APJoe Posnanski‘s biography on longtime Penn State coach Joe Paterno, titled “Paterno”, will be available in book stores Tuesday, Aug. 21.
Posnanski, a former senior writer for Sports Illustrated, was asked by Paterno last summer to spend the 2011 season writing the book. Then, the Jerry Sandusky scandal happened, and everything changed. Paterno later died in January after a battle with lung cancer.
The current issue of GQ has the a few excerpts from the book — the full preview will be posted on the publication’s website Monday — which you can read below.
Here they are without further comment, courtesy of GQ.com:
Paterno’s son, Scott, reads the grand jury case against Sandusky for the first time:
Scott Paterno was the first in the family to understand that the Pennsylvania grand jury presentment that indicted Jerry Sandusky could end his father’s career. This wasn’t surprising; Scott tended to be the most realistic—or cynical, depending on who you asked—in the family. He had run for Congress and lost and along the way tasted the allure and nastiness of public life. He had worked as a lawyer and as a lobbyist. He would sometimes tell people, “Hey, don’t kid yourself, I’m the asshole of the family.” When Scott read the presentment, he called his father and said, “Dad, you have to face the possibility that you will never coach another game.”
As the Sandusky scandal explodes, the Paterno family hires a high-powered PR specialist, Dan McGinn, to help navigate the storm:
This is when McGinn learned just how far Paterno’s influence and reputation had fallen. He asked [family adviser Guido] D’Elia for the name of one person on the Penn State board of trustees, just one, whom they could reach out to, to negotiate a gracious ending. D’Elia shook his head.
“One person on the board, that’s all we need,” McGinn said.
D’Elia shook his head again. “It began in 2004,” he whispered, referring to an old clash Paterno had with [university president Graham] Spanier. “The board started to turn. We don’t have anybody on the board now.”
That’s when McGinn realized that this was going to be the worst day of Joe Paterno’s professional life.
At Paterno’s house the day after he is fired via late-night telephone call from the Penn State board of trustees:
On Thursday, Paterno met with his coaches at his house. He sobbed uncontrollably. This was his bad day. Later, one of his former captains, Brandon Short, stopped by the house. When Brandon asked, “How are you doing, Coach?” Paterno answered, “I’m okay,” but the last syllable was shaky, muffled by crying, and then he broke down and said, “I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself.” Nobody knew how to handle such emotion. Joe had always seemed invulnerable. On Thursday, though, he cried continually.
“My name,” he told Jay, “I have spent my whole life trying to make that name mean something. And now it’s gone.”
(Hat tip: Jimmy Traina, SI.com)
A family advisor with the name “Guido”. You have to be kidding. Did the guy moonlight as the producer of Jersey shore?
Anymore typing about Joe is a waste of time.
Get out the popcorn!
Everything about this scandal is incredibly sad.
Last paragraph… all about JoePa, could care less about anyone else.
moagecu says:
Aug 15, 2012 10:46 AM
Last paragraph… all about JoePa, could care less about anyone else.
+-+-+
And that is the tragedy of it all.
Old Wm. Shakespeare could have written a wonderful tragedy about the whole thing.
CORRUPTIO OPTIMI EST PESSIMA
(Corruption of the best is the worst).
Paterno was agood football coach at one time. he was also a selfish, self-centered, narcissist and egomaniac
Perversely, I’m gratified that he experienced, albeit for a very short time, the consequences of his inaction.
40 years and no one from the board on your side, has to tell you something, about the way you operate.
dmvtransplant says:
40 years and no one from the board on your side, has to tell you something, about the way you operate.
—-
Or it could tell you how the board operated and the power they wanted.
The board wanted him out in 2004 and he didn’t go. He came back and led Penn State to a Big Ten Championship and Orange Bowl win the following year. The board harbored resentment that they were made to look like the fools they were.
