Penn State Mess

[N8YX]

Jebus! There's more. Don't give me grief over it being true or not, I'm just the messenger.
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/footbal...g=ycn-10407023

What was I saying about rabbit holes?

If the allegations at the link are in fact true and McQueary is complicit, I look for him to suck-start a 12ga in the very near future. Along with a few assorted 'donors'.

[W2NAP]

wow this whole thing is a mess.

[ka8ncr]

Valid points all.

JoePa had to say something, since the DA revealed that he was called before the Grand Jury, testified, and it was determined that he did not do anything LEGALLY wrong. Yeah, he could have said something better... he made a few remarks off the cuff without fully thinking through the consequences. I'll be he regrets making those comments in that way now.

There is little doubt that there is a cover-up under foot here. But to call out Paterno for something that he didn't witness and only had knowledge of through other parties is a bit harsh. Besides his contract likely having very clear language on how he is supposed to respond when performing his duties as coach, repeating allegations of activities when you didn't witness them is a damned fine way to get sued.

The only fault the coach has is that he didn't call the police and have the GA tell the story to them. Why the GA didn't do it himself, well that is where I get angry.

[W3WN]

Jebus! There's more. Don't give me grief over it being true or not, I'm just the messenger.
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/footbal...g=ycn-10407023

Well, consider the source. Mark Madden is a real sleeze.

Which doesn't mean he's wrong. But he's the sports talk equivalent of a Howard Stern, only sleezier. Which is one of the reasons he's no longer welcome in local radio. Suffice to say, fair and balanced... he's not.

And he's been trying to stick it (to put it mildly) to Penn State for years.

I'd want verification or another independant source.

[W3WN]

After giving the matter some thought... this might be instructive to see how a few bits of information can be used as a weapon.

First, consider the predator. Jerry Sandusky was Paterno's right hand man for years, considered the heir apparant. Turned down several opportunities to be a head coach elsewhere, while he waited. Until he suddenly and with little warning retired in 1999. And he never worked as a college football coach, anywhere, again.

Why?

Madden speculates that there had been rumors about Sandusky being a predator, and that's why no one else would touch him. Of course, he cites no sources.

But in light of recent events, one can now speculate that someone found out something... no, I don't know who it could have been or what exactly they might have stumbled on, but that's the nice thing abour rumors, right?... confronted him, and permited to quietly retire instead of being exposed. It's certainly plausible, but without evidence, it's merely a nice yarn.

Second, consider that Sandusky founded an organization to help troubled youth. And now he's charged as a child molester, and many of those who've stepped forward (maybe all, I don't know for sure) were connected to him via that foundation. Is is possible, plausible, that he used the organization as a front to gain access to underage youth? Yes. But again... without evidence, it's just a nice yarn.

But if you're going to presume that that is why the foundation was actually founded, and if you presume from the earlier premise that Sandusky was forced to retire after he was found out... but no one ever said anything publicly... why not speculate one step further, that he used the foundation not just as front to funnel kids to him, but to others as well. With the further implication that he was the protected by those others.

And now you have Mark Madden's sleezy rumor. No evidence. Just a nice story that hangs on the frame of a very few facts. It's plausible... but is it true?

And if it is true (evidence! we need evidence!)... then where are all the other victims? I believe 9 have come forward. Only 9? Yes, 1, let alone 9, is 1 too many, and the bastard should be castrated and made to watch as his genitalia is ground up and fed to snakes. Yes, I'm sure that some of the victims have chosen for their own reasons to remain silent. But if Sandusky was the pimp that Madden claims he was... where are the others?

Someone at Penn State helped cover this up. I honestly can't believe Paterno did so. The man had an humongous ego, he had too much authority, he was in place too long. But cover up a crime this heinous? I just can't believe it... but I can believe that others in the administration did participate in the cover-up, to protect Penn State, Paterno, and themselves, though not neccesarily in that order.

So much for the cover-up.

[W3WN]

Some of you may find this commentary of interest. http://joeposnanski.si.com/2011/11/1...r_a5&eref=sihp

[X-Rated]

Some of you may find this commentary of interest. http://joeposnanski.si.com/2011/11/1...r_a5&eref=sihp

It is the duty of certain people to maintain a certain stance on a subject. Especially this author who is writing about a football legend cannot just dwell on this subject and look for fault. Neither can a DA stand around and say, "Well, he hasn't admitted to anything and he seems like a nice guy and all. Without checking the facts, I just don't know and would hate to pin blame on anyone."

As a member of the human race, I know that there are numerous incidents of child rape that go unreported because of the shame. Especially in the case here where kids are "troubled", they will know that this would have never happened to them if they had been "better" boys from the gitgo. Does this implicate anybody? No. It explains why you don't have scores of people making claims.

It is not in Joe Posnanski's best interest to have a JoPa who is a criminal. Yes he has access to much data to write about, but he will need to start all over from the beginning and literally scrap everything he has sacrificed for.

As a parent, i don't see how anyone else who is a parent can stand around and say that they really need to stick their head up Joe Paterno's ass while he admits to wrongdoings before they can judge that he may have some blemishes (and colo-rectal cysts) in his life.

[KA9MOT]

JoePa has gotten a lot of people looking out for him over the decades. And to be fair, for the most part, he has earned it.

