Penn State scandal

[Kheldarson]

I'm actually surprised that nobody's posted about this yet.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2.../sandusky.html

Basics are that a former Defensive Coordinator for the Penn State team was accused of abusing boys during football camps. Further, it has come out that the head coach, Joe Paterno, was informed of this. He then informed his boss, and they told the coordinator he couldn't be around boys anymore on the campus.

And that's all they did.

At this point, the president of the college and Paterno have both been fired. The assistant coach who saw the incident with the coordinator is on administrative leave; he's probably getting fired soon himself. And a portion of the campus rioted after Paterno's firing, as he's been on campus as head coach for 40 some years.

Frankly, the whole thing makes me sick. There's a lot of fail on all sides, and I don't think anything got handled well.

I'm also sick of it playing on repeat at work thanks to ESPN.

[IDrinkaRum]

From what I understand. Joe Paterno did tell his higher ups. The higher ups did tell the police. The police did tell the District Attorney. The District Attorney was preparing a case. He then went missing almost immediately afterwards, and has just now been declared legally dead. Not sure if he went missing because of this scandal or because of another case he might have been working on. However, if Paterno did do his job, how should he be held accountable for anything that came after him reporting it? (Like he was supposed to do). Both him and his higher ups did what they were supposed to do. Can't help the new District Attorney who took over after the other one went missing did nothing whatsoever. It's on the head of that person, NOT Paterno and the President of the university.

[Kheldarson]

My understanding with the president of the university is that he went completely silent once all of this broke so lost the respect of the faculty.

[Greenday]

The blame is getting laid on the wrong people. Paterno DID tell someone. All the outrage porn is being directed at him.

Why doesn't anyone give a crap about the guy who actually saw stuff going on and didn't stop it? He's guilty as hell for doing nothing to stop what he was saying.

[IDrinkaRum]

The guy who saw it? Isn't he still working for the college? They haven't fired him, have they? Why not?

Also, I don't like the fact the media are calling it a "Sex Scandal". It's not a "Sex Scandal", it's a CHILD RAPE/ABUSE Scandal. Please people! Get it right.

[Kheldarson]

They haven't officially fired McGeary yet. Or however you spell his name. But he's on paid leave at this point and somewhere off campus. He told his dad that he was in "protective custody" but nobody else knows anything about that.

[FArchivist]

From what I understand. Joe Paterno did tell his higher ups. The higher ups did tell the police. .

It's not enough just to tell somebody. Joe Paterno was informed about the abuse in 2002. He told his bosses...and then did nothing. He didn't try to limit Sandusky's ability to use the facilities to rape kids, he didn't intervene, he did nothing but stand by and let it happen after 2002. That's it.

As far as I'm concerned, that makes him as bad as Sandusky. He enabled Sandusky. It's as bad as the Pope and Cardinals of the RCC knowing that this or that priest is buggering little boys and not doing a damn thing about it. That's what has pissed people off about Joe "GO PEDO!" Paterno. He didn't even do the basic moral human thing of pulling Sandusky, a friend of his from long back, to the side and saying "I know what you're doing. STOP."

Trufax: If you stand aside, avert your eyes, and let the evil happen? That makes you as bad as the perpetrator of evil.

My understanding with the president of the university is that he went completely silent once all of this broke so lost the respect of the faculty.

Actually, this is why he was fired. From Wikipedia:

After the charges came to light, Spanier issued a statement in which he said Curley and Schultz had his unconditional support, and saying they "operate at the highest levels of honesty." Spanier was criticized for expressing support for Curley and Schultz, and failing to express any concern for Sandusky's alleged victims

That's a pretty good reason to toss him; sounds like he was more concerned with cover-up and football than the abuse.

Why doesn't anyone give a crap about the guy who actually saw stuff going on and didn't stop it? He's guilty as hell for doing nothing to stop what he was saying.

According to the Grand Jury report, he states that Sandusky and Victim 2 saw him, and that he left immediately "shocked and distraught". He called his father immediately, they decided they immediately needed to see Paterno, and it went up the chain from there, in the space of 24 hours.

As for why he didn't intervene in the incident, the state attorney has said that McQueary "met the minimum obligation in reporting it up, but did not in my opinion meet a moral obligation that all of us would have." He's been criticized for not going directly to the police.

They haven't officially fired McGeary yet. Or however you spell his name. But he's on paid leave at this point and somewhere off campus. He told his dad that he was in "protective custody" but nobody else knows anything about that.

There have been reports of death threats against him for daring to besmirch the names of Paterno and Sandusky.

As for not being fired, under this he's protected by PA whistleblower laws.

[Hyena Dandy]

An interesting update thing that's worth referencing about Paterno. Paterno called the head of the police on campus, which WOULD be the proper authority. There is a lot he didn't do, but according to what I read, he would have been alerting a proper authority (the campus cops there ARE an actual police force)

He could have done more to stop Sandusky after he found out about it. I am not sympathetic to him in that respect. But it isn't accurate to say he did nothing. He did call the police. Which I suppose 'alerting the proper authorities' is a mark for him.

The problem is there is an image he was trying to portray to the media that he was so shocked, but there was nothing he could do... That I don't buy at all. I really don't buy Paterno saying "I'm just the coach." He wasn't known for staying in his spot.

Rules may have prevented him from keeping Sandusky from continuing to access the campus, but that he didn't TRY is what bothers me. Because I think he should have TRIED. He might have succeeded.

Thing is, I think he was too caught up in football to care. It wasn't his ego, it was something more than simple ego. It wasn't his friend, either. He was protecting his football team. That's a laudable goal, yes. But he allowed the football team to be 'bigger' than children who were abused. THAT is the problem.

When you live your life surrounded by something, and every day you tell everyone around you its the most important thing in the world, you're going to have trouble doing something that damages it. And that was his problem. He told everyone football is the most important. We love football. We live for football. Naturally, this was 'smaller' than football.

It was understandable, but that doesn't make it excusable. A lot of things have reasons, with which I can sympathize, but that doesn't make them right. Reasons are not excuses.

[Sleepwalker]

Eff that. There is a man raping children in your building, a man seen raping a small boy against a god damn wall, and all you do is call security and then work next to the child rapist for ten bloody years?

Yeah fucking right. Not an excuse. Send the fucker to jail, noone gets to pass THAT buck.

[Iseeyouthere]

Why are they treating this like Chinese whispers?