The Penn State Scandal: Ceding Personal Responsibility To Institutional Bureaucracy

Yes. Good piece, man.

Agreed great article.

Great article. I hope JoPa goes to his grave knowing that his legacy will be this.

Amen.
-dave

I would submit to you that a 17 year old kid sticking up to a probable pedophile is significantly more courageous than a 70 year old legendary coach hiding behind his legacy.

Joe Paterno and Penn State had NOTHING to lose by notifying the police that Sandusky was a disgusting excuse for a human. In fact they would have been rewarded for showing courage when none was required.

As a Catholic, I was and am disgusted that the church could essentially sell out generations of children to protect its own image. Penn State has done the exact same thing.

As a parent I have nothing but contempt for people who abuse children. They are the lowest form of scum and they will have an especially painful place in hell. If there is a more precious thing to take than the innocence of a child, I don’t know what it is. Sandusky is a monster and the Penn State administration is his enabler.

As a father, thank you for doing something when it would have been easier not to. This will be required reading for my oldest.

Great piece. I hope those boys can overcome what the men at Penn State let happen to them. That is a terrible thing to live with.

I still can’t believe what I’m reading/seeing. It’s just doesn’t seem possible. As a father of 6 boys, I can’t fathom it. The anger, range, and disbelief just defies description. I felt dirty just reading the grand jury document. Well stated Scip.

I don’t really get how Paterno, who more or less rules/ruled the University, not to mention the athletic department and the football program, thought he could even pretend he was “reporting up” by notifiying 2 flunkies who probably made a 10th of his salary. Bizarre.

Well said.

Paterno’s claim that he was told something inappropriate happened, that the GA (I think you have his name wrong) was distraught, but Paterno didn’t find out what exactly he saw, is insulting as hell to me. How is that even close to plausible? “Something ‘inappropriate,’ eh? In the showers with a young boy, hmm? I wish I could find out exactly what you saw so we could take appropriate action. Alright, well, see ya later.”

How Paterno could live with himself knowing that this guy was still showing up on campus as late as last week just mystifies me. I really hope he is arrogant enough to fight this, so that he can be utterly humiliated and stripped of every last ounce of dignity. I would love nothing more than to see everyone slowly turn their back on him and throw that old man under the bus.

I suspect they see what it has cost the Catholic Church in out of court settlements that has them terrified. But, hey, maybe like a$m and TT, they can hide behind state immunity or whatever it is that prevents someone from suing a government entity?

I’ve been ducking this as best as I could and I’ll only engage it here because it’s my internet home away from home. I’m now done with this story.

The death penalty.

Give it to PSU too.

Needed to be said. Should be read.

The truth absolutely exists. Be ever in pursuit.

I don’t understand how the Penn St. athletic department can allow any recruitment of high school prospects until the matters raised are fully disclosed, those even tangentially involved are removed from the program, proper oversight and controls are in place and a set of self imposed penalties are instigated.

ESPN reported today the former grad assistant and current qb coach that caught Sandusky in the shower is also recruiting coordinator.

The school should self impose penalties that make what SMU got in the ’80’s seem tame. Where is the shame?

Beautifully captured perspective on a truly horrifying, shocking, sickening, incomprehensible, contemptible story.

For those of us who are parents, this strikes at our innermost fears of the worst of what could happen to our children. These children and their parents will carry this betrayal, anger and sorrow to their graves.

May those responsible meet their harshly appropriate fates in this world and the next.

Grew up really liking Paterno and bought into the Paterno vs Bowden coaching legacy but after reading this…guy needs to hang it up. He needs to apologize to the university, fans, and students and say — damn, it’s hard even thinking about how to apologize properly about this sort of hellish fiasco. He needs to step down and get the hell away from whatever he thought he was leading because he clearly isn’t fit to lead a boy scout troop much less a company of adults.

Amen, magnus.

Cowards, indeed.

Great piece, Scipio. I must admit that to this casual observer, I also have to wonder what other felonies Mr. Paterno decided not to report to police in his own self-interest? Where does this really stop?

I believe that this situation demands a further investigation done by some other legal entity rather than just a local grand jury infatuated with the Paterno myth.

Penn State? No. Penn Shame.

I assume that this case is not in any way covered by NCAA rules. That is unfortunate, as there is one penalty that could possibly make Joe Paterno truly sorry for his inaction. That would be the forfeiture of every game Penn State has won since the day he was informed of this back in 2002.

The total lack of “adults around” in this case is the saddest part.

If this doesnt explain how out of touch JP is, then nothing will, I have two young boys, and I cant fathom how awful this must be for the victims and their families.

If hell exists, there is a special place for people who perpetrate these types of crimes.

The harshest of penalties should be leveled at everyone involved and you have seen the last of JP, he wont survive the week.

The Catholic Church analogy is so accurate here on so many levels. As a Catholic myself, Scip’s words to PSU fans hit very close to home and could not have been said any better.

The part that I cannot comprehend is that the sick fvcker was caught in the act! I would think anyone who came across that scene would act like a human being, stop it immediately and call the cops. Wouldn’t you do it if a woman was being raped and screaming for help? much less a child?

Sickening

Thanks for saying what has to be said.

The NCAA can redeem themselves a bit here by issuing a lifetime ban on anyone involved in this (Paterno, McQueary, everyone). Any player that wants to transfer should be allowed to without losing any eligibility. And do all of this before Saturday.

This is worse than any cheating scandal imaginable.

Scipio thank you for the write up. We as a Society need more people to stand up to all the injustice and despicable acts that go on day in and day out. I hope the alumni of Penn State do not rest until all those involved in the Athletic Department are removed.

I read the description given by the GA on another site, and it will take some time to mentally scrub that visual from my brain. Every time I see Penn State or hear about this story it jumps into my brain.

How that thought did not agonize Paterno day in day out for the last 10 years I will never know. It literally makes me sick to my stomach. To say that my perception of Joe Paterno has been ruined would be a grave understatement. I think he is the lowest form of filth on earth, right next to his buddy Sandusky. He is what an alcoholic would call an enabler. When your vice is child molestation, I don’t know what you call that person.

I feel for the people of Penn State who were betrayed by a man they revered and will carry this stain for a while.

I have no words for the sadness I feel for the boys (now young men) who endured the torment from this vile demon.

And they’re all going down for not doing the correct thing the first time. As soon as they avoided it, Sandusky owned them forever.

Perfectly said. Thank you.

I’m disturbed by the number of people commenting on Black Shoe Diaries that Joe Paterno did nothing wrong.

How in the world do you hear a report that a child was sodomized IN YOUR LOCKER ROOM and think that the only thing you need to do is report it to your nominal (not actual) boss?

The are a number of people over there that need a lesson in the spirit of the law versus the letter of the law.

Paul,

On behalf of a young boy’s parents, thank you for having the courage to intervene when you did. It would have been a lot easier – and common – to turn away and convince yourself that nothing was happening.

It’s absolutely astonishing what some will do to turn inward and protect some twisted concept of image or reputation in the face of abhorrent behavior. As has been said, the abuse of a mentor-child relationship is about evil as human actions can be; what I can’t fathom is how so many others chose to act in a way that enabled the behavior even further.

I say this as a practicing Catholic who remains mortified at how the leaders of my denomination handled their own child sexual abuse problem.

Link to the grand jury report doesn’t work. FYI.

I am reminded of two phrases. One is “the banality of evil,” that is it never shows up wearing a Darth Vader black mask but is someone you would never suspect. That Sandusky used his position to (allegedly) molest these boys is truly evil.

The second is that (paraphrasing) all that is needed for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. I suspect that Paterno et al knew in 2002 when this credible and actionable allegation came to their attention that they were well and truly screwed. So they chose to hide in bureaucratic inaction and preserve their positions rather than show common decency. Much easier to blame a faceless institution than come to terms to your own moral failings.

Of course, the face of Penn State to the world is Joe Paterno, and he must resign, now. Responsiblity for this can no longer be avoided, and to continue to do so is reprehensible.

I wonder if there are more pederasts in the bureaucratic woodpile at Penn State. It could explain the utter failure to respond appropriately.

Thanks for writing this. For someone who has no personal connection to this at all, it sure has had a personal effect on me. A couple of points:

a. This will be studied in psych classes for the next hundred years. Move over Stanford prison experiment.

Thanks Scipio, it should be Honor among men to protect women and children from any kind of harm. I think some valor went out the windows when the bra’s were burned in the 60’s. Sad for the kids. Anyone associated with this cover-up should be sent to prison to suffer the same fate.

How far that little candle throws his beams!
So shines a good deed in a naughty world.

Thought of this when I read your story. Needless to say, thanks.

Great post and I commend you for what you did at age 17 I would have done the same thing; it was a heroic deed.

I don’t have kids and I really don’t have an intrinsic desire to be a father, in fact I find kids annoying, but the thought of a grown man molesting a child conjures up anger within me that I can’t explain. Pedophiles should be given the death penalty for harming defenseless adolescents and permanently scaring them for life.

