Former Penn State Defensive Coordinator Jerry Sandusky

[ZooCougar]

This is mind blowing. Sandusky is a monster. The fact that this went on for so long and that so many people covered this up is direct reflection of the poor leadership climate at that place. What a complete tragedy. There's only 8 victims in here but who knows how many more are out there.

 

[huskypantz]

You just can't make this up. His autobiography is named "Touched".

http:\\www.amazon.com/Touched-Jerry-Sandusky-Story/dp/1582613575

 

[TheRogers]

Seriously. How can there be any other reaction? I would be dialing 911, and grabbing a large object to bash over his head. Sounds like this grad assistant saw the assault, went to the car, grabbed some takeout, got home, did the dishes, then called his dad to let him know he saw a small child getting assaulted a few hours ago. Then the dad's reaction? Ummm, lets call Paterno, he'll know what to do! What kind of screwed up place is this?

Paterno knew what to do all right. Go to the person who had the biggest vested interest (next to Sandusky) not to have this incident leak out and bury his head in the sand. If that was is grandson, would Paterno have done the same? Paterno is far from the biggest offender in this but he was part of the problem.

 

[BugsyCT]

If Paterno knew this was going on and was even indirectly part of the cover-up by his lack of further action(and the report indicates he was informed of the 2002 incident), it's unfathomably d@mning to his legacy.

 

[progrocks]

This is Paterno's legacy. Maybe when he collects him MBLA Man of the year award next year he will finally retire before he his rightfully fired.

The fact the university president has not made heads roll yet is mind blowing

 

[traitor71]

It's already being shaped by ESPN. The sports reporters pretty much gave Paterno a pass in the minute that they spent discussing it. I guess they needed more time to talk about Alabama's sorry ass kickers.

 

[Fishy]

I didn't read anything that suggested that Paterno was trying to cover anything up.

 

[BugsyCT]

Problem with JoePa in this situation is: all he did was report what he heard to the AD. The higher-ups said they would take care of it but nothing was done other than to take the locker room keys away from Sandusky. Speculation will be that someone with Paterno's stature should have done more. Why weren't the police notified?

 

[noeynox]

I didn't read anything that suggested that Paterno was trying to cover anything up.

I don't know about the laws in Pennsylvania, but in CT Joe Paterno would be considered a mandated reporter and would have to report any suspicions of child abuse to police. I am not so sure that a Graduate Assistant would fall into the same category.

As disgusting as it seems, you can't take the human element out of this in that you have to believe that Paterno and others at Penn State knew Sandusky as colleague and friend, and were hoping it was an isolated incident and that Sandusky would "get better" and never engage in such conduct again. They probably were reluctant to report it to police because a friend of theirs would have gone to prison for a considerable length of time. At least, I hope that was the cause for their "inaction" and not anything having to do with how it would make the football program look. I mean were talking about children being raped, duck the football program.

Even if they were looking out for a colleague, it is reprehensible that it wasn't reported to police. The graduate assistant left no doubt in what he saw happen in that shower. The whole thing speaks poorly of everyone at Penn State including Paterno.

 

[progrocks]

Paterno's been a holier than though we do things the right way kind for ever. Lies. And if the school covers up children being raped, what wouldn't they cover up?

 

[UConnCat]

Seriously. How can there be any other reaction? I would be dialing 911, and grabbing a large object to bash over his head. Sounds like this grad assistant saw the assault, went to the car, grabbed some takeout, got home, did the dishes, then called his dad to let him know he saw a small child getting assaulted a few hours ago. Then the dad's reaction? Ummm, lets call Paterno, he'll know what to do! What kind of screwed up place is this?

BTW, the grad assistant (Mike McQueary) is now an Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator for the PSU Football team.

 

[Husky68]

I didn't read anything that suggested that Paterno was trying to cover anything up.

You're kidding, right. You are coach for 30 years at PSU, a grad assistant comes to you with his dad to tell you what happened, you go to AD and THEN WHAT - this guy appears on campus the next 10 years with little boys in tow - YOU DO JACK ABOUT IT.

You have an affirmative responisiblity to act, period. Everyone involve from Paterno on forward who were advised of the situation (actually going back to the campus police report several years earlier) and did not contact the real police (as opposed to the campus keystone cops) show be in jail.

