The Penn State Sex Abuse Scandal

Well, it's been going on for a few days now, and I'm surprised to see that there's not a topic about this, so here we go. This was related to a former defensive coordinator who is facing multiple molestation charges, and it was just affecting the sports team and the university hard at this moment. In fact, it led to the resignation of the athletic director and the university's senior vice president for finance when both have been charged of perjury. Joe Paterno isn't being charged, at least for the moment because he informed the administrators almost immediately when a graduate assistant reported witnessing a molestation of a ten year old, but the admins failed to act on that.

So the question comes as this: Would JoePa have done more and informed the police as well, especially since he's seen as an honorable man in a scandal-prone world of college sports?

edited 8th Nov '11 11:15:56 AM by EarlOfSandvich

I'm assuming my complete lack of sports interest is why I haven't heard a thing about this. So perhaps this might sound like a dumb question:

Why did the mentioned grad student go to the university administration instead of straight to the police/FBI? I mean, if I witness a coworker molesting a ten-year-old, I'm not going to my chief or my LT, I'm going to call security or maybe NCIS.

Heres a bit about the scandal

And now it has been alleged that Penn State may be planning for Paterno's exit, though there's no proof of that actually happening yet.

I really do think that Paterno, although off the hook for informing the administration of the incident in 2002 when informed, simply should have done more and informed the police as well around the same time. It's pretty ugly right now, and quite a bit of the fanbase now want him out. I did ask my Penn State alum for a teacher about this scandal, and he does acknowledge the seriousness of it; he wasn't even wearing his Penn State sweatshirt like he usually does, and I heard that nobody in State College is happy about this.

Is there any troper in the area that can provide some input? I really would like to hear.

edited 8th Nov '11 5:36:56 PM by EarlOfSandvich

@Blue Ninja: he may have simply felt that the university would be obligated to involve the police in any case. I would have thought that that would be mandatory in such cases.

I know several have wanted more information on this case, but if someone links you to the court report of allegations that came out, if you enjoy sleeping at night, I suggest you don't read it.

Ironically, I grew up right outside State College and I am a recent alum of Virginia Tech, where the infamous massacre took place 4 years ago. So, to say the least, I'm an expert on college scandals and these two colleges in particular. At this point, I will be shocked if the Board of Trustees does not give Paterno the boot, especially since the investigation is still on-going and there are more boys coming forward who were raped by Sandusky. Most likely, Penn State's entire administration will be totally cleaned out and overseen by the feds for a long while in the future.

It's not going to go away any time soon, let me tell you. Virginia Tech is still haunted by the massacre and it's been 4 years now. And I've already read the Grand Jury's report and it's absolutely horrifying. Boys who I went to elementary, middle, and high school with were involved in Sandusky's Second Mile charity program, so I'm sickened beyond words that that man ever came near my classmates. Put Sandusky and all those who covered up for him into the State Penn and let general population have their way with them.

edited 8th Nov '11 11:01:52 PM by karategal

yeah..I'd imagine half of Penn State's administration staff is looking for jobs starting today.

And they deserve it. I love Virginia Tech and Penn State, but I am not so loyal or stupid as to overlook their faults. Both the VT massacre and now Penn State's sex abuse scandal should be eye-openers for how corrupt and power-drunk administrations can damage their own students or the community around them. VT overlooked Cho's deteriorating mental condition because they didn't want to get involved in questioning laws that just don't work any more, and Penn State covered up the horrible rape of those little boys to protect their God-like football program.

Lesson: Absolute power corrupts absolutely, and Penn State football has had absolute power at State College for decades.

Its especially annoying when you then listen to people on sports networks who went to penn State rant and whine about how unfair it is for the coach to be thrown under a bus before "all the facts are out" Now, I dont know if he truly meant to discount what was happening..but sometimes good people make awful decisions.

Paterno to retire at the end of the season, devastated by the ongoing scandal.

Anyways, let me reiterate that the only crime Paterno committed was not being pushy enough in that regard the moment he heard the report, and in retrospect, he did acknowledge that. No doubt he is not entirely innocent either, but many people now blame him when the blame should mostly be on the administration that held the most responsibility about what's going on in campus property, effectively did nothing and even LIED.

edited 9th Nov '11 6:57:14 PM by EarlOfSandvich

And now he's been sacked effective immediately, because sacking people for what the administration failed immensely to act upon when told is a great way to go.

I really do feel that he's being thrown under a bus at this moment...

But at least the university president is out too.

edited 9th Nov '11 9:01:38 PM by EarlOfSandvich

Is Joe not able to fire his assistant coaches, and if he is, why didn't he fire the bastard then and there? And if he knew about this, then how could he stand to continue to work with the man after the incident?

I mean, at some point they must have had a version of this conversation:

"So...you like the boys?"

"...uhhhh"

"Look, even though I find your pedophilia to be disgusting, I still respect your ability to coach football. So, let's just let it slide this once, but don't let me catch you doing anything odd to children again, okay?"

"Sure thing, boss!"

What the hell Paterno.

Sandusky was not working for the University at the time of the allegation(nor has he since). He was at the college for his "charity" in which he brought boys to the college to see Penn State(and according to some he was "banned" from the university after Paterno said something, but he has stilled showed up without incident)...

