My Thoughts On Joe Pa

[HogDawg]

My biggest point in all of this is that the national media along with many on this board have been exceedingly fast and harsh regarding what Paterno did and did not do. Many have called for jail time for Paterno because of his perceived failure to comply with a moral obligation. You go to jail for breaking laws, not for violating moral obligations unless those moral obligations are also legal obligations.

For the record, some law officials are not even sure Paterno fully met his LEGAL obligations. According to some, Pennsylvania law required him to fully and honestly REPORT everything he knew. And with Paterno himself now admitting that he should have done more, some experts are saying Paterno didn't give an HONEST and full accounting as required by law. If it is found that he minimized --or if he was disingenuous in any way-- with his accounting, he could still be in a lot of trouble legally.

I am one of those who believe Paterno definitely knew more, and didn't fully report. Here's why: Paterno's first trouble with Sandusky came in late 1998, when the Penn St campus police were brought in to investigate a similar complaint. Sandusky, only 55 yrs old at the time, resigned shortly thereafter, and was never mentioned as a candidate for another coaching job. This begs the question, was Sandusky forced to resign as part of a "deal" to sweep the event under the rug?

Fast forward to 2002, and McQueary witnesses the alleged sex act between Sandusky and a naked 10-yr old boy in the football locker room. The deal ultimately gets reported to Paterno. Are you telling me Paterno's "moral" and "legal" radar shouldn't be up after this latest incident? You gotta be kidding me. This event was apparently investigated (by Penn St) again, and nothing happened to Sandusky.

And to make matters worse --despite having all this personal knowledge of Sandusky already being investigated TWICE by Penn St officials for issues with children-- Paterno continues to let Sandusky use the Penn St locker room for his dalliances.

To me, Paterno is either part of a massive cover-up, or he's just plain stupid.



HD

[RealityCheck]

About time to get feedback from victims in this, and it isn't the spin the lynch-mob national (and also some notable local) media is after......

http://www.thepostgame.com/commentar...firing-paterno

"The board of trustees got it wrong. They should have consulted the victims before making a decision on Mr. Paterno...They should have considered these victims watch TV and are aware of the students' reaction and may not want to be associated with the downfall of Mr. Paterno. The school instead elected to do what it felt was in its own best interest at the time. Isn’t that what put the school in this position in the first place?"

"The way the Board reached its decision raises more concerns than the decision itself. There is no indication the Board considered the impact of the decision on the abuse victims. The school let the victims down once, and I think they owed it to the victims to at least gauge how the immediate termination decision would impact them as opposed to Mr. Paterno's resignation at the end of the year. These victims do not live in a bubble. They see the students reaction to the termination, and to think this does not weigh on their minds would be naive."

[RealityCheck]

I am disappointed, HD. The only comment I have about your last post and of many others here....rush to judgment.

Let the investigation reveal everything before judgment is passed.

And in the latest, McQueary won't be coaching Saturday after all. Things like multiple threats on his life keep getting in the way.

The pressure-cooker on this story needs to be turned off before numerous completely innocent parties in this are tainted beyond repair. There will be plenty of time to sort the guilty out from those who are in fact innocent.

[Bigdog13]

I am disappointed, HD. The only comment I have about your last post and of many others here....rush to judgment.

Let the inestigation reveal everything before judgment is passed.

And in the latest, McQueary won't be coaching Saturday after all. Things like multiple threats on his life keep getting in the way.

The pressure-cooker on this story needs to be turned off before numerous completely innocent parties in this are tainted beyond repair. There will be plenty of time to sort the guilty out from those who are in fact innocent.

The Grand Jury report is already out. Your comments act like it isn't. We know what Joe knew and we know what he did and didn't do.

[Dwayne From Minden]

Why they even get to play football on Saturday is beyond me.

Why shouldn't they? The 105 players who make up the PSU squad have absolutely NOTHING to do with this....

They should not be punished for something almost a decade old that is a civil and criminal matter and not an violation of NCAA rules

[RougeDawg]

I think the particular crime clouds our logic. What if the grad assistant had reported to Paterno he thought he witnessed Sandusky murdering someone in the shower?

"Well thanks for that information son, I'll pass it up the chain tomorrow".

Is that enough? The most powerful man in the history of the university then never checks up on the possible murder. Does that make sense?

[Snapdawg]

The coming lawsuits against Paterno will break him.

[Dwayne From Minden]

I agree -

How many rapes, sexual assaults and malicious attacks have been covered up and swept under the rug by athletic departments and universities through out the nation?

