Incredible ugliness at Penn State

[Razor Shines]

Have you ever lived in a college town? Let alone, a college town as big as Penn State?

I don't care. If a ten year old boy being raped isn't worth risking one's career or reputation over then that person is a POS.

I'm disgusted by all the people involved in the cover up. I can't believe we're wondering if Paterno will retire. He shouldn't be given the option to retire. Let's take everything we know about what rape does to a child's psyche and everything these boys have had to live with and compare that to whether or not the grown men who covered it up should be allowed to decide if they want to keep their jobs.

[Caveat Emperor]

With all of the allegations, I also find it EXTREMELY hard to believe that Paterno and the Penn State athletic department didn't have some suspicion about Sandusky's proclivities regarding young children.

Dude was a serial pedophile -- when someone caught him in the act, the fact that nobody did any mental calculus and realized "Oh yeah, this guy's been hanging out with boys for a long time and lets them sleep at his house, etc." is shocking and appalling.

And, let's not lose sight of this fact -- there was absolutely no attempt to even ascertain the identity of the young boy who was raped. No officer was contacted to get his statement, no report was filed, no one ever bothered to see if he was OK or what his status was. This was swept quietly under the rug.

Sickening, all around.

[cincrazy]

I find it humorous that Paterno was "shocked" by this news, and that they were all "fooled." Really? You barred this man from bringing children to the football facility, yet you say you didn't know the details of what happened in that shower? Just unbelievably mind-numbing. It almost makes me physically ill. I have a 10 year old little brother. If anyone ever put their hands on that child, I'd be spending the rest of my life behind bars.

[dougdirt]

I find it humorous that Paterno was "shocked" by this news, and that they were all "fooled." Really? You barred this man from bringing children to the football facility, yet you say you didn't know the details of what happened in that shower? Just unbelievably mind-numbing. It almost makes me physically ill. I have a 10 year old little brother. If anyone ever put their hands on that child, I'd be spending the rest of my life behind bars.

I think a good lawyer could get you less than life with a temporary insanity plea.

But I agree with your line of thought here. It is an absolute joke that we are supposed to believe they were fooled.

[Redsfaithful]

Not only does Paterno need to go, so does the coach who first reported the incident.

'I told my boss' is no defense for not calling the police when you see a child being raped.

Exactly, he seems to be flying under the radar here for reasons I don't understand. In his situation I'm pretty sure I would have done my best to put Sandusky in the hospital. To not even call the police is stunning. That so many people all the way up the chain of command didn't call police is really hard to believe.

There must have been a culture at Penn State to not report things, which is why I think this Deadspin piece is dead on:

http://deadspin.com/5857094/jerry-sa...-at-penn-state

[15fan]

Not only does Paterno need to go, so does the coach who first reported the incident.

'I told my boss' is no defense for not calling the police when you see a child being raped.

There's only one way to respond as a grown man if you walk into a room and see another grown man violating a child.

You immediately rip the guy off the kid, slam him head first into the wall, and don't stop beating him until he has stopped breathing.

[KronoRed]

No doubt he should have tried to stop it right then and there.

Interesting that the guy went from Graduate Assistant to full time spot on the coaching staff the next year.

[TeamSelig]

This whole situation is disgusting.

That graduate assistant just ran away? Now I've never been put in this situation, but if I walk in on a boy being raped, running away is not what I would be doing. It doesn't matter who was doing the raping, I don't care if it was the President of the United States.

Then PSU just allows this pedophile to continue on as if nothing had happened? Disgusting.

[TeamSelig]

There's only one way to respond as a grown man if you walk into a room and see another grown man violating a child.

You immediately rip the guy off the kid, slam him head first into the wall, and don't stop beating him until he has stopped breathing.

+1

I am glad I'm not the only one who feels this way.

[TeamSelig]

Just to add more to this.... if the boy in this story was my son... and I found out someone had raped my son and someone had knowledge of this and didn't contact me or the authorities, I would either own that school or I would go on some crazy rampage.

[bucksfan2]

I haven't read in depth on this whole situation. But from listening to the radio I get the feeling that Paterno reported the allegation to his AD. From that point the allegation would have needed to be reported to the authorities because the AD and VP (?) are being charged with lying to a grand jury. So in essence didn't this allegation proceed the right way but stalled at the grand jury because of perjury?

[MWM]

Maybe from a strictly legal point of view. If his goal was to do just enough to stay out of legal trouble, then yes, the it was handled correctly. But from a doing the right thing perspective, I don't see any good explanation for nothing more happening than what happened. Like someone else mentioned, someone should have been pounding the pulpit and not standing for it and making sure it's stopped and dealt with. That clearly didn't happen. The fact that they didn't allow him to bring kids to the facilities tells you they knew something was up. I don't see how this has any ending but an ugly for JoePa. Just goes to show how easily a reputation built up over decades can come crashing down.

[Roy Tucker]

Maybe from a strictly legal point of view. If his goal was to do just enough to stay out of legal trouble, then yes, the it was handled correctly. But from a doing the right thing perspective, I don't see any good explanation for nothing more happening than what happened. Like someone else mentioned, someone should have been pounding the pulpit and not standing for it and making sure it's stopped and dealt with. That clearly didn't happen. The fact that they didn't allow him to bring kids to the facilities tells you they knew something was up. I don't see how this has any ending but an ugly for JoePa. Just goes to show how easily a reputation built up over decades can come crashing down.

I agree. Particularly when its occurring under the umbrella of your football program. Legally, yeah, Paterno did what he was supposed to do. But if your moral compass points in the right direction, you take this to the mat and make sure the right thing gets done. Even if its nailing a long-time coach of yours to the cross.

One other thing I'll mention. Paterno is from the "Greatest Generation". I looked up his birthdate and he is only 2 years younger than my dad (who died in 1994). Not that we ever had lengthy conversations about it, but I know that the topic of homosexuality with my dad was just something that was implicitly wrong and wasn't talked about. And when it was, it was with words like queers and ***s and all that and there was embarassment and shame associated with it. I have to think there is some of that still with Paterno.

[KoryMac5]

As a Penn State fan I can honestly say it is time to clean house, from the President all the way down. This inaction that went on since 1994 is unacceptable and has tainted a very well run program, and a school that means so much to native Pennsylvanians. It's time for Joe to step aside.

[Hoosier Red]

Not defending Paterno in any way, but rather understanding how he could have rationalized inaction.

You have to figure Jerry Sandusky is/was one of his closest friends. Can you imagine being told that your best friend is a monster? It's very easy to say that he should have done a number of things and undoubtedly he should have investigated further, tried to find out more, followed up. But try to imagine for a moment being told what by the Grad Asst. what he was told about your best friend. Could you possibly believe it? I mean fully believe it. Would you have the cajones to confront your "friend." To find out the whole thing was true?

He undoubtedly chose the easiest path out, and he deserves all the criticism that one can muster. But I have no doubt that he was in fact shocked when the full scope of the allegations were revealed. He's probably been in denial about it long before the grad assistant told him what he saw.