Ot - Ex Penn State Defensive Coord Charged

[Icebear]

I would recommend watching the video of the powerful statement by the PA State Police Commissioner at today's press conference. He spoke about a "culture" that did nothing to stop the behavior. He said that he's never been associated with a case where there were so many eye witnesses of acts with children without the police being called. He also said there no heroes in this story other than the investigators. http://abcnews.go.com/US/video/authorities-say-innocence-lost-at-penn-state-14898056

BTW, one of the questions asked of the AG was about Sandusky bringing a young boy to a PSU football practice in 2007 and whether Paterno and McQueary witnessed their presence and whether that could lead to potential charges against them. She declined to say anything other than the investigation is ongoing.

I agree with all of that first paragraph. I think that was evident in the Rene Portland situation and in the Sandusky situation. It is an attitude of don't do anything that will upset the alumni. As I said just let the information finish coming out. Nothing is gained in haste. I have no problem holding JoePA and McQueary accountable I just don't think that anything is gained by blind rage and rush to judgment.

Remember there is testimony that is was DA Ray Gricar who refused to prosecute the 1998 situation. This was given by a retired State Cop.

 

[cardfan]

a well written column by George Vecsey in NYT
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/08/s...ollege-Football-George-Vecsey.html?ref=sports

 

[Icebear]

a well written column by George Vecsey in NYT
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/08/s...ollege-Football-George-Vecsey.html?ref=sports

A great article.

 

[cardfan]

Exactly the point made by Mike Wise of the Washington post in his column:

"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23-page grand jury report and come to any other conclusion; Penn State football and its pristine reputation apparently superseded the alleged sexual assault of a young boy — perhaps as many as eight young boys — over 15 years by Sandusky.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

sickening.

 

[vtcwbuff]

I expect that Penn State's negligence will result in the same sort of litigation that has befallen the Catholic church. I get uplifted every time I read articles in my home town newspaper about the church trying to sell off some of their prime properties to pay for and judgements and out of court settlements.

Paterno reminds me of all the bishops that chose to look the other way or to treat child molestation as an internal matter instead of a criminal one.

 

[cardfan]

and more from the NYT

quote from Joe:

"As my grand jury testimony stated, I was informed in 2002 by an assistant coach that he had witnessed an incident in the shower of our locker room facility. It was obvious that the witness was distraught over what he saw, but he at no time related to me the very specific actions contained in the Grand Jury report. Regardless, it was clear that the witness saw something inappropriate involving Mr. Sandusky (my bold). As Coach Sandusky was retired from our coaching staff at that time, I referred the matter to university administrators.

“He (Paterno) reported what he knew and he had reason to expect that others would do their jobs,” said Nicholas P. Cafardi, who is dean emeritus and professor of law at Duquesne University School of Law and an expert on the Roman Catholic Church’s sexual abuse scandal. “I don’t know if he knew no action was taken after he reported it, but if he did, and if he believed the story he heard was credible, he had a moral obligation to do something more — to report it to civil officials.

---
Joe just taking this to his administrators rather than the police or civil authorities is inexplicable.

 

[UConnCat]

Here's another opinion piece linked to the espn site where this is the lead story:
http://espn.go.com/espn/commentary/...ue-did-penn-state-coach-joe-paterno-know-when

"If Paterno knew something and did nothing, he's an accessory. If he didn't know, he should have known. Such are the burdens of omniscience as understood by the cult of the Division I football coach.

If true, what did Joe know, and when did he know it?

The failure here is complete. Utter. The failure of the institution and the failure of the individual. The failure of the community. The failure of common decency.

If true? Your failure. My failure. We didn't keep our children safe.

What did Joe know, and when did Joe know it?

The truth is a horror story. If true"

 

[pap49cba]

Guru on the Rene Portland tie-in

"Those who followed the Portland controversy at the time, in light of the current Sandusky allegations, have privately mused over the irony, if true, that some university officials involved in Portland’s ouster, motivated to either bring about justice or potential retribution against her, had themselves years earlier taken action to protect Sandusky."

 

[Icebear]

I find the two situations of Portland and Sandusky very similar in the institutional response to them. In both cases the institution did everything it could to ignore both until an outsider Harris and the mother of the child in Clinton County forced the situation into the light. Portland was not ousted until the university was forced to deal with the situation by the Harris law suit and involvement of the NCLR, not because they wanted to do so.

 

[UConnCat]

From the you-can't-make-this-stuff-up department, six weeks ago Penn State dedicated a child care center and named it after Gary Schultz. Yes, that Gary Schultz.

http://deadspin.com/5857212/six-weeks-ago-penn-state-dedicated-the-gary-schultz-child-care-center

 

[stamfordhusky]

From ESPN's latest article:

"State police commissioner Frank Noonan said, as far as state police can tell, Paterno fulfilled his legal requirement to report.

"But somebody has to question about what I would consider the moral requirements for a human being that knows of sexual things that are taking place with a child," Noonan said. "I think you have the moral responsibility, anyone. Not whether you're a football coach or a university president or the guy sweeping the building. I think you have a moral responsibility to call us.""

 

[DaddyChoc]

damn all those laws, frick wait and be patient.... if you ran up on a dirty old man thrusting a naked 10 yr you should be on the HIGHEST mountain yelling so that everyone can hear what you just witnessed.