But since it doesn't involve 10 year olds and icons, they never see the light of day because it is for the "best interest of the program"

[touchdown123]

About time to get feedback from victims in this, and it isn't the spin the lynch-mob national (and also some notable local) media is after......

http://www.thepostgame.com/commentar...firing-paterno

"The board of trustees got it wrong. They should have consulted the victims before making a decision on Mr. Paterno...They should have considered these victims watch TV and are aware of the students' reaction and may not want to be associated with the downfall of Mr. Paterno. The school instead elected to do what it felt was in its own best interest at the time. Isn’t that what put the school in this position in the first place?"

"The way the Board reached its decision raises more concerns than the decision itself. There is no indication the Board considered the impact of the decision on the abuse victims. The school let the victims down once, and I think they owed it to the victims to at least gauge how the immediate termination decision would impact them as opposed to Mr. Paterno's resignation at the end of the year. These victims do not live in a bubble. They see the students reaction to the termination, and to think this does not weigh on their minds would be naive."

Oh come on. "We are gonna let him coach out the season in the interest of the victims, we don't want our students breaking out in riots." Riiight. Plus, students rioting is weighing on their minds? How about the RAPE.

This guy knew his buddy was "doing something of a sexual nature" to a young kid in his showers - all he did was inform his AD on two occasions. All the while, he saw Sandusky around the program. When you're the face of a program, you're going down with stuff like this.

As for the lynch mob - Peeps oughta be lynched for this nonsense.

[Bigdog13]

OK now reverse it. How would the victims have felt watching JoePa do a victory tour his last few games while receiving standing ovations for home games. And then imagine what bad things could possibly happen on road games. This needed to happen on multiple levels. While I am not in their shoes and will never grasp how they feel I can safely assume they are going to feel terrible regardless of whether he finished the season out or was fired on the spot.

[tylerdawg]

Why shouldn't they? The 105 players who make up the PSU squad have absolutely NOTHING to do with this....

They should not be punished for something almost a decade old that is a civil and criminal matter and not an violation of NCAA rules

Sandusky working out at the fieldhouse last week is willful neglect in my opinion. I guarantee Paterno and McCreary are not the only ones that knew Sandusky was under investigation since 2008 and the coaching staff just sit and watch the guy come and go.

The reason they shouldn't be able to play is because in my opinion all the coaching staff should be suspended until an police investigate how Sandusky can just come and go as he pleases is resolved.

If the players can play without coaches let em play. There was a total lack of leadership at all levels at PSU.

[Sw]

This is far from over,and I strongly support the decision to remove all who were involved. They knew what had happened and did nothing to ensure it did not occur again. If I see a crime and do not make sure the proper authorities are informed then I share in the crime. These people knew very well what was going on and chose to keep taking money and not rock the boat at any cost.

[mysterydawg]

While I am not in their shoes and will never grasp how they feel I can safely assume they are going to feel terrible regardless of whether he finished the season out or was fired on the spot.

The feeling they will feel is like no other pain a human can suffer. The stigma they wil carry is a burdon that I would not even begin to consider for my worst enemy to carry. If a few of them are fortunate they will get with an therapist that can help them deal with the everyday turmoil that will effect them. But unfortunately most of the survivors of this will become addicts of some type or become a very angry violent member of society. Some of them will become suicidal. I know I have been there. I was one of the lucky ones who had a strong support system at home and after decades and an incredible wife was able to get the healing that i needed.

[Dirtydawg]

I think the particular crime clouds our logic. What if the grad assistant had reported to Paterno he thought he witnessed Sandusky murdering someone in the shower?

"Well thanks for that information son, I'll pass it up the chain tomorrow".

Is that enough? The most powerful man in the history of the university then never checks up on the possible murder. Does that make sense?

The difference being one you can verify with evidence, the other not.

[Dwayne From Minden]

Sandusky working out at the fieldhouse last week is willful neglect in my opinion. I guarantee Paterno and McCreary are not the only ones that knew Sandusky was under investigation since 2008 and the coaching staff just sit and watch the guy come and go.

The reason they shouldn't be able to play is because in my opinion all the coaching staff should be suspended until an police investigate how Sandusky can just come and go as he pleases is resolved.

If the players can play without coaches let em play. There was a total lack of leadership at all levels at PSU.

The two that were mainly responsible for that are now gone - Paterno and Spainer...

We should be very careful on how we throw a blanket over the entire program with this -

Dark secrets can be HELD very close to the vest where almost NO ONE ELSE knows the situation except for a select few - and listening to ex players like Todd Blackledge and Matt Millen only emphasizes this point