Wish we could lock them all up or castrate them. I think there are stiffer penalties for pot dealers than there are for these kinds of sick people. Our justice system is fucked up they don’t even put sex offenders in general population anymore with the regular criminals; which sucks because the regular criminals would beat the fuck out of them and in a way mete out some form of retribution behind prison walls. Now these sex offenders get grouped together and receive protection from the guards. This sickens me because the kids they molested didn’t have anyone to protect them.

Paterno is a scumbag for not protecting the victims Sandusky scared. He could have prevented some of the incidents from happening by confronting Sandusky and then turning him in,

Thanks for writing this and very well put. I pray I have the courage to do what is right, if ever in a situation like at PSU or in what you encountered.

I don’t get how McQueary can still work there. How do you witness what he did and work at a place that allows Sandusky to be around and in the presence of kids? How did he not help that boy? I’m so disgusted.

Penn State will clean house. They must.

An old saying is proven out one more time:

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” (Edmund Burke)

Extremely well said Scipio. There are no grey areas when it comes to child abuse.

Average Fan - I saw a picture of a Penn State grad, class of ’75, burning his degree. He did it next to a sign reading just what you said. All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.

http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2011/11/8/2547564/photo-1975-penn-state-alum-burning-his-diploma

Another father here who thanks you for the column and your service to a young boy in need.

Oddly enough, Paterno acted to protect reputations (his and the schools) that are now ruined. Paterno will always be remembered for this.

Chilling account of your experience. That was a fair treatment of the Penn St athletic department. A man rationalizing that he did his part because he properly reported up the ladder, pursuant to HR policy…coward.

God knows what kind of fucked up adulthood those boys will experience. God knows who was in a position to do something about it, but didn’t.

Scip, well done.

I am shaken to the core.

@rolandv — You’re hitting on several branches of larger discussions at play. Sadly it takes a disgusting revelation of this sort to even get this kind of child abuse in the news and in the public radar.

As far as punishment goes, I don’t have suggestions for how individual offenders should be treated, but I believe this: Penn St should be responsible, at minimum, for intense, long term physical and emotional therapy for every victim of Sandusky. This kind of thing, like other forms of abuse, is cyclical. There are exceptions to the rule, of course, but odds are, a kid who experiences that kind of horror will likely take it out on himself and others in the future — whether through replicating the abusive behavior, or perhaps by other self-destructive means like drug abuse or suicide. Maybe this investigation will lead to psychological treatment for the Penn State victims, to buttress against the cycle repeating itself.

Great piece, Scipio. What a terrible travesty. I have been beset by a disgusted, gnawing melancholy since this ugly business made the news. It is unbelievable and just so sad. I hope everyone involved pays the steepest possible price for their actions and complicity and that the victims find some solace in helping bring some belated justice to bear.

Tremendously well said.

Just an astonishing (lack of) response from PSU as an institution from 1998 to now on this horror. Happy Valley is starting to seem less like a quaint college town and more like that village in the M Night movie given how blatantly they seem to be divorced from reality. The fact that the Prez and JoePa haven’t been sent packing already shows they still don’t understand the storm that’s comin’ down.

I was hoping you would cover this. Disgusting doesnt begin to cover it. The fallout is going to be prodigious.

Well stated, Scip.

Gutty piece, Scipio. Thanks for sharing.

My clergyman believe in full forgiveness. It’s part of our church’s core belief.

He exempts one type of person from this forgiveness — those who would injure a child.

Great writing Scip. I’ll read anything you write.

I think we all ask ourselves: “If I saw a 50-something year-old man sodomizing a ten-year-old boy at work, who do I tell?”

The answer is not “my boss”.

Great post, Scip.

I was talking about this with someone today who said it was a shame that Paterno’s career would end like this, which echoes a lot of other sentiment around. What’s the actual shame is that the man, for whatever reason — loyalty, embarrassment, laziness, ego — let this situation go on and on and allowed this guy to continue to have a platform from which to abuse children in the most horrible way possible.

It’s not a shame that Paterno’s legacy will be skid-marked by this sordid affair. It’s a shame it didn’t happen sooner.

@pleaseplaykindle

The answer is neither “my boss” nor “my dad” nor “Toby from HR”.

Thank you Paul. I have been agonizing over my keyboard for several hours trying to put my reaction to this mess into a post, and you did it with claritry and coherence and your usual elegant style.

I was thinking of looking at State College as The Land of Oz.

Anyone who has made the tortuous trip to the Penn State campus understands just how isolated the campus is. State College is more than a one industry town — it is home to a carefully crafted image — one that Joe Paterno spent his life creating. It started out as the pursuit of a righteous ideal that — like all cultures that inbreed — it became focused on self-preservation rather than the original ideal.

Some ask how so many people could be so complicit in this betrayal of society’s most vulnerable members. I believe that in their Land Of Oz, protecting the image became paramount, and that admitting this could happen there, not just in State College but on campus and it would create an earthquake in their empire that would register a 9 on the Richter Scale.

I have worked in and around Public Relations for almost 3 decades, and the first commandment is: The Coverup is Always Worse Than The Crime.

No — not this time.

Both are damnable events, and as the horrific details expand daily, it adds to the indictment of those in charge (Joe Paterno included) who valued their self-image more than the safety and dignity of the youth.

That is at the very least a fireable offense for everyone concerned.

Joe Paterno was seen as The Moral Authority for the game of college football. He has worked hard in his decades of coaching at Penn State to earn that designation, but now much of that earned respect is gone - and deservedly so.

A moral authority who builds his entire program around the concept of taking your son and building him into a better football player, and more importantly a better man, doesn’t waiver in the face of evil.

A good, moral man doesn’t hide when a long-trusted employee and friend turns out to be a monster.

A good moral man doesn’t just follow the letter of the law (and then hide behind that action), but rather accepts the failure to recognize the evil in their midst, and quickly moves to cut out the cancer.

Hypocricy is rampant in college sports, from recruiting to realignment. But this takes that hypocricy to a different level. This is a raw attempt to preserve power at the expense of the innocent.

That is totally unacceptable.

I was going to also throw in the quote that bullzak has in an earlier response, so instead I will mention another truth that is sadly being validated again today at Penn State.

Power Corrupts; Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely

“that the policies of their petty satrapy trumped human decency and our implicit obligation to look out for the vulnerable and defenseless.”

Magnificant and eloquent statement. Bravo!

This continues to chafe. Check out this graf from the NYT:

" In explaining his actions, Mr. Paterno has publicly said he was not told of the graphic nature of an alleged 2002 assault by the assistant coach Jerry Sandusky of a young boy in the football building’s showers. He said the graduate assistant coach who reported the assault, Mike McQueary, said only that something disturbing had happened that was perhaps sexual in nature."

The truth of this account aside, how “graphic” would such an allegation need to get before he took it seriously?

Today’s news conference at Penn State (not surprisingly) cancelled.

Also, NYT is saying Paterno likely to step down: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/09/sports/ncaafootball/penn-state-said-to-be-planning-paternos-exit.html?_r=3

Great write up.

It’s amazing, and sad, how many of these things develop from situations that are supposed to be helping at risk youth — e.g. Second Mile. When I was in 6th grade, we got a new Vice Principal at our intermediate school. He won over the teachers and the parents, he became drinking buddies with many of our fathers, and helped coach the little league team I was on. He pushed teachers and students, ages 10-12, to achieve and succeed in ways I hadn’t seen before at that age. He was friends and a father figure to many students at my school that didn’t have great father figures. And he was arrested 2 years later for this exact same shit.

Qualifying all of this with “alleged” (although this is clearly beyond Duke Lacrosse, or even the southern CA daycare hoax, so I am not sure I should anymore), but I imagine, no, I’m sure, that Sandusky fostered similar relationships with the adults that helped run, and the kids that benefited from, his charity. Which makes this type of shit all the more scary

Well done Scip. Mike McQueary is the most pathetic part of this story, how the hell can you walk up and witness something that horrific happening to a child and DO NOTHING? Not even CONFRONT what was happening to the kid?

What a pathetic excuse of a man and human being…..

This this story were about something less vile, the comments at that PSU blog would be pure gold. As it is, they are incredibly sad.

srr50 - “The coverup is always worse than the crime.” Actually, yes, in this case as well. The coverup allowed the continuation of the criminal behavior for 9 more years.

A quote from the mother of one of the victims:
“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?”

McQueary is supposedly unavailable for comment because he is on a recruiting trip. I’ll bet that recruiting is going well, don’t you?

“We must fear evil men and deal with them accordingly but what we must fear most is the indifference of good men.”

-Boondock Saints

How disgusting that men fail to protect children. Thank you, Scipio, for the welcome full-blown indignation.

Longhorn in Canada:

My point was that they are equally damnable.

