I want them going to a place where I can't be confident that the administration, at the highest levels, places a priority on the safety and well being of children.    Reading about these allegations just makes me sick.

Board of trustees have just fired JoePa.  It is what it is. It's the right move.  More heads will roll, as they should. 

As FredD and others have rightfully stated, the only victims here are the children.

Get over it.

I am sure there are plenty of them that see this as an opportunity to get on tv, blow off classes, put back some adult kool aid and enjoy the moment

JoPa and Spanier out. Absolutely the best decision ever. It shows that the fabric of PSU is intact, and that they're not scared of offending the sensibilities of the fans or employees for sake of doing what's right.

Day late and a dollar short, but bravo.

Nice!  That should be the end of the discussion.

Exactly!  Glad to see that you understand.

But I'll stand by my opinion that given the information presented, and when it was presented, the board did exactly what they needed to. There is some moral backbone at the top level of the institution. I was just acknowledging that.

PBS Newshour discussed the legal obligations an adult would have when there is suspicion of illegal activity. The trial lawyer (specializing in child sexual abuse) on the program said that adults have the legal obligation to report any suspicion to those trained to investigate - child protection and/or law enforcement. Doesn't matter whether you witness it or it was reported to you. Failure to report to child protection services or law enforcement is a failure of one's legal obligation.

Below are the facts as I understand them based on a reading of the GJ report.

• Sandusky raped a number of boys as young as ten years old over a period of years on Penn State grounds, in Penn State facilities.
• People in authority at Penn State either had direct knowledge of this or were given reports of it by at least one source they considered very credible.
• Mike McQueary, that source who witnessed a child being sodomized in the locker room did nothing to stop it, but simply went home and told his father. The next day he told his boss,  Joe Paterno. Paterno directed him to the AD and the head of campus police.
• Not one of them notified the boy's parents or the police. Their response was to bar Sandusky from bringing children onto campus.  Nothing more.
• Over the following years they continuously promoted Mike McQueary into more important jobs. Sandusky also continued to rape children.

These men (and I use the term very loosely) knew that children as young as ten years old were being raped and they did nothing to stop it. They turned a blind eye.  The fact that one of them coached football really well for a very long time is completely irrelevant. The fact that he was good with his athletes is irrelevant.  He did the absolute minimum he needed to do to cover himself. Children were being raped. Each of these men knew this. And they did nothing.

To not act to prevent any further attacks, to not even call the police under those circumstances takes a conscious decision.  Barring the child rapist from bringing kids onto their campus was done for their protection, it certainly wasn't done to protect any child.

To have knowledge of children being raped, or at least have reasonable suspicion of it, and not to act decisively to end it is a complete and total moral failure.

Each of these men are utterly despicable.

For all the detractors......I'm sorry, but you can't get away from that.  I suppose you can hang your hat on "we really don't know what they knew".....but then you're left to explain why they felt the need to ban him from campus.  Uh......don't try, you'll look stupid.

For you PSU alums who have expressed shame.....keep your chins up, your leaders are handling this well. 

And just this morning all I heard was that JoePa was going to retire at the end of this season.  I haven't checked out the news anywhere and just saw this.  This happened quickly.

And now they are rioting at Penn State? (espn said this )  What a bunch of maroons.....

I'm just so thankful that none of his 17 grandchildren got raped....