Paterno “sobbed uncontrollably” for himself, not for the horrible crimes committed under his watch with all those little boys. The illusion of Paterno as a “great man”, a “leader of men”, a “man of honor” has been shattered by the reality. Paterno was nothing more than a egomaniacal, overpaid, overhyped football coach. A man whose priorities were so out of whack that he allowed a serial pedophile to abuse mulitple boys right under his big nose. The Paterno name has been tossed onto the dungheap with all those other self serving, lying, creeps who perpetrate crimes against humanity. The creepy offspring of Paterno should shut up and crawl back under the floorboards like the cockroaches they are.
Are we now supposed to feel sorry for Joe? Sorry, JoePa, you had your chance to fix this and you closed your eyes. Again, no mention of the kids!! It’s all about Joe.
I agree (I think) with both psublueandwhite and dmvtransplant. PSU BoT’s failure is very similar to other circumstances where difficult ‘talent’ is tolerated to support the bottom line. I was stunned when Charlie Sheen was fired from the number 1 comedy program on television – that type of stuff just doesn’t happen anymore. PSU (and others) should learn this lesson.
His name would have meant everything if he had done what any decent person would have done if they had the knowledge or even mere suspicion that a child (or children) were being abused. He chose to bury it all, turn the other cheek, pretend it wasn’t possibly happening, etc. Because of a football game. THAT was more important – that and his legacy. He got what he deserved – fired and shamed. It pales in comparison to what many young boys felt and still feel from something that could have been stopped years sooner than it was.
Your name means nothing now because 14 years ago, when it counted most, you failed as human being, and you failed miserably!!!
So he had zero support from the Board, and President, yet “controlled” the University? Hmmmm
Joe Paterno made a terrible, horrible mistake by not immediately reporting Sandusky’s deviant behavior. He has paid the price and his reputation IS ruined; he probably died a lot sooner because of it. If I ever caught somebody molesting a child I would beat the living shit out of him and anyone else who tried to cover up the perversion, but come on: let the guy rest in peace. He’s gone, and nothing’s gonna bring him back.
Sad.
In the end, the excerpts read like Joe was a quitter. He quit trying to bring Sandusky to account for his crimes. He quit on all of those innocent boys, who were victimized by Sandusky. His strong voice could have saved many or most of them. He quit on his own legacy. And in the end he appeared to quit on his own family, by leaving them to suffer alone in the aftermath of this horror.
His state of mind in that excerpt sounded suicidal to me. Eerily like he may have used the lung cancer and Chemo to check out of everything.
Just sad. Especially for the victims and innocent players on that footballl team today. Who continue to suffer because of him.
Is the rock the only one who doesn’t care to continue to bash Joe . I’m just saying why aren’t we prosecuting the parents of some of these kids. Joe Pa is dead take up the problem with those still living . Starting wit Sandusky he should be castrated for starters . Secondly I think Psu football should be shut down for two years this taking of scholarships only will keep bringing it up every time they lose a close one. Or every time they have a injury. Sorry if I’m not grieving for kids that just spoke up now. You have to talk to your kids about these things constantly so they are aware I ask my daughter questions Anytime she has a sleep over etc and we go over a plan when at amusement parks concerts etc . What about the parent who discovered her child showering and just made him promise not to do it again are you kidding she’s just as guilty
dutchman1350 says:Aug 15, 2012 12:24 PM
So he had zero support from the Board, and President, yet “controlled” the University? Hmmmm
So are you trying to say that Paterno is clean in this because he didn’t have the control everyone thought he did?
The only way that anybody buys that nonsense would be if you can show where Paterno tried to report this and was shot down.
Forget the Freeh report, read the grand jury testimony given under oath, and the interview he gave the week(s) before he passed. The coverup on his part went right up to the end.
Therockthinks- either you think you’re funny or cool with that ‘the rock’ this and that. Shut up you cheesy prick. Your mother is disappointed in you.
