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<p>Again, what’s your definition of integrity when a person KNOWS that children are being abused? Seems to me that when Joe saw the campus police weren’t doing anything, he should have gone to the real police or to child welfare authorities. Anything. ANYTHING to make sure the abuse was stopped. At least, that’s what an honorable, decent person would have done. Unfortunately for those children, JoePa did not have that kind of decency.</p>
<p>I have been reading a great deal about Paterno from people who know him and his wife. Apparently, he donates an incredible of money to charities and spends a lot of time with many of them, particularly the Special Olympics. Besides building the library on campus, he has given much of his money to the university. He still lives in the same modest house on campus he moved into 40 years ago. His wife personally tutors the football players, so they can graduate, an expectation Paterno has for all his players. Finally, he has imposed a code of honor for his players and is extremely diligent in seeing that the players adhere to it. Consequently, there have been no scandals with the Penn State football program, something most other big-time football colleges can only envy. </p>
<p>I don’t know, but this guy does not seem like a monster. Again, until I hear from him, I am going to give him the benefit of the doubt. What is being alleged is totally out of character for this guy.</p>
<p>You didn’t answer my question, and you don’t seem to want to, but I’ll try one more time. </p>
<p>This paragon of virtue acknowledges that he was told about the rape in his locker room. Once he had that information, why didn’t he take it upon himself to do whatever was necessary to make it stop?</p>
<p>LasMa, Paterno, from what I understand, claims he wasn’t told about a rape. He did report it to the police. In Pa., the campus police have the same authority as the municipal police. So if the police choose to do nothing, then it is Paterno’s fault? If I report a crime to the police and they do not pursue it, I probably think the alleged perpetrator was cleared by them for lack of evidence. I really don’t believe that Paterno knew this guy was guilty and chose to do nothing about it. So far, know one here has any hard evidence to make this allegation stick.</p>
<p>NY Times reporting that the Grand Jury’s report was filed as sealed but due to a “computer glitch” it was made public. That’s some glitch.</p>
<p>I’m not trying to defend Paterno, I think he could have done more, but this whole thing over the last few days does have the feeling of a public lynching. </p>
<p>The press mob rolled into town… a PR disaster unfolded… in a few days the press will move onto their next scoop and a university left in shatters will have to try and figure out exactly what actually DID happen. </p>
<p>As has been stated previously by others, Grand Jury’s are very much one sided investigations led by the prosecutor and often have a lot of loose ends that aren’t fully investigated. That’s why these reports are usually sealed… to prevent the exact sort of court of public opinion trial and execution that occurred–with the public and press jurors basing their opinions largely on pure speculation about what’s between the lines of the report. </p>
<p>Regardless of what you think about Paterno, it’s hard to suggest that he was allowed any sort of due process to evaluate what actually happened.</p>
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<p>I agree. If there is one good man, it seems to be him. I think we got a wrong man to vent our anger.</p>
<p>Oh, I don’t know, I think the fact that he wasnt indicted at all by the grand jury shows that Paterno was offered much more than simple “due process,” he was offered some serious favoritism due to his ‘status’ in the community.</p>
<p>It doesn’t matter whether he gets due process because he isn’t on trial. We are talking about his integrity and fitness as coach. What matters is what he did with the information that a child was raped in his locker room. Sandusky was on the Penn State campus even a week ago.</p>
<p>What he did was… turn the other way. Did he follow the “law” as it exists in Pennsylvania, which has one of the weakest reporting laws in the country? Yes. Does that make him the moral, upstanding leader of men and boys he wants to have been? Does that make him a hero? Nope. </p>
<p>He was a boy. He is a an 84 year old boy who spent his life being praised for winning “games.” But, when it really counted, when life mattered and wasn’t a game? He sure as heck turned out to be a coward.</p>
<p>^Is that your new poem? Fiction? A new beach read? If not, where did you get all the info? Because Paterno was famous he had to abuse his power? Was he known to swing his arm around?</p>
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<p>I agree to this one, too. I just note that that PSU administrator, Curley is NOT fired. And yet we pile on Paterno because he is famous. Are we so infatuated with fame that we couldn’t get angry with no name person? Why aren’t you guys angry at Curley? Did Paterno tell him to cover it up?</p>