Paterno had absolutely no say over who is allowed in his locker rooms(that's the athletic director, who Paterno told about the allegation by the way)...

Paterno really couldn't have done anything because even if he calls the police, Paterno can't say anything actually happened, because he didn't witness it(and it becomes libel at that point).

If anyone should be blamed for not doing enough, it most certainly isn't Paterno. It's the assistant who witnessed the event and did nothing at the time, nor anything after that point beyond telling the coach of the football team...

edited 9th Nov '11 8:34:20 PM by Swish

Ah I see. Well that is balls for Paterno.

This just in: people are pissed about Paterno getting fired: http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/Penn-State-Joe-Paterno-riot-police-deployed-110911

edited 10th Nov '11 7:21:39 AM by MyGodItsFullofStars

Paterno had enough clout at Penn State to raise a stink about this pedo using the locker rooms. He could've also encouraged Mark Mc Queary (the guy who WITNESSED the rape of a 10-year-old) to go to the police. He could've questioned other employees and asked if they'd seen anything suspect.

"Paterno really couldn't have done anything because even if he calls the police, Paterno can't say anything actually happened, because he didn't witness it(and it becomes libel at that point)."

It's only libel if it's false.

edited 10th Nov '11 9:29:12 AM by PennyDreadful

First off, it's not libel at all regardless. To misquote Spider Man, it's potentially slander. Libel is printed. Besides, in the U.S., it's only slander/libel if it's known to be false. There's a reason few people actually get convicted of it.

As for this case itself...

I pity Joe Paterno, really. A lot of people have said the simplistic "oh, he should have gone to the police," as if there's no other issues that pop up in a person's head when they hear about this. But beyond the fact that Paterno didn't witness the actions himself, and it's not clear what, specifically, he was told (accounts seems to agree that he wasn't told the full story, which would give some explanation as to why he didn't do more), there's simply a ton of conflicting information going through someone's head when they learn about such things.

Like with any other negative item, reactions can vary. Does someone, upon hearing something like this about someone you've been close to for years, vigorously confront the perp? Do they practically fugue, blocking it out because it's too horrifying to think about? Do they go into a panicked defense because they're worried about how it'll affect them? Do they simply go to the authorities, hoping that justice will be done? And all that's not even getting into any issues related to the over-prominence of football programs at several U.S. universities.

Paterno did the wrong thing, yes, and he must deal with the consequences of that. But I think the biggest consequence will be the guilt he has to turn over in himself that isn't ever going away. You know the quote, "All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing?" Joe Paterno, from all accounts, is a good man who did nothing. I feel pity because he is good, but I also feel that he deserves punishment because he did nothing.

Also, for all the moralizing about what should have been done, I end up wondering just how many people would have done more, if they had the information Paterno had. It's way too easy to discuss theoreticals in this situation, when the actual issues are deep, complex, and even the "right" answer often leads to guilt and self-loathing.

Paterno was one of the only people who did something (IIRC, he went to the athletic director after one of the students came to him and made an allegation about it). Should he have done more? Maybe. But it's not like one of the other higher-ups who did absolutely nothing to curb this sort of behavior.

I think it's a shame that now when we think of Joe Pa, we're not going to think of one of the most storied coaches in college football history, but of this scandal.

What bothers me is that from the sound of it the only wrong party is this guy. I didn't even hear about the others until recently.

The thing is, when you get to pedophiles rich and well-funded enough to establish "foundations", you're probably working with rings whose members look out for each other. And recall that there's a lot of money in college football.

If they turn that waste basket upside down and shake it, just you watch what kind of creatures fall out.

Essentially, yeah. He deserves to be fired to a degree..but a lot of the firings are oing to be the Board f trustees throwing the management under a bus for it. And students dealing with the fallout of Penn State going from a highly respected college tp site of a horrific scandal.

Thread Hop:http://global.christianpost.com/news/westboro-baptist-church-to-protest-penn-state-atheist-and-gay-groups-to-counter-protest-61406/

Well,Westboro Baptist Church seems to be interested in making a scene.

Just heard about this at work. My boss had a 23 page print out of a report supposedly from an investigation. If it is accurate this is very bad.

There are bits there that suggest a series of cover ups from those placed higher in power. There was an earlier investigation back in 1998 for similar behaviour and to add to the shady, a DA who been part of earlier investigations mysteriously vanished. No idea if his dissappearance is coincidence or linked though.

The report I have does not have a title but lists up to 7 known victims and mentions at least two instances of eye witnesses catching him in the act.

Link to a copy of the report I have on hand at my desk

edited 10th Nov '11 5:14:55 PM by TuefelHundenIV

Its sort of ironic and sad that a football program famed for integrity is the center of this scandal.

It's not just a matter of good men doing nothing, it's "good men not doing enough."

That's what I (and many others) are so riled about. 98% of people nowadays have cell-phones, don't they? I said on Facebook (one of my friends posted an article about it) that I'd have charged in and tried to beat the shit out of him, but it's more likely I'd have gotten my phone out and called the police.

Which would still have been WAY more than what Paterno did.

edited 10th Nov '11 7:34:34 PM by Sharysa