Ningenito78 all the rock knows is his mother would of pressed charges on sanduskys candy ass if he would of tried touching young rock. Secondly thanks for letting us know what you think , wait ,….. It doesn’t matttttter what you think Jabroni
I guess we are back to reading comprehension again – read the Grand Jury presentment – Paterno was not indicted – AG said he followed the law at the time of the incident. The Freeh report acknowledged that Paterno followed the law – Freeh then makes a lot of assumptions about what Paterno did after following the law. So the BoT didn’t support him – shock of shocks read the Freeh report where he asked that Sandusky not be allowed on campus with kids and that was turned down. The Freeh report in many ways reads like revenge from the BoT because Paterno did not do what they wanted – it might have been 2004, or it could have been not recruiting certain types of kids – all the BoT wants is a powerhouse football program to make money with, and who knows what else – now they will not have that nor can they trot Paterno’s legacy out to raise money.
Not that Paterno was innocent – he could have done more than follow the law, I don’t know what though. I think as time goes on we will see that Paterno though important was not the real culprit – I think members of the BoT are far more complicit in the cover up than they will admit. I think T. Corbett is far more complicit in the cover up than we think. Paterno was the tip of the ice berg – easy to hit and find.
This is merely an advert for the book. I wouldn’t touch that piece of shit if you paid me.
It would be great if everybody on the “Crush Paterno Band Wagon” could find a new hobby. He was not the real culprit here. If you would take the time to see the flaws in the Freeh report you would realize both Freeh and the BofT should be under investigation for creating a case based on so many assumptions and so much speculation. If this is the way our justice system was meant to work we are all in trouble. Paterno was not the perp here Sandusky was and what about the 27 year old grad student who witnessed the shower scene then talked to his dad and slept on it instead of immediately going to the police, why is he not being indicted. The reason Paterno became the main focal point in this investigation was the appease the blood thirsty public who just wanted to see him go down in flames. This whole scandal is disturbing at so many levels but to not allow a proper investigation to take place before doling out the blame is pathetic.
drarb says:Aug 15, 2012 1:16 PM
Not that Paterno was innocent – he could have done more than follow the law
And that is the crux of the problem that most people seem to have. There are many hands in this cookie jar, and it goes way deeper than the names being mentioned. Paterno being the highest profile gets the majority of bad pub because of it. Then again, no one mentioned thus farin this had the nickname “St. Joe”.
I mention the Grand Jury testimony not to bring up charges, but as a reference to the differing stories that Paterno himself told. In the testimony, he explicitly states that he new the 2001 incident was sexual in nature, where he previously denied that. He also perjured himself by testifying that he knew of no other incident like this involving Sandusky, when it is documented that he did. They all covered this up, Paterno included.
When you are the self proclaimed moral compass for an entire university, the entire football program, and D1 sports in general, the basic legal minimum is not even close to satisfactory. He put himself in front of the welfare of children. The excerpts above, and his own statement of “I should have done more”, are recognition of that.
By the time this is over, Paterno will be the least of the concerns here. The only person/entity that had more power on that campus, is the booster/alumni money. In my mind, that is the only group that would have had the power to stifle Paterno.
I don’t sit here thinking that Paterno is the devil. I think that he was presented with a ridiculous situation, and the end of a long storied career, and compromised his morals due to extreme pressure from the only group that could apply that kind of pressure. In actuality, it wasn’t Paterno that ran Happy Valley, it was/is the money. That same money has the ability to influence an investigation.
davereckon says: Aug 15, 2012 12:41 PM
So are you trying to say that Paterno is clean in this because he didn’t have the control everyone thought he did?
The only way that anybody buys that nonsense would be if you can show where Paterno tried to report this and was shot down.
Forget the Freeh report, read the grand jury testimony given under oath, and the interview he gave the week(s) before he passed. The coverup on his part went right up to the end.
________________________
Paterno is not clean, which he self admitted. Paterno DID report the 2002 incident to the AD, and VP (over seeing campus police).
I read the Grand Jury testimony (multiple times), and it had many false accusations. Like McQuery witnessing a rape in the shower. All I am saying is Paterno was made the scape goat to protect many others, like the Gov, who was the State DA, and held evidence for 2 years, while he granted $MILLIONS$ to the 2nd mile foundation. Paterno was blamed for 1998 incident that was investigated by police, with Sandusky admitting guilt on audio, and charges were never filed against Sandusky, yet Paterno vacates those wins?