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<p>This is precisely the sort of public mob lynching mentality I’m referring to. </p>
<p>You ASSUME he was told the boy was raped. The Grand Jury report does not say this. The two administrators were charged with failure to report precisely because the jury felt testimony indicated those two individuals WERE told that a rape had occurred. They jury did not find the same level of detail was known by Paterno. What he exactly knew remains to be determined.</p>
<p>I, unlike most on this board and the public media fuled mob in general, am being patient and reserving my final opinion on Paterno until the full investigation is able to present a clear finding on what he knew.</p>
<p>Blame is not a zero-sum proposition. Plenty of blame to go around. Faulting Paterno doesn’t absolve Curley.</p>
<p>My newest thoughtts…the GA should be,at a minimum,suspended with pay…The more i thinkof his actions,or lack thereof,the more angry i get…I believe that he went to his father,who was a friend of Sandusky, and told his father what he saw…Father may have asked did he see you, and the grand jury report states BOTH the victim and Sandusky locked eyes with the GA…Father, who may have let this slide,being friends with Sandusky, realizes if the victim comes forth and ids the GA without reporting it,his son is toast…</p>
<p>So they take the easy way out, bring it to JoePa’s attention…Joepa kicks the issue upstairs to AD and VP, and leaves it at that…All is HAPPY in the Valley…Football continues,GA becomes asistant coach,Sandusky continues what he does…GA NEEDS TO GO NOW!!!’</p>
<p>YDS, I am too dumb to understand what you are saying. Let me hear you fault Curley as visciously as you fault Paterno since it is not a zero sum game.</p>
<p>Sorry qdoba, you newest thoughts are not all that new. It has been repeated over a thousand times since the beginning of this thread.</p>
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<p>He must not be too famous. The first four times you referred to him on this thread you called him “Pertano.” On a more serious note, which is the better model: Harry S Truman’s “The buck stops here” or Ronald Reagan’s “plausible deniability”?</p>
<p>^^^not sure you can fire someone who is under indictment?^^^^,and he was an interim VP, he had retired and come back on an interim basis</p>
<p>It’s simple. You write: “Are we so infatuated with fame that we couldn’t get angry with no name person? Why aren’t you guys angry at Curley?”</p>
<p>Who says we’re not? </p>
<p>I think the hyperbole has gotten out of hand on this thread. I think, personally, I’ve been quite measured so I don’t think you should lump everyone together.</p>
<p>[We</a> Are…More than Penn State | Jessica Banks schools you.](<a href=“We Are…More than Penn State | Jess Banks schools you.”>We Are…More than Penn State | Jess Banks schools you.)</p>
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<p>The suggestion that Paterno did not know of the 1998 incident, that his number one assistant had been credibly accused of an unspeakable horrible felony, simply boggles the mind.</p>
<p>“He is a an 84 year old boy”</p>
<p>I really think Paterno’s generation is a contributing factor to his actions. Let me very clear up front that this does absolve him of anything, but it is relevant. </p>
<p>People of my generation and younger have spent the last 20 years watching Law and Order SVU, Criminal Minds, and countless movies where unspeakable acts occur. It is part of our lives and culture. As such, we understand how evil some people can be and we understand the high recidivism rate of pedophiles. </p>
<p>Paterno’s generation just never spoke of these topics. This just isn’t common knowledge for most people of that generation. Married couples on TV shows could not even be shown sleeping in the same bed til the late 60s! If he was spoken to in euphemisms, it’s entirely reasonable that he did not leap to the conclusions the rest of us do. </p>
<p>I try to think of my father who passed a few years ago and was Paterno’s age. I wonder how much of what’s on TV, relative to this tragedy, he’d even understand. </p>
<p>One last point, like blame isn’t a zero sum game, neither is empathy. Because I feel Paterno has not been dealt with fairly to this point, doesn’t mean:</p>
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<li><p>I think he’s done everything he should, he obviously could and should have done more. But I can think of reasonable explanations for why he didn’t.</p></li>
<li><p>I don’t care for the victims as much as those who think he’s as guilty as Sandusky. I do feel tremendous sorrow for the victim’s experiences and the effect it has on their lives. As much as the rest of you.</p></li>
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<p>Theses are not contradictory positions, in my opinion.</p>
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<p>True. My apologies. </p>
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<p>Shall we devote next 1000 posts to pile on Curley then?</p>