<p>I agree with Poetgirl, about the “race” issue. I mentioned it pages ago, soon after mini made the comment. In fact, at that time, I interpreted her posting, with the “welcome to America” part, as meaning here in America some people will wrongly try to use race as a factor in a feeble attempt to persuade someone’s opinion. I thought it was cleverly written and was intended as a way to show how people here will twist evidence/facts/etc by deliberately muddying the subject by using a sensitive topic. I see now I misinterpreted her meaning. Now I see it was not the intent to demonstrate how some will try to muddy the waters. It seems it really is mini’s point of view.</p>
<p>Look at Boeheim’s response at Syracuse and its no wonder kids don’t come forward against their rapists especially at big time college athletic programs. Calling this kid a liar what a thousand times. How the hell does Boeheim know this. What a jerk. Was this guy going after money when he went to the Syracuse Univ. police in 2005 and told to get lost. Mr. Boeheim I can tell you why other people didn’t agree to support this guy-its because they knew that guys like you would attack them and destroy them. Thank God some of these people are finally getting the courage to challenge jerks like Paterno and Boeheim.</p>
<p>“Anybody want to raise their hand and say they’d be okay with being accused of something like that? Falsely?”</p>
<p>No, but are you saying that the legitimate claims of real abused victims should not be filed because some false claims will also follow?</p>
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<p>What I’m saying is the public and the media need to not throw people under the bus because they have been accused. They need to let the court system do its job. </p>
<p>You’ll see I posted a link to a lady who accused one of her former coaches. She didn’t tell the police; she said it on NATIONAL TELEVISION. He was subsequently been removed from his coaching position. No evidence required.</p>
<p>I was glad to read, today, that the FBI has become involved, giving the investigators access to their labs and databases. I was also happy to hear they are considering an investigation of their own.</p>
<p>I think the further away from Happy valley we can get, the better the investigation will be. JMO</p>
<p>hops, no but you don’t go out and call the accuser a liar when you have absolutely no way to know if he is a liar. You don’t say that the accuser is motivated by money. There is a difference between supporting your coach and outright attacking someone who makes a claim like this. You say something like I support my coach and knowing him as I do do not believe there is any possibility that he has done what he is accused of. We sit here and can’t understand why kids who are attacked don’t come forward–it’s pretty obvious to me.</p>
<p>I missed that link, and I am sure there are lots of wrongly accused people. But I am not sure that discussion of my opinion and anyone’s opinion here cause anything like that or has the effect you claim. Everybody are entitled to their days in court and should be properly represented and present their case to a set of jurors that are agreed upon by both side. If what you described happened then it was wrong then and that was the fault of those people involved.</p>
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<p>How many people have been fired at Penn State already? Would you like to remind us how many of them were found guilty so far?</p>
<p>sm74, I agree with you so I hope you did not misunderstood what I said. Furthermore, victims should have the right to come out and make their cases, but accusers who are wrongly accused should also be punished to the full extent of the law so that such acts are discouraged.</p>
<p>“How many people have been fired at Penn State already? Would you like to remind us how many of them were found guilty so far?”</p>
<p>Why ask me this question? This is a question for PSU and the BOT. Do you know why they were fired or why they should not be fired?</p>
<p>hops, </p>
<p>Two, and neither was charged with a crime. Sometimes, in the rarest of instances, employment is terminated without the commission, or even allegation, of criminal activity (sounds crazy, I know). Sometimes, again almost never, employers decide that one or more of their employees suck; so they terminate them. No judge, no jury, or executioner. Just a pink slip. Sometimes.</p>
<p>^^^
So the Board of Trustees held a special meeting in the midst of sexual assault allegations and decided to fire the head football coach “because he sucked?” That same head football coach who has been there for 45+ years. Right. </p>
<p>His firing had nothing to do with the mess that has become Penn State because the media has decided to make this a national story. </p>
<p>Good call.</p>
<p>Maybe he was fired for insubordination and belittling the BOT in front of national TV.</p>
<p>And sometimes people have what are commonly known as morals clauses, where if they bring disfavor/discredit to their institution they can be let go. Most people may not have such clauses, but some do. In such cases, both parties understand a criminal conviction is not the standard.</p>
<p>I don’t know, hearing an old man saying he showered naked with boys and naked hugging and their genitals touched, eh no judgement here</p>
<p>LYpying side by side on a bench with a boy, eh</p>
<p>And more, nope, no reason to judge</p>
<p>And it’s not like the there were over half a dozen unconnected witnesses</p>
<p>Oh add in his admissions of bad behavior</p>
<p>Yup, let’s give Sandusky the benefit of the doubt in the public opinion realm</p>
<p>As for the firing, think if you add in that paterno was barely coaching anymore anyway, and that for years he knew he had a sexual predator roaming Penn state, and did nada, guess they should have kept the old guy around so he could hold on to his dignity.m it’s not like he respected his bosses and would have done the right thing on his own</p>
<p>And Spanier actually offered to resign.</p>
<p>[PSU:</a> Prez Spanier offered resignation - NCAA Football - CBSSports.com](<a href=“http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/story/16153517/psu-prez-spanier-offered-resignation]PSU:”>http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/story/16153517/psu-prez-spanier-offered-resignation)</p>
<p>There were many members of the Board of Trustees who wanted Paterno to quit long before this scandal broke. Regardless of his inaction, they were looking for a reason for him to go.</p>
<p>In addition, the Governor had a major fight last year with the Penn State President (Graham Spanier) when the Governor tried to cut state funding of all public universities by 50%. The President led the fight against the cut, and got it reduced to around 20%. The Governor was also angry that the Penn State President said he would have to close some branch campuses if there was a 50% cut, which would have most likely affected districts of Republican state senators in rural areas.</p>
<p>When the scandal broke, the first thing the Governor did was to get on the phone with the Trustees to get the President fired. There has been very little information about what the President did or did not know. The President testified that he was only given the most vague information from his senior VP.</p>
<p>Spanier was widely respected within Penn State and within the larger world of higher education. By every statistical measure, Penn State greatly improved during his years as President.</p>
<p>Hops,</p>
<p>I am not suggesting that at all. They may have long suspected that Paterno sucks, or they may have recently discovered it. It is likely they may have felt that Paterno (and Spanier) should have done more with regard to allegations of misconduct and abuse by a member, then former member, of his coaching staff. Paterno, the Board, and most of the free world seem to agree on that point (although there are some notable holdouts). Accepting that Paterno did not do more/enough, the question was what was the approporiate sanction - Paterno thought retirement with dignity after the season, his supporters felt, one more game, the Board felt no more games. </p>
<p>The Board wins. The Board wins.</p>
<p>But let’s loose sight of the fact that lots and lots of kids were sexually abused. Oh wait, allegedly abused when lots and lots of people at the school and in the football program have the power to stop it. Since it is “allegedly”, Paterno loosing his job is so much more important. And how dare these kids coming out and making legal claims that actually cause Paterno to loose his jobs. And the gutless BOT who actually fired people before the trial is completed and not wait a few years before we know for sure.</p>