While there are emails insinuating that Paterno discussed “something” with AD, the facts of that conversation have not been release. Until they are, people should not cast aspersions on Paterno, however that is long gone.
The Freeh report said Paterno had too much power, yet this article states, he had zero support from school officials.
Give me a break! His name was ruined! The creep should have been crying for all the lives he ruined by not being a responsible human being. Paterno is no better than Sandusky. There is a special place in hell for pedophiles and those that harbor them.
Poor guy (eye roll)
Every single day the Paterno drones and worshipers grow more and more delusional and irrational. They are starting to make the birthers look sane – and that is not an easy task. Seriously, I get it! The person that you held higher than life itself turned out to be a complete POS outside the stadium field. It is hard to digest at this point.
Having said that, please stop trying to defend him with your pseudo law degree and junior detective badge on forums outside of the Black Shoe Diaries and any other PSU blogs. Nobody outside PSU cares anymore! Yes, we’ve all read the Freeh report and the Grand Jury testimony over and over and over again and without the PSU blinders on – we see him for what he was! A good football coach who turned his back and remained silent when it counted!
@ psublueandwhite
Seriously dude that’s what you take away from the 2005 PSU team, Joe proving he still had it? Here’s the real truth of the 2005 season it DOOMED Penn State forever, because after that season. He was given unchecked power, which was the original problem to begin with. At public universities employees actually have to answer to somebody, unless tax dollars were never used.
And it’s not like his coaching talent was really that great over the next 5 yrs:
1. Losing record against ranked teams
2. No undefeated seasons
3. Only 1 wins against Ohio State
4. Couldn’t beat Iowa when it counted
5. Couldn’t fire his son, despite the obvious lack of talent developing a QB
6. Getting destroyed by USC in the Rose Bowl
7. Having more resources than “almost” every other college and still not bringing in a 10 recruiting class
Because of Joe staying PSU missed out on the following guys in the coaching world: Urban Meyer, Chip Kelly, Mike Leach, Les Miles, Nick Saban, Brian Kelly and of course Tom Bradley who will never coach again for the rest of his life(unless the Steelers hook him up which I doubt).
Everything about this entire situation is Horrible in every since of the word. No way to make light of anything. But the worse thing about it all was and is “Some of the parents KNEW” and never reported it either. It is deeper than we all know! Sad situation!
Absolutely NO winners in this tragedy.
Joe should have known that his legacy would take a hit if Sandusky was caught. At the very least he could have gotten Sandusky barred from the campus so he could no longer do his deeds on Penn State campus. He banned some boosters and agents from the campus, no reason he couldn’t get Sandusky removed even if DA never brought any charges against Sandusky.
I’m getting real sick of hearing about Joe worm food & from his family. They all just need to go away.
@drarb – Please tell me where in the Freeh Report I can find the passage you state…
” -shock of shocks read the Freeh report where he asked that Sandusky not be allowed on campus with kids and that was turned down.”
The way I read it was that Sandusky was told he could no longer bring “his guests” on campus….but this was never enforced.
what i love are the people who get up on their soap box and leave a comment along the lines of “no mention of the kids …. ?”
this is a biography so i will guess it will clock in at about 300 pages give or take and these are three, that is 3 for those who lack in the reading comprehension department, three excerpts from a biography that NO ONE here has read in its entirety yet due to their long standing hatred (or maybe jealousy) of Penn State they still post “no mention of the kids …. ?”
how about reading the entire biography before commenting of what is stated in it and what is not?
drarb writes that Paterno “could have done more than follow the law, I don’t know what though.”
Leave me help you solve that personal puzzle for you drarb -
In 2001, Paterno could have reported what he was told by his assistant to the state police. He could have also reported it to the Department of Welfare. He could have done both actually. He could have told his assistant to do one or both of those things as well. He could have even went with him to do so.
When Curley and Schultz decided that PSU should consider reporting the 2001 shower sex assault to Second Mile and the Department of Welfare (as was evidenced by their email chain), Paterno could have avoided dissuading them from doing so. He also could have reacted with revulsion at the notion that all his child rapist colleague needed was a “talking to” or a suggestion that he get some counseling. Instead, he remained silent and thus complicit in the ongoing rape of children.
