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<p>JoePa, Spanier, Schultz, and Curley decided – many times, over many years – to harbor a monster. Where was their concern for the blameless members of the PSU community?</p>
<p>In many ways the larger PSU community has suffered and will continue to because of the misdeeds of that cabal.</p>
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<p>I’m sorry if you don’t understand the difference between “waiting for it to come out” and “defending” somebody. </p>
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<p>BS! I’ll bet this doesn’t even make the news if it’s not a person in the public eye. Would you expect that person’s employer to be shut down for it?</p>
<p>When the employer and many others within the system knows what’s going on under their watch and chooses to cover it up, ignore it, and allow it to continue, then yes–I would want the business shut down. In this situation, the football program is the business. It’ll never happen, but it would be a more believable token of apology then simply paying off the victims (they’ll probably include a privacy clause tied in the settlement so the victims can’t disclose anything more).</p>
<p><<psu was="" my="" ds="" first="" choice="" two="" years="" ago="" when="" she="" applying="" to="" schools.="" ended="" up="" falling="" in="" love="" with="" another="" the="" end,="" though.="" looking="" back,="" it="" is="" such="" a="" relief="" me="" that="" didn’t="" go="" there.="" wonderful="" school="" many="" ways="" but="" this="" whole="" scandal="" would="" have="" tainted="" her="" experience,="" imo.="">></psu></p>
<p>Penn State was my son’s first choice. He chose to attend and to this day feels he made the right decision. Did this experience effect him? Of course - no way it could not. He was disgusted and appalled by the behavior of Sandusky and the PSU administration and embarrassed by the behavior of some of his fellow students. But it has not changed his mind (or ours) about the decision he made. He’s still proud to be part of the Blue Band, the Honors College, the College of Engr, and Penn State.</p>
<p>hops, if an organization systematically allows and covers up criminal activity for decades, if countless children are hurt because of the organization’s failure to deal with the problem effectively – then yes, I’d expect it to be shut down. It’s not as if a few isolated people executed the coverup. Football worship infected the entire program, and indeed, the entire school. Do you see any evidence that that’s changed? Your outrage is evidence that, in fact, it hasn’t. Football is still king at Penn State.</p>
<p>So LasMa, you’re honestly telling me that the third string quarterback on the team a year ago knew about it? What about the Graduate Assistant Equipment Manager? What about the student video guy?</p>
<p>Of course not. But they DID know about, and benefit from, the culture which put football above everything. That culture led an institution of higher learning to harbor a dangerous criminal for 20 years. And that culture remains.</p>
<p>Out of curiosity, from a legal standpoint - what would happen if PSU decided to demote the football program to club level for x years. Do they have some kind of contract with the Big 10 that would forbid them from doing so, such that the other Big 10 schools could sue? I’m not asking whether they should, I’m asking whether they legally could, given that the existence of their football program materially affects other, uninvolved schools.</p>
<p>John Edwards, Joe Paterno, Jimmy Swaggart…the list goes on. ANY time you hear one of these people who make millions preaching family values, and see that the lemmings have anointed them some sort of god-like status, it should raise a huge red flag. Hey Joe, hope you enjoy having your sleeping quarters right next to Osama Bin Laden, and be sure to leave a mattress for your boy Sandusky - he’ll be with you down there soon enough.</p>
<p><<hey joe,="" hope="" you="" enjoy="" having="" your="" sleeping="" quarters="" right="" next="" to="" osama="" bin="" laden,="" and="" be="" sure="" leave="" a="" mattress="" for="" boy="" sandusky="" -="" he’ll="" with="" down="" there="" soon="" enough.="">></hey></p>
<p>Just out of curiosity - what was your opinion of Paterno BEFORE the fall of 2011?</p>
<p>I’m sure glad we have so many people here who are perfect angels.</p>
<p>hops, Are you saying Paterno might have turned a blind eye to a pedophile, but unless you are perfect, you shouldn’t judge him?</p>