Thank you, Scip. Like srr50, I can put aside my own tortured take on this incident.

As the father a ten year old, that GJ report brought me to racking tears and shaking anger.

I agree with magnus: Burn the whole program down. Both as a punishment and a lesson.

Silver lining department

The one good thing to come out of this may be an increased awareness of child abuse. How many sports bloggers and their audiences are thinking about this today? Let’s just hope it doesn’t fade from our collective memory as fast as the allegations faded from Joe Pa’s memory.

Jerry Sandusky deserves to burn in hell! The unimaginable tortures the young boys face today cannot even be fathomed! If ever there should be a death penalty for child molestation, this is the time! I would say that Sandusky will be punished for the putrid acts in this life, but a jail sentence and grown men raping him would probably be welcomed by him!

If the victim was a relative of Paterno, like a grandson or a nephew, I’m pretty sure Sandusky would be in prison right now. Shame on you Joe.

Great job, Paul.

In Texas, I thought that a person with direct knowledge of abuse is required, by law, to report it. I know that many professions require it in their specific Code of Conduct.

I am surprised that someone with direct knowledge of the incident can use ‘HR requirements’ as a defense. Paterno, due to his position, as well as the Penn State President, should not be able to hide behind the ‘HR guidelines’, either. It would seem that they would have both a legal and moral obligation to report the incident.

Child abuse is so disgusting that I believe many try to ignore it. Ignoring it, unfortunately, only perpetuates the problem, and it is devastating. btw, a leading child psychologist once told me that castration wouldn’t help, the abuser would only use something else. After all, it is all about power and control, and the abuser’s inability to relate to adults.

srr50 - I agree. When I think of cases like tOSU, the coverup was clearly worse than the crime. Here, the crime is not turning your back on players getting free tattoos. The crime is a truly horrific crime, not an NCAA violation. My point was only that the coverup, by placing the (short term, as it turns out) PR needs of Penn State above the needs of the victims, contributed to the ongoing crimes.

I don’t think we’re on a different page here.

Again, like in the Catholic Church, there are probably more chile abusers at Penn State. It is just a matter of time until the roof falls in on them.

Great piece Scipio. And a necessary counterpoint to some of the pro-Penn State crap out there.

That said… I’m a lawyer. Specifically, a criminal defense attorney. As some of the other lawyer contributors on this board will tell you, once you get trained to think like that, it’s kind of hard to turn it off. And as I watch a quickly evolving consensus develop, I’m troubled and a bit torn. Because what I know from personal and professional experience is that if Paterno had walked in to the police station that night and related what he’d been told, NOTHING would have happened. McQueary was the eyewitness, and he’s the one the cops would have needed to talk to for an investigation. And McQueary’s silence needs to be explained, just as much as Paterno’s does.So damn Paterno if you must, his inaction has certainly earned that. But the blame brush needs to sweep far and wide on this.

This thing is so fucking sad, it makes you want to vomit just to purge yourself. The fact that a good and honorable leader of young men has been brought low IS sad, and worthy of comment. Paterno will probably step down, and every other enabler in the joint will probably be fired. A legacy will be tarnished, and that’s as it SHOULD BE, given the circumstances. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t sad.

State Penn, indeed.

Father of four - 2 boys & 2 girls - and in 100% agreement. I would have thought Paterno was from a prior generation, an old-school morality, and would have personally tried to beat the $%&! out of Sandusky as he kicked him straight off campus. Unbelievable.

I’m going to get down off my moral high horse here for a minute.

Despite our oft-stated, and legally correct, platitude that everyone is innocent until proven guilty, that is not always the case in reality. An accusation of child molestation is as good as a conviction in our society today. A friend of mine was accused of sexual misconduct by his teenaged stepdaughter. I do not know the facts of the case, but I know she was never happy with the idea of her mother marrying him, and always hoped that her birth parents would get back together.

He told me he was innocent. He told his lawyer he was innocent. His lawyer told him that he should plead no contest, and hope for the best sentence he could get. There was no way that he could prevail in court, in a case of his word against hers. He spent several years in jail, and died shortly after his release.

This is a long way to say that you should be very, very careful about accusing someone of child molestation. However, it is no way an apology for the behavior of Joe Paterno and the others involved at Penn State. When you have heard evidence from a third party of this kind of child abuse, there is no choice available to you but to report it to the authorities. None, that is, unless you value the image of your program above the safety of innocent children.

Amen, Scipio.

In my book, there is no worse sin than harming a child. They represent hope and a brighter future for all of us. If it were my own child, I don’t know if I could wait for the law to run its course.

Besides this fubar there’s the case of the missing DA that didn’t prosecute back in 1998. Guy went missing in 2005. His laptop was found in the river near his abandoned car. Might have taken his own life, maybe not. Would not be shocked if that gets more attention as well.

I just can’t get over McQueary. How do you witness that and not intervene? I swear sometimes I think we are becoming a nation of cowards

Now up to 20 victims since they published a hotline phone # to come forward.

I’m sure Sanduskey didn’t wake one morning at 55 years of age and decide to start molesting young boys, there are probably victims going back decades

Scipio -
“In retrospect, I didn’t handle the situation perfectly. I left calling the police to the panicked mother, who vowed to me that she would. I didn’t have the presence of mind to note a license plate. I couldn’t get an answer from either on who the man was to them and to this day I don’t know what I stumbled on to. But I did something.”

In retrospect, NONE of us handle a situation perfectly. You always look back and think: I could have done that better. But, as you say, you did something. If you had turned away, you might not know if anything bad had happened, unless it made the evening news. Then you would have had to deal with this: “Imagine that you could have stopped it, and you didn’t.”

http://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/2011/11/8/2546163/lions-in-the-darkness

Thanks for a great post.

Well written Scipio. It is much more eloquent than my anger that has morphed into rage at ALL involved. All those fuckers should be glad my sons were not one of the victims. The news story would be about all the dead bodies in that little college town, not about HR policies. I’m not a rational man in regards to this subject.

A tough topic handled perfectly, if that’s possible in this case. Great post, Scipio.

Scipio,
You probably saved multiple lives with your act of humanity: psychologically and physically. A mother- a child. I always liked reading your columns and comments. You should feel a sense of fundamental good for what you did. I don’t know that I have read and remembered a greater tragedy connected to sports then what has occurred at Penn State. My good friend passed away a few years ago- a loyal Penn Stater- NT Lions for a license plate. This weekend was the first time I felt a sense of relief that he did not witness this debacle. I am very shocked at the inaction by coach Paterno in this matter from 2002 forward. I simply do not understand it. He recruits 17 year olds and tells the families he will supervise them into manhood and instill the proper values won on the football field and the student experience at Penn State. But that didn’t seem to apply to the even more vulnerable 8-14 year olds, once he was informed of the now very public disclosures. What could he be thinking when he’d see Sandusky with children at a game or on campus since the information he received in 2002? I would nominate you to interview him and exchange your story with his. Perhaps then there could be some insight and explanation.

lordy, scip. those people in that family may well think of you on their deathbeds if they have them. that’s how important that moment you describe was to them. as a father i thank you and celebrate your courage and good sense. you really did put your ass in the sling there and made a difference to those folks and to yourself.

“But whoso shall offend one of these little ones . . . it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”. Matt 18:6

After reading things like this, I hope much more than usual that this cosmic judgment will actually come. Even though it’ll mean I take some lumps, if it means a true measure of justice for guys like these I’m all in.

Either way they better mete out the worst punishment they can in PA in this life, to all they can reach including possible accessory after the fact charges for the cover-up.

I’d like to think if I was that GA I would have called a “code red” on this guy with the team and he never would have walked out of that shower back in 2002.

Scipio,

You are always thoughtful and you are especially so when it’s needed.

We are constantly told that our actions have consequences but increasingly it seems that we are forgetting that our inactions have consequences as well, perhaps moreso. Some areas are not gray at all and it’s simply impossible to comprehend how this happened.

By the way Scipio great column….thanks for sharing your personal experience. Once you processed the situation you reacted and protected that boy.

How McQuery froze and did not help that kid (a helpless 10 year old for the love of God) is beyond me. He was at least in his 20’s at the time and a former division1 athlete. Anyone who thinks he did the right thing by not intervening with rage….is a cowardly creature in my book.

I’m absolutely perplexed how the GA doesn’t go into the shower and beat the dog shit out of this evil bastard.
Everyone, EVERYONE on that staff needs to go.

Scipio, of all the wonderful, clever stuff you’ve penned, this is by far the best. Well said.

One of your best pieces of work.

I would like to say that I cannot imagine a culture where not a single one of these guys reported Sandusky to the police. But too many cultures like that exist in our world today.

Thanks for speaking out against them.

Texan nick: I guarantee that Joe paterno could have gotten half the police department out of bed if he had called to get the investigation started. He practically ran that town, there is no way in hell some desk sargeant says to Joe paterno well thanks for the info coach, but we really need to talk to the eyewitness please take a number and we’ll get back to you when we damn well feel like it.