In 2002, when Paterno saw the child rapist on campus with young boys, he could have went to the Spanier, Schultz or the BOT to demand an accounting of what happened with the investigation of the eyewitnessed 2001 sexual assault of a young boy. He could have also reported his child rapist colleague to the state police or the Dept. of Welfare (after all, the child rapist was parading around with new potential victims). He could have also contacted Second Mile (the source of those child victims) to advise them of the potential risk posed to those children – or at least express some concern in that regard. Instead, he remained silent and thus complicit in the ongoing rape of children by his child rapist colleague.
He could have done any of things I identified in the previous paragraph in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 or 2010. After all, the child rapist continued to have access to campus facilities, including the showers, and he continued to have access to young male child victims through Second Mile. That is YEARS of declined opportunities to do the right thing, while other child victims were placed at risk and, yes, raped. Instead he remained silent and thus complicit in the ongoing rape of children. That is, of course, unless one comes to believe that Paterno was more than just silent, but an actual participant in, or leader of, a cover-up of child rape for YEARS.
When Paterno testified under oath before the Grand Jury, he could have avoided committing perjury (lying about not knowing about the 1998 allegations against his child rapist colleague). He also could have avoided being intentionally obtuse about the 2001 eyewitness report conveyed to him by his assistant.
Above all, drarb, at any time from 2001 on, Paterno could have actually behaved like the man he held himself out to be – a man of integrity, truth, honor and righteous purpose, instead of a criminally selfish, myopic, morally bankrupt old crapbag who for YEARS consciously disregarded the welfare of children in favor of a football program, his own image and his win totals.
I hope that helps you out with your dilemma, drarb. I was just surprised reading that part of your post, because I didn’t realize that ANYONE believed anymore that Paterno couldn’t have done more.
@newlydead –
I am one of those soap boxers that mentions the lack of focus on the kids. Why? Because it’s true. We have no evidence, none, that JoePa EVER made any mention of the victims during this entire 14 year ordeal. He was crying uncontrollably after he was fired because he realized his name was now S_H_I_T! Where is the evidence that he was EVER upset at what befell the victims? He was more upset after PSU lost to Toledo.
A better story would be:
The young men that were abused, under sleezy Joes reign….cried uncontrollably, when their man-hood was taken !!!
Dude was nothing more than a criminal and should be in jail with his buddy, if he didn’t conveniently die !!!
Who cares about what he should have done. He was a heck of a football coach.
jcarne9014 – in response to your question p. 51 the footnote at the bottom of the page.
blastfurnaceknows – the problem is we are using 2012 laws and the famous 20/20 hindsight. THe laws in PA regarding the reporting of suspected child abuse (suspected is in the law) were for those who suspected to go to their superiors. To do more could in 2001 have caused an entirely different set of problems. It is easy to be in judgment of Paterno – I have had the responsibility of reporting child abuse- I followed the laws in our state and when the police came to take my official statement I was told I could do no more. The problem is the presumed innocence of the accused.
And I will end what should he have done – be specific please with actions he could legally take.
F all the haters, Ill buy the book!
drarb –
All of the actions listed by blastfurnaceknows would have been legal in 1998 through 2011. There was not some drastic change in child rape laws in the past decade. There has *never* been a law preventing someone from reporting illegal activities with a minor to the police. Whether the police would have acted on it or not is another story, and irrelevent to the actions of Joe Paterno.
I have worked in environments with children in the past, in fact specifically in the 90′s. I have had to report fellow staff members and other members of the public for inappropriate behaviour with children during that time. Any time there is suspected illegal conduct it is immediatly a matter for the police, not the organization. That has NEVER been in doubt in any organization with any sort of integrity.
It is true the police may not find the evidence compelling enough to act, and often times that has been the case. The organization I worked with had its own ethical code it could use as grounds for dismissal if authorities could not act. But at the least there is always a report made, because that is the right and legal thing to do.
