A scandal involving this premier educational institution broke out last week. A former Assistant Coach was arrested on multiple accounts of child abuse and two administrators were arrested for covering up the incidents. People were shocked and alarmed that something like this could happen and worse, it went back to 1998 and involved at least 16 children.Then we find out that it was a well-known secret around the campus. Many knew about it and decided to not act. The beloved coach, Joe Paterno was said to have been told by a witness in 1998 that a 10-year old boy was molested in the locker room by the Assistant Coach. Joe did the “legal” thing by passing it on to the Athletic Director. He did not inquire about it with his employee. He did not follow up and find out about the boy. He just passed it on and out of his mind. According to him, he did what was legally required. Awhile later, the assistant coach was allowed to retire but was given full access to all the facilities, including the locker room where the incidents occurred. Many times he was seen on the sideline at games. And even though Joe Paterno testified about this to a grand jury in February, he still allowed this guy access to the facilities after his testimony and he was seen in the locker room as late as a week ago. When the arrests were made last week, he did the honorable thing and resigned - effective at the end of the football season. He’s a grandparent, by the way, and in his mid-eighties.
We have been told by authorities that this Assistant Coach/pervert/disgusting low-life was allowed to retire in exchange for his silence on the matter. Huh? Worse, he was allowed access to all the sports facilities to run a charity program for youth. Huh? Did you catch that – a youth charity program! And it was at the facilities and with youth in the program that were being molested and at the place where the abuse occurred. What planet do these people live on?
It then came out that it was so widely known that this pervert had appetites of this nature that there was a lot of winking and nodding about it amongst the facility and student body. For example, an ice cream shop located on campus had different dishes named after famous Penn State Alumni. They had a dish named after this jerk (the Sandusky) that was highly suggestive of his proclivities. Oh, and when this all came out, it was immediately pulled from the menu. I wonder why? How after-the-fact noble. The guy wrote an autobiography that is still on sale in the book store. I guess they figure a few more dollars can be made while the issue is hot. It is after all about money. Penn State makes about $116 million on their athletic programs annually; $72 million coming from football. Paterno’s salary is in the millions and he is a major property owner in the area. Sandusky raked in a half a million from his youth charity program.
Yesterday the University Board met and fired the University President and Joe Paterno effective immediately. The students at the school went nuts and rioted loudly and even overturned a news van. They shouted chants of encouragement in support of Joe Paterno and even mobbed his house in support. Today, many were on the news saying that they love him and he was an institution and should be allowed to at least coach the last home game on Saturday so they can honor him because of his illustrious and brilliant football coaching career spanning forty-six years. His coaching career? Really? There are people that shallow; people that don’t get why he is getting fired? They don’t get that one single instance of ignoring child abuse really does undo forty-six years of football coaching and any other successes or honors? They don’t get that
with the number of victims and the widespread cover-up of University Officials it could actually bankrupt and destroy the University? Do they not remember that the same scandal involving Catholics Priests awhile back threatened to bring down the 2 billion-member Catholic Church?
with the number of victims and the widespread cover-up of University Officials it could actually bankrupt and destroy the University? Do they not remember that the same scandal involving Catholics Priests awhile back threatened to bring down the 2 billion-member Catholic Church?
But that is beside the point. Young lives were ruined. One incident would be atrocious. Two would be heinous. But many, many more than this is so evil and disgusting it is beyond the human mind to grasp. And if one single person who knew about it, actually did something about when they first heard about it in 1998, at least 15 young boys would have been spared the nightmare and the ruined life. How do you not follow up on an allegation of someone who said they saw it? How do you not smack the living crap out of the person who told you they saw it and did not stop it or in the very least call the police when they were seeing it? In fact, the person who said they witnessed it is still employed by Mr. Paterno as an assistant coach and will be coaching
the team in the interim. Huh again? Passing it on to your supervisor and then forgetting about it? Who is that detached from humanity?Was he too caught up in this sport to be bothered by things of this nature? Was he so focused on winning football games and protecting the reputation of his program and school that he did the exact legal thing as he thought appropriate – which really just amounted to kicking the problem up the chain of command and hoping someone else dealt with it? Could this football hero not be bothered with it for some reason?
the team in the interim. Huh again? Passing it on to your supervisor and then forgetting about it? Who is that detached from humanity?Was he too caught up in this sport to be bothered by things of this nature? Was he so focused on winning football games and protecting the reputation of his program and school that he did the exact legal thing as he thought appropriate – which really just amounted to kicking the problem up the chain of command and hoping someone else dealt with it? Could this football hero not be bothered with it for some reason?
He was a god at this place and de facto ran the school. But was this too awkward for him to spare a little time and energy on? Was it a little too messy and maybe might reflect poorly on him and his legacy? Or was he just so detached and incompetent in the area of the social and moral consideration about fellow human beings that he simply got the hot potato off his hands and put it on some else’s so he could go win some more games? Not good enough! Sometimes even being an eighty-five year old legend doesn’t undo either gross incompetence or gross negligence. There
are times when people can play the clueless card in life but this isn’t one of them. It makes me sad that most tragic of all was that he is a grandfather! How could a grandfather let this happen to somebody’s grandkid when it would have been so easy to stop at the time? It makes me
cry to think of these innocent little boys.
are times when people can play the clueless card in life but this isn’t one of them. It makes me sad that most tragic of all was that he is a grandfather! How could a grandfather let this happen to somebody’s grandkid when it would have been so easy to stop at the time? It makes me
cry to think of these innocent little boys.
Should Joe Paterno have been fired like he was – with a phone call and a “see ya”? Absolutely! He’s lucky if he gets off that easy. His legacy probably keeps him from being prosecuted but we have to always keep in mind that some things, even in our day of scandal, some things trump long successful careers.
One wrong like this really does undo a life of right!