 

[superjohn]

This is so unbelievably disgusting. Will never look at JoePa and Penn State the same.

 

[progrocks]

I am actually impressed on how ESPN seems to be ignoring this story. Playing favorites as always

 

[noeynox]

Penn State stepping up , they bar Sandusky from Campus.

http://espn.go.com/college-football...ns-bar-accused-ex-coach-jerry-sandusky-campus

 

[traitor71]

I am actually impressed on how ESPN seems to be ignoring this story. Playing favorites as always

Gotta love how Bob Ryan said that "unlike Jim Tressel, Joe Paterno knew just what to do".

 

[ktuck911]

More awful, upsetting details

As the mother of two sons, I am horrified.

It's a God awful shame that people use their position of power to get away with crap like that... Ths kind of stuff is sick... It has nothing to do with race, religion, but social, financial, political status... and it goes on continuously... probably even now as I post this comment ( unfortunately ).

Thanks be to God that the truth ALWAYS comes out... you reap what you sow....eventually...

 

[huskyrob1]

Word on the street: PSU's AD is being charged with perjury as well.

It's a hot mess in Happy Valley right now...

Everyone, including Paterno had to have known about this. If everything I read in Nan's link is true and the AD and President covered it up I would not be at all surprised to see Penn State get booted from the Big 10.

 

[Jax Husky]

They knew and let him gracefully "retire" and continue to run his charity. Shameful. If they'd taken stronger action, more kids might not have had to be raped.

 

[whaler11]

Joe Paterno is Penn State football. If the story is true and he knew, then he along with everyone above him who knew should be fired sooner rather than later.

 

[upstater]

Good column by Mike Wise of the Washington Post adding Paterno to the list of those at PSU who share responsibility for this:

"Paterno wasn’t charged, but if Sandusky is guilty he would be guilty — just as Penn State’s athletic director and a university vice president, who were charged with perjury and failure to report suspected child abuse on Saturday, would be guilty.

They would all be party to a worse crime than any crooked, pay-for-play booster at Miami, Ohio State or even SMU ever committed: guilty of protecting a program before a child.

You can’t read the 23-page grand jury report and come to any other conclusion; Penn State football and its pristine reputation apparently superseded the alleged sexual assault of a young boy — perhaps as many as eight young boys — over 15 years by Sandusky.

Joe Pa knew, if the charges are true.

They all knew.

And they never told police."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sport...erve/2011/11/05/gIQAYIucqM_story.html?hpid=z1

Well, Paterno did flush his 40 year record down the toilet. It's hard to fathom really that peope like Spanier and Paterno dropped the ball.

But Wise makes all sorts of assumptions about Paterno's behavior. And those assumptions are wrong. He's saying Paterno did this because he was worried about its impact on recruiting. But Sandusky was no longer DC in 2002.

Paterno should resign immediately, but I've been saying that for ages. His behavior here is despicable.

 

[upstater]

They knew and let him gracefully "retire" and continue to run his charity. Shameful. If they'd taken stronger action, more kids might not have had to be raped.

He was already retired when they learned of it.

 

[Jax Husky]

He was already retired when they learned of it.

I thought I'd read reports that there was an incident made known in 1998. If that is not true, then I take my statement back and refrain from comment at this time. Not trying to pile on, but it is a bad deal for State College all around.

 

[noeynox]

I thought I'd read reports that there was an incident made known in 1998. If that is not true, then I take my statement back and refrain from comment at this time. Not trying to pile on, but it is a bad deal for State College all around.

This is true if you read the Grand Jury report. A young man's mother confronted Sandusky and reported it to police after her son came home with his hair wet and telling his mother he had showered with Sandusky. She notified police, after questioning Sandusk and it was investigated, but the prosecutor chose not to press charges. He resigned a year later as something just short of a folk hero, but people at PSU had to have known that an investigation into inappropriate behavior had occured.

 

[upstater]

I thought I'd read reports that there was an incident made known in 1998. If that is not true, then I take my statement back and refrain from comment at this time. Not trying to pile on, but it is a bad deal for State College all around.

It doesn't make a difference really in terms of what Paterno knew since it was reported to him in 2002. The incident in 1998, to my knowledge, is part of the investigation, but not alleged that it occurred at PSU nor was it known by the staff.

I wasn't absolving Paterno, but simply saying that he had no motivation to keep it a secret.