Also, there has never been a law on the books in PA that told someone who suspected child rape that their reporting chain was a private organization’s authority, rather than legal authorities. Period. That claim is essentially the same as saying that there is no legal protection of children in PA, which is a lie. If you suspect a child is being raped, you call the police, and that has been the case longer than you or I have been alive.
Benevolent dictators usually cry and ask for forgiveness when taken down.
Absolutely power corrupts absolutely. So this is not at all surprising.
At least in the end he found the one person he could feel sympathy for… himself.
Reflex
Schultz was the head of the PSU Police Force – they were the body with jurisdiction, as the AG explained – Schultz not following through is not Paterno’s fault. The “problem” is in 1998 they was not enough evidence to proceed. In 2001 an investigation was not done – I agree I am not excusing the lack of investigation, nor am I excusing Paterno – legally his hands were tied. McQueery is the one who should have called the police as he had the first-hand knowledge, Paterno calling the police would have been hearsay and not really useful. I personally think he, PAterno, should have gone to the PA Attorney General’s Office or the DPW, and not Schultz, but he did what the law required.
I also believe that the Freeh report was written to divert investigation of how Sandusky became an emeritus when it had never happened before, why he got the “perks” he got – who had a hand in that? An examination of the inter-relationshipsbetween second mile, PSU BoT and the governor’s office will be most illuminating and move Paterno to the back burner.
danny – don’t let anyone ever tell you that you are not a hero among men for your principled stance on book purchases. [Sarcasm intended]
Paterno: “My name,” he told Jay, “I have spent my whole life trying to make that name mean something. And now it’s gone.”
Always about him and only him.
Crying uncontrollably? What do you think those kids were doing when Sandusky was raping them, Joe?
I’m sure quite a few of those boys were sobbing uncontrollably while/after being raped and Joe really didn’t do anything to help them. Karma’s a b_tch.
drarb, I would have responded to you in more detail, but Reflex beat me to it and he or she is absolutely correct. I have been the criminal prosecutor in far too many child sex assault cases, and none of the suggestions I made would have been illegal. Further, some of my suggestions reflect that what Paterno did elect to do was actually criminal/illegal (committing perjury, for instance).
Second, criminal investigations start all the time with witnesses who only have second-hand (or as you write, “hearsay”) accounts and those investigations are not limited to child abuse cases, but also include murder, robbery, fraud and drug cases. The thing is, once such an account is reported, the police then can take the initiative to gather admissible evidence against the alleged perpetrator(s). Happens all the time and thus can, in fact and practice, be quite useful.
What Paterno, Spanier, Schultz, Curley, etc. did was rob both qualified police and Sandusky’s victims of potentially effective intervention and/or investigation from a capable law enforcement entity (which prosecutors would not include a campus police dept. to qualify as, particularly in a matter such as this). And, you are apparently confused, because the state police would have most certainly had jurisdiction to have investigated this matter (and did in fact, which led to charges, and convictions, less you’ve forgotten).
drarb – As blastfurnaceknows points out, you’re just plain wrong. Quit trying to scrape and claw your way to defend Joe Paterno. He had MULTIPLE chances to go to the REAL authorities and report suspected sexual assault and he took the easy way out AND ignored and helped it continue. Stop trying to justify what he chose not to do. He was wrong.
When he found out that children were being raped he covered it up.
When he lost his job he sobbed uncontrollably.
That’s very telling.
=================================
“This wasn’t surprising; Scott tended to be the most realistic—or cynical, depending on who you asked—in the family. He had run for Congress and lost and along the way tasted the allure and nastiness of public life.”
If he thought the public life was nasty, what does he think of the behind the scenes corruption and cover-up at PSU, led by his father?
I read a story Joe Paterno told Readers Digest one time. He said he was getting dressed and as he looked in the mirror he asked his wife “honey! how many great college coaches do you think there have been?” and she replied, “one less than you think!”. Unfortunately, I guess she was right.
drarb is making one point that I do believe is valid. There are multiple culprits here, multiple layers of responsibility. All failed and many acted potentially criminally. This is a valid criticism of the media coverage of the situation, as well as for those who wish to make Paterno the fall guy.