Speculation is now rampant that timing of charges was related to ncaa wins record

On some level I can understand the GA’s failure to take immediate action in the face of the shock of what he witnessed. He clearly failed to do the right thing and remove the child from the situation, but certain events remove all rational thought- we act more on instinct and hope our instincts do the right thing. He failed in that moment, but I can understand such a failure.

What I don’t understand is how, in the hours, days, weeks, and years, and after consulting his father, he failed to take the appropriate action. That is rational, thought out negligence and is far worse than wilting under the shock of the moment.

There is A LOT more to this story:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/09/sports/ncaafootball/questions-on-sandusky-wrapped-in-2005-gricar-mystery.html

Texoz touched on a key and incredibly tragic point in this entire horrid series of events and negligence.

In 1998 two State College detectives listened on a bedroom extension listen to the mother of one of the victims confront Sandusky and Jerry then confess to inappropriate actions with her son, told her he knew there was no way he could expect forgiveness, and told her he was truly sorry.

The two detectives took that and other evidence to the DA who told them he would decide in a few days on whether or not to charge Sandusky. Two days later the DA told the detectives he had decided not to press charges against Sandusky, but did not tell them why he decided not to pursue the case. As oz pointed out 7 years later and 3 years after the attack seen by McQueary the DA’s car was found abandoned, his body has never been found, his lap top was found in a river, and the hard drive was damaged to the point no information could be retrieved off of it.

The mother also contacted social services, but she was told that upon investigation that Sandusky was a jock and that often times individual not familiar with the “jock culture” might misconstrue accepted contact between guys.

McQueary might have been shocked about what he witnessed, but what needs to be noted here is that his father is a physician and head of a prominent medical group in State College. Upon being told by his son about what he saw in the shower there is no way Dr. McQueary did not know he was legally obligated to report the abuse IMMEDIATELY to law enforcement. Instead he and his son go to the Athletic Director and shortly after Sandusky is supposedly banned from the PSU main campus.

I wonder how many parents who welcomed McQueary into their homes and listened intently while McQueary looked them in the straight in the eye and assured them that they could trust their sons to he and PSU are not sick to their stomach to the men they entrusted their sons.

Amazingly it is reported that in 2007 Sandusky was seen at the PSU practice facilites with a young boy and that as of up to last week he was a regular on the PSU campus, athletic complex, and events.

The Bible tells us there are sins of commission and omission. Unless Joe Pa has been mentally incompetent since the mid 1990’s there is no way he can not be held accountable for this and must be gone.

Consider that the man who was so arrogant that he was said that he would not leave College Football to the Barry Switzer’s and Jackie Sherrill’s of the world allowed a monster to freely walk the halls of his program up entire the man was arrested.

What is the worst part of this to me is that this is just a failure by PSU, but many throughout the State College community for well over a decade.

Joe Pa and the entire lot should be relieved of their duties and held accountable.

Great piece Scipio. I noticed that you used the East German wall guard as an example, couldn’t you just as well used an Abu Ghraib guard?

http://deadspin.com/5857689/a-weeping-joe-paterno-just-spoke-to-students-gathered-outside-his-living-room-window/#comments

Onward State has a live blog that includes PSU Footblog’s video of Paterno as he emerged from the house smiling before addressing the throng: “It’s hard for me to tell you how much this means to me. I’ve lived for this place, and I’ve lived for people like you guys and girls, and I’m just so happy to see that you could feel so strongly about us and about your school. [B]The kids that were victims or whatever they want to say[/B], I think we all ought to say a prayer for them. Tough life, when people do certain things to you. Anyway, you’ve been great. Everything’s great, all right.” Meanwhile, a Philly TV station has reported the number of victims to come forward with accusations against Jerry Sandusky is now “closer to 20.” This story just gets more and more surreal.

bevosbackside - I could not agree more.

He is supposedly out on a recruiting trip now, so unavailable for comment. If I was a High School coach or parent and he showed up wanting to talk to one of my kids, he wouldn’t get very far. While I would resist the urge to kick his sorry ass, I sure would let him know he was not welcome in my town.

Speechless.
 

Guess they will have to run him out, the impression I get from the video is that he is unmoved by this whole situation.

WTF? I like to think that if DKR or Mack were ever found to have done something similar, there would not be a groupof supporters outside chanting for him.

How the hell can you love a man that just admitted that he stood by and did NOTHING after hearing about one of the world’s most haneous crimes?

How stupid are our young people…..

Yeah tough life, Joe. Jesus.

And having lived in Pennsylvania, that video didn’t surprise one bit. Fucking pathetic.

Well that video certainly explains why the university cancled the press conference. Talk about someone who is out of touch with the situation.

WE ARE…PENN STATE. You can not be serious. If I were a parent of a victim, seeing that video, I would be so consumed with rage that I could not stop myself from murdering him for that. He doesn’t seem to care at all. Is it dementia? Or is this the real Joe Paterno behind the image of the educator coach?

To second everyone else, Amen Scipio.

It is ridiculous to think that a man that is a father figure to 18-22 year old’s could not stand up for those even more fragile and defenseless than his players, and do the right, moral, and in the State of Texas (lucky for him) the legal thing to do, is sad and pathetic beyond belief. My hope in this tragic situation is that people who may be on the fence about how they should handle a situation where they know wrong is being done, will stand up, and stand in for those in need.

WOW!

Scipio … just got around to reading this.

If I could only use my words like you …. that was the best take I’ve heard in the last 72 hours!

Well done, sir!

The kids that were victims or whatever they want to say

Bye Joe.

MajorTexasFan said: November 8th, 2011 at 8:36 pm
The kids that were victims or whatever they want to say

Bye Joe.
-
Yep.

whats crazy is that if a person saw a shooting, hopefully they would go to the police rather than just an administrator (second, after the police). This is the same thing in that a major, heinous crime is occurring but it’s not seen as a major crime. It’s difficult to wrap my head around this.

I don’t know who is worse, him or the morons in that crowd. A fucking pep rally? My God.

I wonder how that makes the families of the victims feel? That video should be Peoples’ Exhibit A at the class action civil trial against Penn State, Paterno and all the others who were complicit in this abourt the environment that enabled this abomination.

Scipio, I wish I had your talent so that i could adequately express my thoughts and emotions about this tragedy. Thank for the eloquent expression of so many thoughts that we share.

Paterno’s statement raised the hair on the back of my neck! Damn! Damn! Damn! Damn Joe Pa and everyone associated with allowing the continued physical and mental torture of these kids. Everything is not great, Joe. These victims will spend a lifetime working to recover from the abuse you fostered. Don’t come out of your house with a big grin and rejoicing in the response of your fawning sycophants! Hide in shame for your cowardly response and the harm it caused. You you had the power to end this in 2002, but you chose not to pursue it. You chose not to act on behalf of the children being abused in your locker room and to allow many more to be abused. You chose to allow this to be swept under the rug to protect the image of your program. What a self serving cowardly choice for all involved, but especially you Joe.

I don’t feel one damn bit better after that rant.

Well written my friend.

As a father of four under the age of 10 this really hits home. So much so that I refuse to read about the specifics. I’m the type that has to change the channel when the news starts talking about crimes against children, and the particulars of this case would make me physically ill I’m sure.

Aside from being a dad, this issue has a bit more relevance for me. I spent the fall coaching my son’s football team and about 80% of the kids on the team are from single parent homes or live with an aunt or grandma. These kids are extremely vulnerable because outside of mom, having adults around them with their best interest in mind on a day to day basis is basically a roll of the dice.

When I think about Sandusky and his “organization” and then relate it to how some of our players live, it’s easy to see how predators in positions of power can take advantage of the situation. My God, I shudder for these kids thinking about the risk they face of crossing paths with the next Sandusky. That said, the fact that ostensibly decent human beings like JoePa and McQuery had multiple chances to nip these actions in the bud is pretty sickening. I mean, I just don’t have the words. McQuery should have cracked that monster’s head, not run the info up the flag pole. Who does that?

Look, there’s a special place in hell for people like Jerry Sandusky, but the McQuery/Joe Pa tandem should share the same zip code for allowing this type of thing to happen on their watch. Where are the fathers? Where are the men? Burn that thing down.

JB,

It could have been ended in 1998, but the DA choice not to press charges after deliberating for a couple of days.

Anyone truly believe Joe Pa and PSU were not told about what they had on Sandusky? Anyone truly believe had it been some regular guy it would have gone down differently?

Thank you for yet another eloquent confirmation that legal minimum does not equal moral maximum.

I am going to bet the timing of the charges is related 100% to the AG determining that the case had reached the status of iron-clad. I cannot imagine planning and executing a legal case as explosive as this, and you lose all sorts of control once everything goes public. The detail and breadth of those reports strongly indicates the police and DAs knew the can of worms they were opening and prepared accordingly. You really can’t take that for granted these days.