<p>I’m saying Paterno is as guilty as Sandusky…so you’re comparing the fact that I had a beer when I was 16 to Joe Pa knowing this guy was anally raping young kids? Yeah, you’re right - those are on the same level, maybe I should have been locked up for 426 years too. And “joe” not only turned a blind eye, he knew the guy had keys to the locker room and showers. </p>
<p>My opinion of Joe Pa before-hand? He was a has-been as a coach, well past the glory years. The only people who thought he was all-that are Happy Valley desciples who drank the kool-aid, and Keith Jackson. And who cares what anyone thought about him before? What matters is what he did or didn’t do when he knew the truth…what exactly was your opinion, and what is it now?</p>
<p>And last time I checked, we judge people every second of every day - for jobs, in restaurants, when they walk by. You see, I live in the USA and we have these things called ELECTIONS where we “judge” who we think the best candidate is. I realize this may be a hard concept to grasp, but judging people is called being human. Funny, I think a jury of his peers just judged Sandusky too. So yep, I’m judging Paterno, and guess what? He rolled snake eyes, he is an EPIC FAIL.</p>
<p>I was referring to hops’ post. :)</p>
<p>@goinhmyway, so was I…here’s some irony for you Joe Pa defenders:
Sandusky just went from Penn State to the State Penn!</p>
<p><<and who="" cares="" what="" anyone="" thought="" about="" him="" before?="" matters="" is="" he="" did="" or="" didn’t="" do="" when="" knew="" the="" truth…what="" exactly="" was="" your="" opinion,="" and="" it="" now?="">></and></p>
<p>It matters because - from what has become very apparent on this forum and others - some people have a true hatred of college football (and anything associated with it) - and many have a particular problem with Penn State and Paterno. So - this tragic situation has just given them another reason to voice their hatred and vilify it all.</p>
<p>Me?<br>
Prior to 2010, when my son started, I had no opinion of him. I grew up in the south (SEC football) and knew the name, but that was it. My son had no clue who he was until he started at Penn State, and then, he thought Paterno was way past his prime and that he was just a figurehead for the team, no longer a real coach. </p>
<p>Now? I think Paterno was a man who did incredible things for the school, the team, and it’s players. BUT - he was not a “god” - he made mistakes, and this was a big one. I do think he did what he was required to do, but he obviously should have done more. However, there are LOTS of people who should have done lots more (including McQuery). But I have no desire to see him rot in hell, as some do.</p>
<p><,Funny, I think a jury of his peers just judged Sandusky too.>>
And there were lots of people - including on this forum - who felt Sandusky would not be found guilty because of all that Happy Valley kool-aid drinking. Surprise, surprise.</p>
<p>Oh, OK!</p>
<p>Someone up thread said there are ZERO reasons to end the football program. While I’m not convinced either way, I can still think of a couple of reasons:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Show the victims PSU really doesn’t put football ahead of their well being. Give them the comfort of knowing how truly sorry everyone is. Nothing will prove it more.</p></li>
<li><p>What’s the big deal with keeping the program at all costs anyway? So some kids lose out on being involved, whether it be with the band, a cheerleader, a player. So what? Will their lives be ruined, like the victims’ lives? No. Any good football player can move on.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>PennState can lose its football and gain dignity. Lots of top colleges don’t have a football team to speak of. There’s no shame in not having football.</p>
<p>And I don’t hate college football. I really don’t have a strong opinion on it at all.</p>
<p>@Grcxx3, at least you are somewhat reasonable in admitting that Joe P. was wrong. There really is no defense for him in this situation - but when you look at who is posting on this thread in his favor, the ONLY people are either Penn State alums or family members of students, graduates and employees. It’s a sad, sad situation and his reputation is tarnished forever and should be. I’d say the same if it was my alma mater.</p>
<p>@goingmyway, I don’t think they should end the football program…but the school and administration is guilty and things definitely need to change there.</p>
<p>Yeah, I’m not convinced either way, I was just pointing out that there is a reasonable argument for it. IMO</p>