Penn State Sandusky scandal

[father91]

<p>Were any of the rioting kids punished/prosecuted?</p>

[janesmith]

<p>Thanks for the link to the yahoo article, mini. The author tries out every possible scenario that could exculpate Paterno (from participating in the coverup) and pretty much dismisses them all.</p>

<p>The pensions issue is a curious one. Can the victims sue Curley/Shultz/Spanier and the Paterno estate and get their pension money? Are there statute of limitations issues for suits by the victims? The defence made such a big deal out of the victims being motivated by lawsuit money–hopefully that means it’s not too late for them to sue successfully. It sticks in my craw to think the unholy quartet would be getting a single dime from Penn State now or ever.</p>

[LasMa]

<p>Several days ago, I posted that I thought the football program should not be sanctioned, if the university and top officials would express some kind of heartfelt concern for the victims, even at this late date. But these emails clearly demonstrate that such expressions now or in the future would be manufactured. The university seemed to develop some sudden tender concern an hour or so after Sandusky’s conviction, but we now know it for what it is – pure CYA. And we now know beyond doubt that CYA has been their only response to this tragedy from the beginning.</p>

<p>The only things that bothered these guys were the university’s legal and PR interests. These emails show, now beyond any question, that the welfare of the football program had obliterated human compassion and even common decency, of which there is no shred in any of these emails. Except toward Sandusky – and that tells us all we need to know the overwhelming importance of football at Penn State.</p>

[LasMa]

<p>Here’s a new twist:</p>

<p>

Freeh’s investigators are also exploring the circumstances surrounding Paterno’s decision to eventually hire McQueary as an assistant coach, the person familiar with the investigation said. McQueary, a former quarterback for Paterno at Penn State, has testified under oath that when he first contacted Paterno to inform him of what he had seen in the showers, Paterno assumed he was calling to ask for a job, and that Paterno brusquely told him he would not be hired. </p>

<p>McQueary was ultimately hired over another, more experienced candidate, and investigators are curious about whether that development came as a consequence of what he told Paterno that morning in 2001. </p>

<p>

</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/01/sports/ncaafootball/paterno-may-have-influenced-decision-not-to-report-sandusky-e-mails-indicate.html?pagewanted=all[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/01/sports/ncaafootball/paterno-may-have-influenced-decision-not-to-report-sandusky-e-mails-indicate.html?pagewanted=all&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

[MD_Mom_1]

<p>Thanks for the links.</p>

[EPTR]

<p>Lasma,
Perhaps hired in exchange for his silence and cooperation?</p>

[MD_Mom_1]

<p>That is certainly implied in both of the linked articles, EPTR.</p>

[greenbutton]

<p>To answer father91’s question, yes, the students arrested during the riot were prosecuted. </p>

<p>I warned y’all it would be bad. And there is probably more to come.At this point, what can you say? It’s so jaw-droppingly …horrific?inappropriate?lacking in all human decency and compassion?retro-attitude? </p>

<p>The NCAA does not have the ability to give PSU the “death penalty” over this, and quite honestly, I don’t want to see this reduced to a “take a year off and then come back” kind of thing. It’s worse than that. The question will be what PSU alums roar for now: justice? vengeance? If I were a PSU alum, I would want these monsters who dragged the good name of my U through the mud with their lies and evasions and …blech. I would want them to pay with jail time.And I would want contrition shown through something, but I just can’t fathom what would be enough and still be fair to the thousands of students who weren’t a party to this.</p>

[janesmith]

<p>Another tidbit from the NYT article Las Ma linked to:</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Freeh’s investigation has identified previously undisclosed billing records showing that officials of the university, when deciding what to do in 2001, consulted with the law firm that served as its outside counsel on their legal obligation to report the assault, the person familiar with the inquiry said. It is unclear from the billing records whether the officials disclosed the nature of the accusations against Sandusky or simply made a general inquiry. Several hours were billed, beginning on a Sunday night, the person said. The lawyer who represented the university at the time did not return a phone call requesting comment.

</p>

<p>So ignorance of the reporting law can’t be their defence–they knew enough to ask their lawyer about it. Seems like Freeh is doing his job, and will let the chips fall.</p>

[woody]

<p>I would love to know the details of that ^^ consultation. Could outside counsel really have suggested stonewalling like this?
I am flabbergasted.
…and Paterno’s response to McQuery’s phone call??? And THEN McQ was hired?? Good Lord!</p>

[OhioMom3000]

<p>^^ I wonder what Sunday night in 2001 it was the the legal billing began? I wonder if it was the Sunday after McQ visited Paterno.</p>

<p>They were all scratching each other’s backs. Now I understand why Spanier was so supportive of Curley and Schultz last fall. They were all knee deep in it.</p>

[jandjdad]

<p>

@Woody

I would love to know the details of that ^^ consultation. Could outside counsel really have suggested stonewalling like this?
I am flabbergasted.
…and Paterno’s response to McQuery’s phone call??? And THEN McQ was hired?? Good Lord!