I hope people with prosecution experience might address this, but I think I see several strategies at work here. The immediate goal remains Sandusky, but I have to wonder if related investigations and charges ultimately won’t reach much, much deeper into Penn State University before this is through. The PSU President’s silence is telling as well.

For reasons I can’t really articulate, this reminds me of a photo album found a few years ago showing officers at Auschwitz hanging Christmas ornaments while the ovens processed a shipment of Hungarian Jews over the holidays. Sometimes it’s not about doing nothing. Sometimes it’s being blinded by the illusion of a greater good. While the Matt Hayes piece casts about in places, he nails the Ivory Tower bunker and the way it can contribute to something like this. “We are… Penn State… We are… Penn State….” Delusional.

Reading this fine post and the good comments typical of BC has been cathartic. Thanks Scipio and to all who have shared their grief over a horrible sequence of events.

The real punch in the gut of this story is that men and a program seen as icons of male strength of character have been revealed as self-protective cowards who lost the best in themselves. If we as men can’t protect the children around us, whatever the cost, what good are we?

stunning and stomach turning. And so similar to what we’ve seen from the Catholic Church, from the perpetrators all the way to the top. The only possible recourse on the part of the university has to be to suspend the rest of the season and clean house from the bottom to the top. It will be interesting to see how high this gets. The obvious analogy to the Catholic Church scandal would be the pope, who was clearly part of the cover up before he was annointed pope, stepping down, which he should have done. Such incredible arrogance, and so incredibly sad.

If Jim Tressel could be booted out for free tats and and wanna-be “playas” selling their unis, then certainly Paterno should be gone immediately for not taking the lead in protecting kids. It’s unconscionable that he didn’t agitate and pursue this issue until he was absolutely certain that the matter had been fully investigated.

It’s stunning that PSU learned nothing from the agony of the Catholic Church.

Thanks Scipio. Reason # 2,345,436 of why I love this blog.

sadly, there is little solace in knowing that whatever punishment - either here, in prison, or in the netherworld - will be severe but rarely if ever just.

I just read enough of the legal document Victim 2 to get sick and angry.

From the scattered information I had, I thought there was some doubt about what was going on in the showers. No doubt if the account is true and there seems little reason to believe it is not.

This whole thing went straight through Paterno. It is difficult not to believe that he actively decided to take the gentlest steps possible to keep his old friend out of jail. That is go administrative instead of legal. His thoughts were clearly focused on his friend and not the victim(s). ScipioTex writes aptly and brilliantly about his.

Paterno’s behavior outside of his home this evening paints the picture of a man caught up in a tragedy he will not acknowledge. “This is not who I am. I am the beloved football coach!” I’ve had moments like that, but never with consequences nearly akin to these.

It’s infinitely more horrible for the victims than anyone else in this atrocity. But I have to go along with Nick that it’s sad as well for infamy to replace fame for Joe Paterno. There is no avoiding the magnitude of wrong in his actions that would affect so many people.

Shame on you, Joe.

Un-fucking-real some of the comments on the Black Shoe Diaries blog…JoePa didn’t have the power to do any more than he did? Really? How much fucking power does it take to pick up the phone and dial the police? I guarantee you if dispatch gets a call from Paterno somebody’s ass is in jail within an hour.

I don’t have children, but I’ve been blessed to be involved in many kids lives as a family member, a friend of the family, and as a coach. Kids are sacred. If there could be only one principle that guides our nation it should be that. I’ve never heard truth spoken so simply, or reality described so clearly or beautifully as I have from the mouths of children. Piss on any of the Penn State staff who knew about what was going on and did nothing, and any other sorry piece of shit that stands by and allows a child to be abused, in any way. Sandusky deserves nothing less than the gang rape and murder he’s likely going to face in prison.

This is the most perfect thing anyone could’ve written on this subject matter. I applaud you for your actions that day and in composing this piece. I just pray the victims of these crimes can somehow overcome all the terror their memories have captured.

Truly disgusting from Paterno. But before we as Texas fans go judging I am reminded that our own head coach was informed and had direct knowledge of inappropriate conduct by an assistant and did nothing. Not that I am trying to compare what Cleve Bryant did to what Sandusky did but the same moral ambivalence was seen. Only when public shame comes down to these men feel it is important to deal with the situations like a human being or as Scipio pointed out - a citizen.

The Cleve Bryant situation for me is more sickening than 5-7. We were lucky he did not engage in something more sordid that he did.

Totally appropriate usage of your position in this forum to air this article and thank you for raising the issue for all the people who read it. Shame on those in a position of authority.

Sexual harassment, while deplorable, is not in the same galaxy as the crime of raping a child.

Scipio, thanks for being a jackass and stepping in. It’s ok to be a jackass, I’ve done it many times. And sometimes I’ve regretted it, but it’s always reassuring to hear about another jackass who made a difference. Thank you!

I hope people look at this situation, and examine the legacy of Joe Pa. Joe Pa had this reputation of being honorable and fair and having integrity. But let this be a lesson to all of the deluded drones out there that there is a REAL good and evil, and the shades of gray is just bullshit that we’ve created to cloud the truth so that we can feel better about ourselves. As someone who has worked to assist these victims, I can tell you that your personal experience and this subsequent rebuttal of Sandusky and his enablers does help them. They hate hearing bout instances such theses, but they take heart knowing that a 17 year old had more courage than a bunch of grown men. As a father, former coach, and former Victim/Witness Advocate for the US Attorney’s Office, thank you for this piece.

Scipio, I couldn’t have said it better myself, even in my most inspired moments. Sadly, this is the kind of thing that, of course, does invoke such intense emotions.

We see time and again where minimizing, rationalizing immoral (understatement here) behavior of a close friend or long time associate only leads to the dark end. Somehow, many are very vulnerable to that tragic decision process.

Scipio:

Thank you for that moving and trenchant analysis. You touched me [and in keeping with the “no holds barred” nature of this wonderful site, I can add in humor — it was not a “bad touch.”]

Your personal story of moral courage stuck with me enough as I walked home last night (past a park with playground and ball fields) that, when a man and boy walked toward me on the sidewalk, I had your words ringing in my head: “presumably a parent,” “boy’s affect,” and “tendrils of concern.” I resolved to call up a small fraction of your moral courage (I am way over 17 years old) and looked the two in the eye and rendered a hearty, “Good evening. How are y’all doing?” I got back smiles and body language that meant I would continue to lack my own story of warding off a sexual predator. Fortunately, I can continue to recount yours.

This post was clearly one of your best.

Reading your work makes me laugh, cry, and, most importantly, think. It makes me proud to be a fellow Longhorn, and isn’t that really what this is all about?

This whole thing makes me sick to my stomach. I cannot imagine any body seeing something like that and just turning their back to it. I once saw a customer at the grocery store yelling at a sack boy who was mentally challenged and I almost came unglued. I approached the customer and told him to haul ass and then walked the teenager back inside and told the manager what happened so he would be aware of the situation in case the customer called to complain. He thanked me and said they were trying to give these kids an opportunity to work and some customers were not very tolerant of them. I was smoking hot after seeing that and I can only imagine what I would feel if I saw the things that were going on the Penn State locker room. I would have drug that son of bitch outside, whipped his ass and then called the police.

The people that saw this and failed to act on it are cowards and put the good of a fricking football program ahead of kids well being . Unfortunately, due the huge amounts of money and pressure on the coaching staff more and more underhanded things are going on in college sports and it will probably get worse as the amounts of money continue to escalate. I have always loved college sports and especially football but it is starting to get a stinch from all of the cheating and scandals and if it does not change the walls may come tumbling down. People are not going to donate thousands of hard earned dollars to support this kind of crap. This will tranish Penn State for many years and it is unfortunate for all of the people associated with Penn State that had no knowledge of any of this but will have to live with the shame the rest of their lifes.

Also Sciipio, what you did was very brave and the boy and his family will always remember you and what you did. There needs to be more people like you in this world.

We’ll see how this plays out. Ultimately, I believe that it’s going to be a lesson in how the “System” responds to abuses by the powerful. If you’re more than about 20 years of age, you probably already have a good idea of what comes after the current hue and cry.

Phase One and Phase Two are completed - the ignoring of the abuse, and the cover-up. Soon, someone(s) will be forced to acknowledge resonsibility in public. The repercussions to such acknowledgement surely will be instructive. See Reno, Janet and her “responsibility” for the deaths of dozens of men, women and children at Mt. Carmel.

Got one more thing to say. Someone close to me was molested as a child and it has fucked them up for their entire life. My guess is that most victims are functioning human beings, but they’ve got a wound that never heals. From my observations, it’s a challenge for them to have healthy relationships with everyone they love because the bond of trust that most people can develop was permanently scarred as a child.

I’m going to throw things at my TV is JoePa is coaching this Saturday. Fuck him, and everyone at State Penn that did nothing to stop this.