However that said, it in no way diminishes Paterno’s role, which was significant, if not the most significant part outside of the actual perpetrator. When drarb points to the failures of others as an excuse for Paterno he is in no way diminishing Paterno’s role. A lot of people made serious and potentially criminal decisions in this matter. But so did Joe Paterno, and his role was larger than almost anyone else’s and thus a huge portion of the blame does in fact belong to him.
He gave Penn State many years of good football and child rapists the patron saint they always craved.
There is no way I could have any respect for Paterno or the program at PSU. I never cared for him–he had a perpetual sneer on his face (unless he had to do something to keep his oversized glasses on his nose). I would suggest he may have died of cancelr complicated by a broken heart. But he brought it on himself. No sypathy here
people saying that Paterno reporting it to Schultz absolved Paterno of responsibility are seriously deluded….
all Paterno had to do was dial 911…..
but instead, he thought about it for 24 hours, then called the Penn President the next day to coordinate the coverup…
then a decade went by with Sandusky and kids.
Joe’s rotting in hell… as he should be….
@reflex. With all the layers you mention I really don’t think we know paternos role. I think we know the freeh deal which somehow blames a lot on joe,when he’s actually mentioned in 2 emails. I know dead men make good patsies. Here’s a list although not complete of people who have guilt. Amount depends on your opinion. (not in any order)
Paterno
Schulz
Spanier
Curley
Erickson
PSU BOT Prior to 2011
Gov Corbett
DPW
Local police
Local DA
Parents
Anyone who witnessed Sandusky-McQueary , the janitors
Second mile and many people associated with it. Think about it a pedophile starts a multimillion dollar organization with one purpose. Who gave him $$ and why.
Attny general Corbett,
BOT member Corbett
Paterno messed up, he knew it looking back, said he regretted it. That is more than any of the above mentioned who have not taken any responsibility for their
part in this. Paternos life was not all about him I don’t even know where the opinion comes from. I don’t believe one person commenting knew him personally. I do know his staunchest defenders are the people who knew him, that says something to me. Maybe he didn’t have any buddies on the board because it’s apparent the board is made up of bureaucratic CYA administrators.
Why is no one showing venom towards all the above mentioned guilty parties who will skate on this? Not sexy enough to bring down a no name?
His role has been pretty obvious in the documentation. Its been pointed out by many. I know its not convenient to have someone you like have thier dark side demonstrated, but that does not change the fact that from the first day he heard about it till the day that he died, Paterno was complicit in the rape of dozens of children. And he knew that for a fact.
Yes, there is a long list of others. In cases like this there usually are. But again, that in no way diminishes the role Paterno played, or the blame he should face over this. Nothing ever stopped him from picking up a phone and calling the police except himself. Nothing stopped him from telling the truth when he was questioned about this last year. He made the decisions he made, and it is fair to hold those decisions against him.
If he were still alive he would likely be facing criminal charges, and rightfully so. I hope some of the other principles in this also face charges.
So let me get this straight…”Joe Pa” sobbed “uncontrollably” over being fired from his precious football team.
Yet, just shrugged his shoulders and look elsewhere as kids were being raped?
Enjoy hell, scumbag
Jerry Sandusky being investigated for possibly sharing child porn with other people.
Jo Paterno did not only cover up for Sandusky in 1998, he got up every morning after that and said to himself today, again, I choose to tell no one. On and on for 13 years. Each day he looked in the mirror and said, not one child matters. I AM all that matters, I will tell no one again today.
What makes anyone think he is resting in peace? I for one would not want to be in his size 9es.
What is the board supposed to do? All those years and not one on the board had the balls to stand up and say “STOP” something is wrong. The board needs to go to cells right next to Sandusky.
Reflex what documentation? Hearsay, an email, McQueary ( the one charge Sandusky was found innocent). The freeh report ( the one that said in fine print I might add that Paterno wrote to Spanier that Sandusky should not be allowed to use campus for second mile and Spanier gave him access anyway. I know paterno was God but this was bigger than him and not about him.
Paterno will like Mudd.