Keep in mind somethings:

At the time of the alleged incident (which is not to say it didn't happen, but technically, at the moment, it is only an allegation), Sandusky was NOT on Paterno's staff. Read that again: Sandusky was no longer an employee of Penn State, let alone an underling of Paterno's.

The people that Paterno reported the allegations to included the man responsible for the campus police department... and believe me, they are a real police department. There are a lot of complaints that Paterno didn't call the police... but he went right to the guy ultimately in charge.

Now, should Penn State have banned Sandusky at the time of the report? Sure. I would have. I think this is where they failed. Who are "they"? The very people now under indictment for perjury.

It's very easy to blame Paterno. And I agree, he is not without some degree of fault... he did everything he was legally supposed to, but he should have done more, he should not have relied on his AD and the other administration people to take care of it. Maybe he just couldn't bring himself to believe that a long time, once trusted, now retired associate could have done anything close to these accusations; I don't know. Maybe he was lied to by those perpetuating the cover-up; again, I don't know.

My point is that we don't know everything, yet the media and those with their own agendas are screaming for the head of everyone involved to any degree. There is a more than a whiff of a rush to judgement... look, I don't want to defend Sandusky, it makes me ill to even have to write the following line, but the fact of the matter is, he has been charged with a serious and heinous crime, but he has NOT been tried in court, he has NOT been convicted in a court of law. Just in the media.

Of course, whether or not he is convicted (and based on what evidence that's leaked out, he's in deep, deep doo-do), his reputation is ruined, and he will never again be employed by any organization that has anything to do with youth.

Regarding Paterno... well, I don't want to draw a firm conclusion until we know more details about what he actually did about this, what he was told, and what other actions were taken. Without knowing the context, it is difficult to conclude that his apparant inactions in not doing more, in and of themselves, demand that he be forced out. That is not to say that there may not be consequences. His legacy is damaged, to say the least. I simply know that I don't know enough, just what's been reported... and I know that many of these reporters have been looking for reasons to get him fired retired for years, so I'm not so sure that they're all that unbiased.

Context matters.

Now: Don't be surprised if Penn State's President is forced out over the scandal as well. And if Spanier goes, I can almost guarantee that his successor will clean house... odds are also pretty good that even if he isn't, the new Athletic Director (and there almost certainly will be a new AD) will clean house. I strongly suspect that Paterno will not be on the sidelines next year. If not officially because of the scandal, then officially because of his health issues... but more likely, the new AD will take the "high road" and proclaim that anyone tainted by the scandal has to go. Including, if not especially, Paterno.

Woody Hayes couldn't survive punching an opposing player. Compared to what Sandusky is alleged to have done, that's peanuts. So I strongly suspect that Paterno will be gone after the bowl game... and it probably won't be a major bowl unless they win the Big 10+2 championship outright, because of the black cloud Sandusky has brought down on the program.

What a way to go.

I know I am getting in here late, but I agree with most everything posted here. I think Paterno going to his higher up (The Minimum) is how it is done and has been done for centuries. He is legally without fault yet, the media and others are making him the bad guy. It is as if they think Paterno himself was in cahoots with Sandusky and that is just wrong.

I see now reason to throw somebody like this under the buss....

[W3WN]

I know I am getting in here late, but I agree with most everything posted here. I think Paterno going to his higher up (The Minimum) is how it is done and has been done for centuries. He is legally without fault yet, the media and others are making him the bad guy. It is as if they think Paterno himself was in cahoots with Sandusky and that is just wrong.

I see now reason to throw somebody like this under the buss....

Joe Paterno is far from perfect. One of his faults is his ego. He should have retired a decade or more ago, but he didn't.

Certain sportswriters and media type refuse to believe his image as almost squeaky-clean actually was. After all, so many others idols have fallen, so why would this one be any different?

So: It turns out that the one-time heir apparant is a sleeze. It's not that hard a leap to presume that Joe's ego wouldn't let him see what was going on... doesn't make it true, mind you, but it's certainly possible. And thus, the association is made, and here's the chance for the holier-than-thou to topple the idol.

I should point out that as more comes out, the angrier I as an alumni get at the University adminsitration. I honestly don't think that Joe knew; and I hope I'm not wrong on that, because that would mean he's a true hypocrite on top of everything else. I do think that the administration conspired to cover this up, to "protect" Joe, Penn State Football, themselves, and Penn State... in that order.

[sarcasm] Worked out pretty well, hasn't it? [/sarcasm]

[X-Rated]

I know I am getting in here late, but I agree with most everything posted here. I think Paterno going to his higher up (The Minimum) is how it is done and has been done for centuries. He is legally without fault yet, the media and others are making him the bad guy. It is as if they think Paterno himself was in cahoots with Sandusky and that is just wrong.

I see now reason to throw somebody like this under the buss....

In my memory, I don't remember an interview with JoPa going like this...

Interviewer: Your quarterback threw several interceptions today. What do you plan to do about that?
JoPa: Well, I mentioned several key issues he needed to work on. He didn't seem to comply much, so, what am I to do? I'm just like a coach. I don't really have any authority or anything like that.

JoPa is passionate about football. He is a man who can make things happen. The fact that he knew about this and did nothing is really really sick. Hiding behind an excuse that you are helpless and finding support in allowing child rape is really sick.