RomaVicta-

I agree which is why I think we were lucky. But as SlickStreet pointed out, the same type of rationalization and decision making process was used by coach Brown.

From my ongoing experience in health care, I encounter a matters related to neglect and abuse at a relatively high rate. What appears to be almost if not equally damaging to victims of childhood sexual abuse, affecting them throughout their adult lives, are the feelings associated with the “non-offending” parents who knew and did nothing to protect them, or who denied it and got angry with their child. I’d suggest that having parents, or someone, serve as a protector when bad or dangerous things happen through a child’s development serves a more important role than not having traumatic things happen.

It’s a personal choice for parents whether or not they talk with their children about inappropriate touching/adults seeing them naked as a preventative measure before anything untoward ever happens. It can seem unnatural to introduce something like that into the mind of an innocent child, but it will help children know you are there to protect them and that you will not get angry at them for telling you about it. Kids will understand what they are ready to understand, but if in a future moment something untoward does happen, they will be more prepared to understand to get out. On this last point I can speak from some personal childhood experience. My parents had these talks with us and for me it paid off the one and only occasion where I needed it to. I can reflect on the powerful effect of seduction paired with adult authority. That was something entirely new at that age. But I also thought of my parents in that moment and recognized the situation as dangerous. I got out before anything truly physical happened and told my parents. My child turns 1 year old in a couple of weeks, so I have to wait a little while before having the same talk.

Growing up, my best friend’s dad was a PSU grad. Both my friend and his younger brothers went on to graduate from the university, and through them all I became a fan of PSU at large and Joe Paterno in particular.

The Mole Man seemed to be the anti-Switzer, running a clean, no frills program concerned as much about right and wrong as winning and losing. And the fact that you could be a “good guy” and beat the “bad guys” like the Miami Hurricanes sure didn’t hurt.

All of that, as often is the case, has crashed like a house of cards. It was always about winning and losing and legacy and image, not right and wrong. Once again, a person of respect has been shown to be the worst sort: a hypocritical scumbag. The Switzer’s of the world are almost preferable, because at least they don’t pretend to be saints. I’d rather just know you are an asshole than have to learn otherwise.

The scroll this morning says Paterno has “decided” to retire at the end of the season and coach the rest of the year. If I were an alum, I would be outraged that my university let’s this man continue to be its face. He should resign immediately or be fired. Ritualistic suicide, a la WWII Japanese generals, would be the most honorable thing these bastards could do, but I realize that likely will not occur. But the likelihood is that he will coach the rest of the way, pad that record win total a bit more and then quietly slither away at season’s end. That modestly shameful exit in no way represents the jeeringand virtual lynching this man and his cronies deserver.

There is just something extra sickening about people in these sorts of position of responsibility taking part in crimes like this. And that is what they did. They KNEW this had taken place ON THEIR CAMPUS, IN THEIR FACILITIES by one of their own and they did essentially nothing. They kept passing the buck “upward” into some netherworld of irresponsibility where “someone” should and will do something. Except they didn’t, and more children were abused. These men are just as complicit in Sandusky’s crimes as the get away driver in a bank robbery gone bad who, I might add, is eligible for execution for crimes actually committed by others.

I don’t believe in heaven or hell, so justice in this world is what is required and these people are sorely in need of experiencing the worst of our nation’s criminal justice system. I hope Paterno faces severe personal financial consequences from this, but I doubt it. He will Uncle Leo (I’m an old man; I was confused!) his way out of this while other officials with better titles and less power are held to higher account.

Newy re: The despicable Cleve Bryant:

“But as SlickStreet pointed out, the same type of rationalization and decision making process was used by coach Brown.”

That type of rationalization is used by just about everybody in the world to some degree or another when it comes to ignoring or cutting some slack to a friend or family member. What matters is the magnitude of the consequences. If Mack knew about Cleve and did nothing, then that’s a shame on him. If someone knows of a sex crime against a child and does nothing then that’s heinous and often felonious.

Barry Switzer cheating with one of his assistant’s wives is deplorable, but not criminal. That is also not in the same galaxy as child rape or tolerance of child rape. Bringing up Mack or any other head coach that I know of and saying they are “lucky” the same thing didn’t happen to them is an absurd stretch of rationalization. I don’t think any of those coaches have come close to being in the same position Paterno was in.

If I were to be told one of my closest friends was witnessed imposing anal sex on a ten year old, I would, no doubt, first want to deny the possibility that it happened. Confronted with a believable eye witness, I’d be forced to abandon feelings of friendship and act appropriately. Paterno seemingly could not bring himself to do that nor did he seem willing to endanger the reputation of himself and his institution. He opted to do the wrong thing. The very wrong thing.

Maybe the most damning piece of evidence against Paterno is the order that Sandusky not be allowed to bring children to the campus. This limp action acknowledges that the administration felt something wrong might very well be going on and took the amoral step of insisting, “don’t do it here.” Wow. With that mandate, that surely Paterno knew about, Penn State loses the defense of ignorance.

We are not “lucky” this didn’t happen here. Luck has nothing to do with it other than Sandusky’s ill luck at having someone interrupt his crime in the showers of the Penn State locker room. Is “luck” for the institution founded in its actions and inactions? No. Luck is an external factor, Penn State’s fate was an internal matter that has come to light.

Their situation is unique not universal. Or so one hopes.

Unique in terms of magnitude.

Paterno announcing his retirement, saying he is “devastated.”

Now, that is.

Roach,

I don’t disagree that that’s exactly what Paterno SHOULD have done. But before I assign moral blame, I’m compelled to ask, what did the university administration tell him about what steps THEY were taking? If they told him an investigation was going to take place, or that one HAD taken place and nothing was found, then I have some sympathy for a 78 year old man who’s just heard a second-hand account of terrible (though perhaps unspecified) acts by a friend and colleague of over 30 years’ standing, and been told that it was being handled. I mean, he’s not an investigator or a lawyer. And if some university counsel told him, truthfully or not, that the situation was proceeding as it should, then what he should have done from that point becomes murkier.

This is why I think the press conference was cancelled. I think he would have said some very damaging things about the administration and their knowledge an actions following the accusation. And I’m betting that those disclosures still come out in some form.

Again, none of this absolves him. But we’re all assuming he had perfect knowledge, and from my standpoint, the evidence isn’t there yet. Which isn’t to say he shouldn’t step down, I believe he should. But there’s a hell of a lot of responsibility to go around here, and if his walk into the sunset is the final act of the coverup that absolves people like the administration, campus police, Second Mile, McQueary, etc., then the victims of these crimes will be poorly served.

Good stuff, Scip. Great job of stripping this thing down to its core.

Several things for me to comment on.

CULTURE of cover-up here is crazy. Makes tOSU look like a saint in comparison.

The GA sees this occurring and calls his dad. ???

The dad hears this… and says LEAVE NOW???

The coach hears this…. and waits to talk to the AD the next day???

The AD hears this and waits to talk to the GA 1 1/2 weeks later??

This was a well-developed culture of cover-up. Everyone’s first instinct was to see how the AD and the higher ups want it handled… not, “let’s do what’s right”.

The other thing that I keep hearing in the media that pisses me off… “Too bad that ONE bad mistake or lapse in judgment by Paterno can ruin an otherwise glorious career.”

ONE bad mistake? This Sandusky was his Assistant from ‘69-99. This Sandusky had the second mile charity up and running since the 70’s. This 98 report was certainly known because Sandusky was being vetted as a possible replacement for JoePa around 99. So when this 02 report happened… JoePa already had knowledge of the 98 happenings.

And again…. over 30 years, no other reports had come forward? Sandusky just became attracted to young boys starting in 96 even though he had a charity geared towards young boys that had been going on since the 70’s? JoePa is not that stupid. Sandusky may have been a good liar, but no way JoePa’s first hearing of this was in 02.

And i’m betting there’s a whole lot more than 8 boys. That’s just the one’s we know about… since 96. Some others will come forward. LOTS more.

Between this shit and Chinese toddler roadkill, I don’t want to live on this planet anymore.

RomaVicta-

I agree 100% the magnitude makes it different. But I still believe Mack knew about sexual misconduct by Cleve Bryant and did nothing about it. And to me that is disgraceful. There were victims and although the magnitude is not the same there is a women who will now think differently about work and men in general because of what happened. Only when threatened by a lawsuit and media coverage was any meaningful action taken. Perhaps the spread in magnitude makes this a bad time to address this issue but I do not think that is the case.

Mack was literally willing to cover up sexual misconduct to protect a friend. That type of thinking and action is far worse than losing 7 football games.

To compare this to Cleve is downright silly.

Cleve was accused in October 2010 with a formal complaint. By September of 2011, Bryant was fired. Less than a year later. He’s not allowed on campus with a key to all the facilities, is he?