Yeah they could have done so. As I have posted before, Penn State was an insular, isolated community who was put on the map by Joe Paterno and like many college coaches, he ran the show. The emails support that view e.g. Curley’s deciding not to report after meeting with Joe PA, and McQueary getting a job.
I wonder how all the apologists will spin it now.</p>

[LasMa]

<p>jandjdad, there’s no defense any more, and in fact, I haven’t heard anyone attempt one. Those who were waiting for all the facts seem satisfied that the emails are the smoking gun. JoePa, and JoePa alone, protected Sandusky in 2001, aided and abetted by the university’s top officials who cowered before him.</p>

[goingmyway]

<p>I’m just wondering if the 2 accused of perjury can still say they thought it was nothing more than horseplay, and that’s what they were talking about in the emails.</p>

[jandjdad]

<p>LasMa, I live in PSU alumni country and there are still plenty of alumni who are willfully blind to anything “Saint Joe” could have done and nothing, not even the emails will convince them otherwise.</p>

[EPTR]

<p>goingmyway,
I can’t imagine that they would try to claim the horseplay thing in light of the emails. Why would someone discuss contacting social services about horseplay? I think they are cooked.</p>

[greenbutton]

<p>^^ I think in the end, the growing conflict over what to do will damage Penn State as much as the legal difficulties. One view is that the students are blameless and the legal system is to be relied on to bring people responsible to justice, perhaps including our current governor (who was the AG who chose to shelve the charges at some point). This view holds that closing the football program because Paterno enabled --for whatever reason—Sandusky’s crimes would also require closing the university itself because Spanier did, too. That is clearly not going to happen, this view agrees; let the judicial process take care of criminal charges, which is what we created it for. </p>

<p>Another view is that the court of public opinion must be satisfied in order to go forward, and that requires punishment of the university as a whole. Only a voluntary step back from the athletic program on the part of alum and the university will demonstrate that PSU is, indeed, more than just a football program. This view posits that PSU would do this as a way of apology, even at the cost of students’ educations. (Because a lack of scholarships in the athletic department will surely end many, many student-athletes college careers). This view considers the inherent unfairness of punishing blameless people part of the price paid. </p>

<p>I am not angry at Paterno supporters. Someone they admired and believed in let them down. Coming to terms with that will take time. All of us have had someone disappoint us, betray us, or mislead us, and it sucks. I’m not going to tell people don’t have heros, because they might let you down some day.</p>

[sax]

<p>The NCAA can sanction an athletic program if it can be shown that the program has more control over the institution than the institution has control over the program.</p>

<p>This certainly seems to be the case with the email.</p>

<p>It was up to Curly,Schultz and finally Spanier to handle this correctly. Talking to Mcqueary for a lousy 10 minutes, ten minutes, was not handling this correctly. They needed to ask enough questions to determine what happened and that it should have been reported to all the proper authorities.</p>

<p>In circling back to Paterno it was up to them to set Paterno straight and tell him it was sexual abuse of a child and that it would be reported. So now Paterno is implicated as well. He knew, if not before but most definitely after he talked to them again. He knew.</p>

<p>Jail time for all. A further investigation of Corbett is warranted.</p>

<p>Interesting how much of this event has been leaked. The grand jury report, sanduskys sons tape and now the emails. </p>

<p>I wouldn’t be surprised if the program gets shut down indefinitely. It’s a start.</p>

[OhioMom3000]

<p>Still cannot get over this:</p>

<p>Spanier email: “The only downside for us is if message isn’t ‘heard’ and acted upon and we then become vulnerable for not having reported it, but that can be assessed down the road,” The only downside for “US”! </p>

<p>With his background he should be ashamed! Don’t know how Spanier will be able to show his face again. But, he will. </p>

<p>And still can’t get over this: Curley was “uncomfortable” with that plan after talking to Paterno. </p>

<p>You know what they say about good intentions, especially good intentions that get squashed.</p>

<p>Agree with Sax above.</p>

[OhioMom3000]

<p>It’s ironic that it turns out McQueary’s career was made and destroyed by what he witnessed and reported of Sandusky to this cast of characters.</p>