If you passed it on you show do some follow up, 'hey Coach I see the child molester is still around, whats up with that".

and ok we dont know what the student-assistant has been thru but he did have sense enough to pass it along to Coach, maybe Coach should have climbed that mountain.

 

[pppggg]

These vile acts will end up being Paterno's legacy. He may not be charged criminally but he most likely will be sued for damages. What about the kids, Joe? What were you thinking? Sad. Very sad.

 

[Icebear]

http://www.charter.net/news/read.php?rip_id=<D9QRGKF80@news.ap.org>&ps=1011

AP report, including comments from Scott Paterno as Joe's rep.

 

[UConnCat]

damn all those laws, frick wait and be patient.... if you ran up on a dirty old man thrusting a naked 10 yr you should be on the HIGHEST mountain yelling so that everyone can hear what you just witnessed.

If you passed it on you show do some follow up, 'hey Coach I see the child molester is still around, whats up with that".

and ok we dont know what the student-assistant has been thru but he did have sense enough to pass it along to Coach, maybe Coach should have climbed that mountain.

I thought the same thing DC. The GA who witnessed the rape in 2002 was then a 28 year-old-man. I would hope that most men in that situation would do everything in their power to stop what was happening, grab that young boy in their arms to protect him and then call the police.

Here's what the mother of one of the victims had to say:

"I don’t even have words to talk about the betrayal that I feel,” said the mom of Victim Six. “[McQueary] was a grown man, and he saw a boy being sodomized ... He ran and called his daddy?”

 

[DaddyChoc]

they could have gotten DNA at that very moment.. now its all down the drain!

 

[UConnCat]

According to Mike and Mike, there apparently is an extensive piece in the Harrisburg Patriot-News in which two of the victims' mothers are interviewed. Also, the Patriot-News Editorial board urged the PSU Board of Trustees to fire Spanier and not renew Paterno's contract after the season. Here's the editorial which raises the same issues everyone else has raised: http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/hr.asp?fpVname=PA_PN&ref_pge=lst

A radio host from espn in State College called in to Mike and Mike and talked about the utter disgust felt by many in the area over how the situation was handled. Like many, he talked about the inaction of McQueary and Paterno and wondered what they thought when they saw Sandusky with a young boy at a PSU football practice in 2007. Also, Sandusky was apparently seen working out on campus last week.

 

[UConnCat]

Here's the Patriot-News story on two of the victims. It'll both disgust you and break your heart. http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/11/mothers_of_two_of_jerry_sandus.html

Terrific reporting on this. The reporter was a guest on Mike and Mike's show this morning. I lived and worked in Harrisburg for 10 years and was never a fan of the Patriot-News but its work on this subject is spot on so far. I'm also impressed with the handling of this matter by the PA Attorney General, Linda Kelly. I was an Asst AG in the mid-80s when the AG was a guy who eventually went to prison.

 

[Kibitzer]

It is unreal to me that Joe Paterno will be on the sidelines coaching vs. Nebraska this weekend. He and his superiors at PSU have no sense of shame at all.

Some folks seem concerned that icon JoePa's image might get tarnished. So what!!!

 

[speedoo]

Kim Jones, currently a NY Yankee YES reporter, is a PSU alum, and yesterday was on WFAN with Mike Francessa and they were both ripping Paterno, according to a thread on the football board.

Jones is livid about this and is going to Paterno's press thingy today. If they give her the mike, it will be interesting to hear her question(s). She used to cover PSU football when she was at PSU so she is uniquely situated.

 

[HuskyNan]

It is unreal to me that Joe Paterno will be on the sidelines coaching vs. Nebraska this weekend. He and his superiors at PSU have no sense of shame at all.

Some folks seem concerned that icon JoePa's image might get tarnished. So what!!!

Sad to say, but image is all that Penn State appears to have worried about from the first moment anyone there knew of acts of the disgusting pedophile, Sandusky.

 

[pap49cba]

Kim Jones, currently a NY Yankee YES reporter, is a PSU alum, and yesterday was on WFAN with Mike Francessa and they were both ripping Paterno, according to a thread on the football board.

Jones is livid about this and is going to Paterno's press thingy today. If they give her the mike, it will be interesting to hear her question(s). She used to cover PSU football when she was at PSU so she is uniquely situated.

Good luck with that. Read a report that Paterno has announced he will not take any questions about the Sandusky affair at his presser.

 

[speedoo]

Good luck with that. Read a report that Paterno has announced he will not take any questions about the Sandusky affair at his presser.

Paterno can do whatever he wants. People will still ask the questions, nothing he can do about that. ESPN will air it live at noon on Sports Center.

 

[UConnCat]

Good luck with that. Read a report that Paterno has announced he will not take any questions about the Sandusky affair at his presser.

ESPN and local networks will be broadcasting his weekly press conference live today beginning around noon. The nation will be watching and listening.

 

[vtcwbuff]

My guess is that he will stick to his Sgt Schultz position - "I know nothink". He won't take questions because certainly some reporter might ask why, since he was aware that a young boy was being sodomized, he didn't ask for specifics and why he didn't call the cops. IMO he should have confronted Sandusky - with a baseball bat.

I can't help wondering how many kids were assaulted because Paterno chose to do nothing to stop it.