Cleve’s case was a case of ‘he said, she said.’ He still maintains his innocence even though I doubt he’s innocent. He claims she was just miffed that he refused her an 11,000 raise.

The most egregious example of Bryant’s misconduct was fondling a woman’s breasts. I’m not condoning this…. But it is important to note that there were no second-hand witnesses and that this pales in comparison to the sexual acts that Sandusky was witnessed doing.

Want to guess what the second most damning evidence was against Bryant??? Several texts that he sent saying, “kiss me.”

The Cleve Bryant case was a clear case of a boss not knowing his boundaries and acting inappropriately towards his employees. But its not even in the same planet as the Sandusky case.

Newy25? How are you so privy to all the details and timing of the Cleve Bryant situation? How do you know that Mack didn’t do something when it was brought to his attention? How do you know that Cleve does not answer to Deloss Dodds? If you know anything about personnel law you would know that most things are to be kept confidential and any breach can result in a law suit by the employee (Cleve or the women that was harassed). Due to this, it is very possible that the situation was reported and that the University had to do an investigation in to the matter and determine whether or not Cleve had actually created a hostile work environment before they could take action. If Mack were to run down the hall and fire him prematurely it could have resulted in legal issues for the University and the possibility that Cleve was fired unjustly. We are still innocent until proven guilty. In the case at PSU there is no question about it when you walk in and see it in progress. It is an open and closed case and the child needs the adults to act on his behalf for his protection and well being. This is not a matter of doing an investigation, this is a matter of picking up the phone and calling the police. There would be enough forensic evidence to prosecute which would take care of the legal side and the employment issue as well. In my opinion these are very different situations and you are making an unfair comparison.

One last question, what years did you attend A&M?

But I still believe Mack knew about sexual misconduct by Cleve Bryant and did nothing about it. And to me that is disgraceful.

Yes, your beliefs are disgraceful.

First off, if I hear one more comparison to the Catholic Church I might not visit this site ever again. Pedophilia is an individual sickness and its predators will find any access possible to young people. Pedophiles have infiltrated schools, synagogues, doctor’s offices, episcopal churches, charities, etc. to have this access. It just so happens Sandusky used the Second Mile organization for this access not Penn State.

This will be the most fascinating case study in human psychology and philosophy for years to come.

Should Paterno have done more than he did? Absolutely. I’m devasted for all those involved particularly those children. But let’s not lose sight of the fact that he in fact did NOT witness the actual incident, he did in fact report what was told to him to the administrators, and to my knowledge did not lie about the incident or cover it up, and most importantly didn’t commit these heinous acts.

He clearly distanced himself from a man he considered a good friend long ago. And he also distanced himself from an incident he probably never wanted any part of. For this, he will have to live with his inactions for the rest of his life.

Does he deserve criticism for his inactions? Absolutely, but I also feel he is being unfairly villified in the media and blogs as a monster. If it comes out that he took part in a coverup or lied then I will sharpen my pitchfork. This man devoted 62 years of his life to a university by shaping and molding thousands of young people. By all accounts, he is revered by those who played for him and/or know him. It’s a good lesson that one action or inaction can erase 62 years of good that one does.

There are many unknowns and questions to be answered. Why didn’t McQuery go to the police himself? He witnessed the act. What was the specific conversation between McQuery and Paterno? What occurred in the meeting between McQuery, Schultz, and Curly 10 days later? Did the administrators property investigate and what did they find? Did anyone ever have a conversation with Sanducksy regarding the alleged 2002 incident? Did McQuery and Sandusky ever talk again? Did Paterno ever question Sandusky about this incident? What did Second Mile know and when? What did Paterno know prior to 2002? Why weren’t the campus police notified? Did Paterno have converstations with Curly regarding the incident? etc, etc.

For now, I am still withholding judgement on Paterno and my vitriol is directed at the man who committed these unthinkable acts. Unless something new comes to light, I believe the University and Paterno are doing the right thing by his finishing out the season and “retiring” thereafter. Is it time for him to go? Yes, but I also believe he deserves to leave with his dignity in tact. He is owed that much for 62 years of outstanding service to a community, a state, and most importantly young people. I wonder how his football team feels?

Fire away……..

“Mack was literally willing to cover up sexual misconduct to protect a friend.”

Lying or spreading rumors with no evidence is also a despicable act. I’m sure you can back up your above statement with some evidence.

I’ll not further this absurd comparison by writing about it on a thread about multiple sex crimes and their institutional cover-up. You’re welcome to have a last word as far as I am concerned.

I was incorrect on the timing of the Cleve Bryant firing.

Cleve was accused in October 2010… he was fired in March of 2011.

For those counting at home… that’s less than 6 months later. How is this ANYTHING like Penn State again??

Oh and Cleve’s accuser refuses to press any criminal charges. Strange if what he’s accused of doing is SO egregious.

Oh and Groundhog day… you are absolutely right. The only thing that the Pope and JoePa have in common is that they’re both 84 and Catholic. Really??

>>>> Oh and in October… when the allegations were made… Cleve was immediately put on a leave of absence.

Look, something got out on Sandusky. He never got considered, that we know of, for another coaching job. Most coaches are lifers, if they want to do it. He is a notable exception to the rule.

As to McQueary, in that split second, he must have realized that his career hung in the balance. Paterno ruled Penn State. Sandusky’s mere presence that night was evidence of that. McQueary’s path was through channels. Going outside channels was a career risk. Ask Abar Rouse about that.

hxxp://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=oneil_dana&id=3371852

My point ,orange, is that whenever pedophilia is brought up the Catholic church is always associated with it. When in fact, numerous cases of pedophilia have occurred in churches, synagogues, schools, youth leagues, charity org, dr’s offices. I’m tired of the agenda against and slander of the Catholic Church. This wasn’t a CC problem, this is a societal issue on how predators seek access.

Now back to the issue at hand…..

The scene in the locker room and shower as described in the indictment becomes more and more nightmarish the more I hear it referred to.

Nobody is supposed to be there when McQueary comes into the place. It’s supposed to be dark and quiet. Abandoned. Now I think of the kid. Probably given a special tour of the Penn State facilities by someone with special access. What stratagem got them together in the shower? The transition proceeds from wonder tour to being naked in the shower of a strange building with a full grown man. It gets worse. It gets worse than a nightmare. Someone sticks their head to see what is going on and then leaves. LEAVES! Again, you are alone with the criminal. Helpless.

I hate having this sequence in my head. I’m slow to be roused to outrage, but there is no other response. And it keeps being compounded. I’m just lamely recapitulating the more elegant observations of Scipio’s post, but it is unavoidable to keep wondering how this happened as it did. Truly, nobody gave a second thought to that little kid in that quiet, strange place being, let’s say it, fucked by a grown man.

Infamy. Felony. Disgrace.

I think your anger at Joe Paterno is somewhat misplaced. There were at least a dozen witnesses to Sandusky’s behavior over a period of 8 years or so. None of them reported it, and the only time it was reported the campus police apparently quashed it. The one incident that Paterno was involved in, he did exactly what he was supposed to do - he reported it to his boss. I personally don’t fault him for the inaction of his employers. You can claim that he should have done more, gone directly to the police, etc. but keep in mind that the other people involved didn’t do that either so obviously that decision was not peculiar to Joe Paterno, and it’s easy to say what should’ve been done and could’ve been done when we are removed from the situation and have no attachment to it. Sandusky’s own wife tried to contact his victims to get them to protect him, and she must’ve known about the showering, sleeping, and traveling together. My point is, if you’re angry with Paterno for not doing more than he was required to, keep in mind that he did more than most people in this case.

I’ve never been involved in a molestation case. I’ve been involved in military investigations, aircraft mishap investigations, and sexual harassment investigations. It’s easy to uncover a hundred areas where an accident could have been prevented or people could’ve done something to stop it before it happened or got out of hand. It’s also easy to judge those people and admonish them for not acting in a more appropriate manner. There’s almost always something that each person could’ve done to stop it and a chain of event leading to the incident that could have been easily recognized and stopped before it happened. I’m not excusing Paterno’s behavior. What I’m saying is it’s easy to judge from where we sit. Maybe he should’ve ran up to Sandusky and knocked him out. But Jesus, the school president claimed that he couldn’t even recall exactly what the GA had described, and the assistant that reported it wouldn’t have done so if not for his dad calling up Paterno in the first place. Dealing with the facts that he had - one witness that, if the depositions of the Penn State leadership are true, was not screaming ‘child rape’ but was saying that he saw something inappropriate - he handed the case off to the people who had the power and authority to investigate and handle it properly. Schultz and the others are the ones that really dropped the ball here.

newy really fucked up a relevant discussion but there’s way too much to clean up here, so I’ll leave it to you guys to get it back on track.

As deplorable as Cleve’s actions were, we’re not even in the same zip code (let alone State) in comparing what he did to the felenious actions by Sandusky.

End of story.

