Sandusky Sex Abuse Investigation Faults Paterno and Others at Penn State

[Penny Lane 8,159]

The victims of abuse weren't innocent? They weren't punished? Being raped is far more severe than being prevented from playing football for a year. I understand what you're saying but donating to a charity isn't a harsh enough punishment for the school. The people running the school and the football team were responsible for letting children be raped over a long period of time. The credibility of this school has been ruined by all of the people involved.

I absolutely agree with most of what you're saying, but I don't believe in punishing MORE innocent people for the acts of the guilty. What does that accomplish? There are kids who have worked very hard to play football for their school, and to take it away from them when they've done nothing wrong doesn't make sense. Yes, the victims were wrongly and horribly punished in a way that's hard to even THINK about, but ... what does punishing more kids do?

Nobody's comparing being raped to not being able to play football. The only comparison is that innocent people suffer through no fault of their own.

Edited July 12, 2012 by Evylin

[rocks 494]

I absolutely agree with most of what you're saying, but I don't believe in punishing MORE innocent people for the acts of the guilty. What does that accomplish? There are kids who have worked very hard to play football for their school, and to take it away from them when they've done nothing wrong doesn't make sense. Yes, the victims were wrongly and horribly punished in a way that's hard to even THINK about, but ... what does punishing more kids do?

To me it is like letting Michael Vick own a dog again.

I know it is a tough issue. Football makes colleges lots of money, and of course there are the people who go to college to play football. There needs to be sanctions though. Isn't the statue of Paterno still there? It doesn't seem like anyone is taking this seriously.

[kytwell 179]

Of the two main culprits, one is dead, the other will be serving the rest of his short life in prison. The stigma will stay with PSU forever, similar to how when people hear Kent State, they think shooting.

While JoePa failed here, it doesn't negate his on the field accomplishments or change the way he positively affected thousands of students and athletes over his long, legendary, distinguished career as a coach. Where he failed was in his own personal greed and each of the victims after 1998, we're all human though.

There's no way to rectify this after the fact. Aside from the criminal charges and any further potential firings. No amount of fines or punishments will ever bring back the children's lost innocence. There were systematic failures at every level from the bottom, up. We can only hope to learn from this tragic set of events and hope that there will be a new set of safeguards put into effect, that will help to possibly prevent something similar to this systematic failure, from ever happening again.

[Penny Lane 8,159]

While JoePa failed here, it doesn't negate his on the field accomplishments or change the way he positively affected thousands of students and athletes over his long, legendary, distinguished career as a coach. Where he failed was in his own personal greed and each of the victims after 1998, we're all human though.

You cannot be serious.

[aaydrian 479]

You cannot be serious.

Yup, Joe had that 'Sh!t happens' bumper sticker.

[rocks 494]

You cannot be serious.

He probably is.

[rocks 494]

PSU trustee: JoePa's legacy 'marred'

Karen Peetz also says the board ''accepts full responsibility for the failures that occurred.''

A board-sanctioned investigation into the scandal concluded that the Hall of Fame coach and other senior school officials ''concealed critical facts relating to Sandusky's child abuse'' because they were worried about bad publicity. The 267-page report is the result of an eight-month inquiry by former FBI director Louis Freeh.

Oh yes, just two people are to blame.

The report on the investigation led by former FBI director Louis Freeh indicts President Graham B. Spanier, Senior Vice President‐Finance and Business Gary Schultz, Athletic Director Timothy Curley and the late head football Coach Joe Paterno for showing "no concern" about alleged victims of Sandusky, the one time assistant football coach.

Penn State Cover Up

"These men concealed Sandusky's activities from the Board of Trustees, the University community and authorities," the report stated. "They exhibited a striking lack of empathy for Sandusky's victims by failing to inquire as to their safety and well‐being, especially by not attempting to determine the identity of the child who Sandusky assaulted in the Lasch Building in 2001," when then-graduate assistant Mike McQueary reported witnessing Sandusky sexually assault a young boy in a locker room.

Apparently that is two people...

Edited July 12, 2012 by rocks

[X Factor 1,112]

To me it is like letting Michael Vick own a dog again.

I know it is a tough issue. Football makes colleges lots of money, and of course there are the people who go to college to play football. There needs to be sanctions though. Isn't the statue of Paterno still there? It doesn't seem like anyone is taking this seriously.

That statue needs to come down pronto

[rocks 494]

That statue needs to come down pronto

Glad Nike acted on this news today.

[X Factor 1,112]

Glad Nike acted on this news today.

What did Nike do?

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

If anyone watched PSU's press conference earlier today then you know PSU is screwed. They just shot themselves in the foot ...again. And as far as JoPa's kid..he was more of a detriment than he was helpful. PSU is choosing to show no remorse and instead has taken a victim stance in all this.

Even more they are now looking into the disappearance of the DA who investigated this back in '98. They found his laptop in the Susquehanna River but it was missing the hard drive.

[rocks 494]

What did Nike do?

Whether or not the now-infamous statue of Joe Paterno remains standing will no doubt be a matter of highly-charged debate both on and off Penn State's campus for days and weeks to come. But Nike has decided it won't wait where the child care center at its Beaverton, Ore. headquarters is concerned: Paterno's name will be stripped off the building.

As recently as last September, Nike said it has no plans to rename the "Joe Paterno Child Development Center," though a Nike spokesperson told the Oregonian the company was "disturbed" by the indictments brought against Jerry Sandusky and would "continue to monitor the situation closely." Thursday's release of the Freeh Report apparently changed the "situation" enough that Nike felt it had to act, with CNBC's Darren Rovell reporting that the decision had already been made to remove Paterno's name from the facility.

Finally, something we can agree on.

Even more they are now looking into the disappearance of the DA who investigated this back in '98. They found his laptop in the Susquehanna River but it was missing the hard drive.

That was always very suspicious. I'd be interested to see what the outcome of that is.

Edited July 13, 2012 by rocks

[X Factor 1,112]

You just don't start becoming a pedophile in 1998. This guy was around kids for many, many years and I bet you he abused kids before 1998.

[kytwell 179]

You cannot be serious.

I have in no way condoned his lack of action. His lack of action is reprehensible.

Yes we're all human. I thought all knew that. Is it a fact that he positively affected thousands of people, absolutely. Will those positive impacts to these individuals change now because of this? No.

And for the person i'd rather not name, I say: nonsense. If you read carefully you will see I clearly stated "2 of the main culprits". In baseball a 2 out of 5 batting average is .400, more than enough to get you into the Hall of Fame, doesn't matter if your off the field antics were criminal or not. OJ Simpson, Mike Tyson, Lawrence Taylor, Ray Lewis, Michael Vick, Bernard Hopkins etc, etc. I could go on and on, being a criminal off the field does not in any way change the facts of what you were able to accomplish on the field; it only gives ammo to your haters to judge you on matters not related to your craft or profession.

And I have not, nor am I, in anyway absolving Joe Pa of his criminal conduct in this matter.