Reflex would that be te same police that had a confession from Sandusky and did not prosecute? Or the attorney general that assigned a narc to investigate. Calling the cops did a lot of good. If he wanted to cover for the rapist he would have used his pull in 99 and the sacred Freeh report says he did not interfere. Thats contradictory to everything else your told
It was all about Paterno.
All Paterno had to do was go to the State Police with the allegation and file a compliant against Sandusky, The State Police would have had to do an investigation. If evidence was presented that a crime was committed, Sandusky could have been indicted, tried and convicted in the early 2000′s, not 2012. That would have been the worst case scenario.
The best case scenario would have been that Paterno turned Sandusky in, take heat from the Administration for not following University protocols and procedures, He would have had the court of public opinion on his side,Sandusky would have at least been on the radar with CPS, and JoePa would have died with a clean conscience.
Now History has judged JoePA
Gotta love the PSU nutjobs trying to pin the blame on the BOT. If the board isn’t informed by the president of what’s happening it really can’t do anything. Also, it wasn’t the BOT’s job to have positive control of what’s going on the football showers on a daily basis. That was the job of the guy running the football building. The BOT is an unpaid, volunteer position and these people have their own careers to attend to outside of PSU business. The guys in the football building every day are the ones responsible for making sure kids aren’t getting raped in the football showers.
@Danny
Do you really think Sandusky was innocent of that charge? It could not be proved McQueary actually saw anal rape because the victim was not present to validate McQueary’s testimony. Victim 2 has since come forward and validated McQueary’s testimony.
nutpack, danny is a kool-aid drinker who likes to think himself an expert on this subject. But, you need only consider the statement you reference, where he writes that the charge involving Paterno’s assistant’s eyewitness testimony was the only one that led to an “innocent” finding. In reality, Sandusky was convicted of several serious sexual assault charges stemming from the assistant’s eyewitness account (just not rape, as you pointed out, because the assistant could not definitively say whether her saw anal rape). That misunderstood “expertise” is proof of two things: 1) the Kool-Aid has already warped the mind and it is already all over for poor danny; and 2) he will really enjoy the child rape enabler’s biography (at least those parts of it that he can understand, that is).
And, danny, plenty of people are doling out condemnation to others who have had a role in this tragedy. I, personally, find both Spanier and Corbett repugnant. Your problem is you don’t like it when people point out the facts about Paterno.
@blast – I said it in an earlier post – these Paterno bots are becoming more delusional and irrational by the second and they are really starting to make the ‘birthers’ look quite sane! I use to enjoy hanging out on the Black Shoe Diaries blog to talk about football but not anymore – it is insanity to the 1000 degree over there. It is pretty much at the point where they believe that Paterno actually ran into the shower and stopped Sandusky himself!
I can only hope that some of you that are so quick to condemn Paterno for what he should have known and what he should have done are at some point in your life faced with a situation where you take on blame for the actions of another that you did not condone and may not have been fully aware of. Things are not as black and white as they appear to many of you, the facts have not been fully revealed, it would be prudent to let the legal system handle this rather than the lynching mob that can’t wait to see Paterno’s legacy crushed. I don’t give a crap about the legacy itself but let the the case proceed and let’s hope the full truth (that so many of you are so sure of) is revealed through the legal system.
Will the Paterno Bots be happy when the Feds nail them big time for Clery violations? What about when
Moody looks to downgrade the University status?
Let’s talk about the accreditation board and their
review of “institutional control”
You think the NCAA sanctions were “undeserved”
wait until the investigation on the above three reviews are done. The party is just beginning. The results will not be pretty. The damage to the University is immeasurable AND long lasting.
Two things that PSU have going for it is George Mitchell overseeing the NCAA compliance coordination. You may not like Mitchell, but he is a
political animal who is still very well connected. He
will help guide PSU through these turbulent times.
The second cogent point is the current President
of the University. Yes, he signed off on the Freeh
Report and the subsequent NCAA penalties, but he is now the face of PSU. Should he continue to be contrite and “manage” this crisis over the next three to five years, PSU will come out of this in great shape. Just keep the Paterno family from an open microphone.