Misplaced? JoePa and PSU knew enough about this man’s behavior to push him into retirement in 1998. They then took no steps to keep it from happening again. Then it got more evidence in the form of a direct eyewitness on the staff. They then took minimal action and never followed up.

And they did nothing about Sandusky’s charity, which he used to continue to rape little boys.

If I can’t be angry at JoePa — the most powerful person at PSU — then who can we be angry about?

Groundhog day…. Fair point. With this case however, the comparisons are bound to happen. Not because of the pedophilia alone… but because of the alleged institutional cover-up.

Orangechipper: “Groundhog day…. Fair point. With this case however, the comparisons are bound to happen. Not because of the pedophilia alone… but because of the alleged institutional cover-up.”

As if the underlying crime isn’t bad enough, the bureaucratic cover-up is staggering in its stupidity and callousness. What has happened to the Catholic Church (loss of moral credibility, loss of focus on legitimate charitable efforts, loss of members—including me, etc.) should serve as a warning to any institution of any kind not to sweep this kind of behavior under the rug.

Superb piece. I am simply stunned by the number of PSU Koolaid drinkers who still support JoePa on various boards. They seem to think that reporting an incident to his superior was his only obligation. Like he witnessed a coach smoking a joint or something, instead of being told of child rape. Sickening.

Joe Pa has some gall. His preemptive retirement announcement is a bullshit power play. “You can’t fire me, because I quit!… in a few weeks.”

Penn State needs to seize the opportunity to send a very strong message: no cow is too sacred for this slaughter. When it comes to abetting child rape, not even a Hall of Fame coaching legend is immune from responsibility. Tell Paterno to fuck himself and send him packing ASAP.

Quick update:

- President Spanier submits resignation
 
My thoughts:
 
I think Paterno should be shown the door rather than allowed to retire. The notion that he can still pick the time and place of his choosing is abhorrent to me.
 
Spanier was forced out, obviously.
 
Any journalist who attends any Penn St press conferences for the rest of the year and bowl season who doesn’t press Paterno and any member of the coaching staff (hi, Mike McQueary) on these questions instead of banally asking about the upcoming game, should be excoriated for abandoning their basic function.

The president is forced out and the head football coach is still around in a scandal that centers around the football coaching staff.

Well, that sends a nice message about your priorities.

Roach,

That is the head coach (who has announced his resignation at the end of the year) and the GA who witnessed the assault in the shower and is now a position coach and recruiting co-ordinator was recently on the road recruiting.

My dad moved me up north in late grade school when he changed crew bases for American Airlines to Buffalo, NY (I know, WHAT?).

I played JV football freshman and Sophomore years and was pretty average at best. The summer before my Junior year, I got an opportunity to attend a major University summer camp- Penn State University. I learned more general technique and conditioning methods that I ever could have at a small High School, and that fall I started on every team except kickoffs (DL, Center, Long snapper). All of the coaches were players GAs and Coordinators. Mr. Paterno was out there every day, scouting talent for PSU, I presume. I attended the next summer as well and was all conference my Senior year and was asked to walk on in D III in college.

I bring all this up because until I read these articles by Scip and Clyde, I was just not ready to throw the book at a man I credit with turning me into a decent player and giving me an opportunity to be a lot more than I was.

Now, I have to more than agree with what’s said here, and it makes me sick. I also attended the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, and this just revolts me in a very similar fashion- both institutions that no matter how hard they scrub, they likely will never get the stink off their hands. Jesus, I need a drink……

You’re one of the best writers around and this was one of your best pieces. Congratulations!

I have two comments.

First, the thing for which JoePa cannot be and never should be forgiven is the rationalization, “Sandusky doesn’t work here anymore, therefore there is nothing I can or should do.” I assume State College has a police force that deals with crimes like child molesting.

Second, I think Penn State is in this up to their collective necks and I’ll swear, money changed hands at some point; likely at several points. There simply cannot be a “secret” kept by this many people - victims, friends, relatives - over this much time. Until a jury proves me wrong, I will believe that Penn State knew and simply paid people off to keep quiet about it.

JG,

Once Sandusky begins trial, he many have quite a bit to say about who contacted him in 1998 and 2002. This is just the beginning on literally every level of this story. As a PR guy, if I worked for PSU i would fire everyone even remotely involved and bring in someone of stature (like Ridge) and call for a state blue ribbon panel to investigate it.

There is no win for these guys. The question if it is a quick execution or horrific, spread out torture.

Buggy if sanduskys attorny is worth a shit you’ve heard all you’re ever going to hear from him.

Excellent piece.

There is no choice but to purge anyone involved with this for both legal and PR reasons. How will the university ever distance itself from this deplorable behavior if it retains anyone associated with it. How does it avoid civil and criminal culpability when it fails to completely investigate and terminate anyone that failed to act appropriately. How can a corporate HR procedure direct any result that fails to direct disclosure, termination and immediate police involvement. Penn St is really destroying itself trying to hang on to something that is already lost.

Buggy,

There is no win for anyone associated with this mess and, frankly, there shouldn’t be. There are very few one-sided issues, but child molestation is one of them and anyone who does it or knows about it and doesn’t report it to the authorities deserves everything that’s coming to them.

And I say that as a brass-collar, liberal Democrat.

Roach,

I’m not saying that would be done on the stand. But Sandusky’s lawyer would be stupid to not try to get a bigger fish implicated. So far, no one has said anything about what was agreed to in 1999. What did PSU/JoePA say to get him to retire and how much did they know.

That’s the next shoe to drop.

JG,

Yep, no win indeed. And I bat from the way left, too.

Jesus,

As a father of one who is 28 years old, I speak to you. This is the most disgusting story I have read in sports. If I were Penn State, not only fire Paterno but never mention his name again. Pray for the victims! We are all responsible for our vulnerable young. Sports mean nothing in the context of this story!

I am stunned!

BDD, if they make any kind of plea deal with Sandusky that involves someone, anyone who didn’t actually molrest a child, they need their nuts cut off. He deserves the maximum punishment allowable under the law and nothing less. Big fish measured against little boys. Can’t equalize it in my mind, but—-. Anyway, I believe the civil suit will sort all of that out.

If they want to go after anyone else, McQuery and his father would appear to hold the key to that without offering anything to Sandusky. According to what I’ve read, Joe Pa already “agreed” to cooperate with the DA, whatever that means.

I read through the Grand Jury report and presentment this morning and was struck on this reading by how many parents were informed of what had happened. Yet NO ONE was prosecuted. In one instance, child services was informed; nothing happened. Some folks were paid off.

I completely understand and sympathize with the attitudes presented here by the majority of commenters. As a father of four boys, I absolutely agree with anyone who says that their reaction in similar circumstances might well tend toward homicide. I should probably amend that to “by God would” rather than “might well”.

As a cop once told me, regarding a case in which a rather nasty customer had been found dead with several holes in his carcass and a few rounds from two or three different guns, and a finding of “death by misadventure” was entered, “some people just need killin’, so we file shit like this under DSF - Did Society a Favor - ain’t no sense in wasting taxpayers’ dollars tryin’ to figure out which one of the many folks he fucked over did this. For my money, he done it to hisself.”

That said, anyone who thinks that people like Sandusky are some sort of incredible rarity, or that investigations being sidetracked are equally rare… well, let’s just say that if you think that, you may not be paying attention.

Here’s a good place to start: hxxp://www.whale.to/b/pedophocracy.html - I guess the good old html href would work, but you can probably copy/edit/paste that.

“I’m not about to quit coaching and leave college football to the likes of Joe Paterno” - Jackie Sherrill

Leave it to an Aggie to miss the entire fucking point.

Only the tip of the iceberg of this sickening mess. Ray Gricar the DA who looked into this originally went missing in 2005 and was never found. His hard drive and laptop were found in a river, but the hard drive was destroyed. Many more people connected to Penn St may be involved in more than just a cover-up. Sandusky must have had the goods on a lot of power-brokers/donors to avoid repercussion’s for this long. Its all going to come out. Penn State is a dead school.

Tip of the iceberg, indeed. Rumors are now circulating that Sandusky was not only running his “charity” to find boys for himself, but was pimping them out to rich Penn State donors.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=ycn-10407023

Really good piece on a really awful topic. Thanks for taking the time to write.

Great post. I remain amazed by the reactions of the parties involved, including the Second Mile organization. I think back to the Michael Jackson interviews, where he admitted to having visiting children sleep with him. People were outraged. The Second Mile, however, on their webpage state that in 2002 PSU called and told them that there was a report of an adult individual who was found showering with one of the Second Mile kids. Second Mile accepts Penn State’s decision that there was nothing inappropriate happening. Really?!?!

Beautifully written re awful subject. Reminded me of—

“You’ve got to promise me if you’re watching, If you are ever at a point where you are so puzzled, confused and frightened that you think the only way out is to abuse or molest a little kid then… Step into the plate and take one for the team. ".
- Dennis Miller, Rants , 1997

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