First, let me be clear: I don’t know Jerry Sandusky or anyone involved in the investigation, but I believe the allegations against him are true.
Even if they’re not, Penn State should fire Joe Paterno.
In one instance, Sandusky’s alleged conduct was reported to Paterno by an eyewitness over 10 years ago. Paterno passed the information on to Athletic Director Tim Curley and Senior VP for Business and Finance Gary Schultz. Curley and Schultz did nothing with the information. On Saturday, Penn State either fired or forced the resignation of both men, who now face arraignment and further criminal investigation.
Paterno claims he did what he was supposed to do by reporting the information to Curely and Schultz.
Consider this: If Paterno were a Catholic bishop reporting alleged abuse to some peers or cardinals instead of the police, his ass would be in the fire in the court of public opinion (if not actual court).
He needs to go.
Related articles
- Paterno, Penn State failed miserably in sad Sandusky case (sportsillustrated.cnn.com)
Chris Cocca 
I think you can leave out the Catholic comparison and just say that anyone who knows about a child who is being abused and does nothing should be punished in one way or another.
There are child molesters in every walk of life, in every country, state, town, neighborhood, and income level. How can people fail to think about the kids whose life will never be the same and instead, protect the abusers?
I agree. Fire his ass. And then force him, Curley and Schwartz to tell the child’s parents, face to face, that they all knew this was going on and did nothing.
Then have them tell the parents of the kids who were abused AFTER this was known and could have been prevented that they knew and were just as responsible for the acts committed against their son as the actual abuser.
The fallout will continue, I assure you. Dozens of boys (although only a small percentage) will come forward. It just makes me sick to think of all the other children who were abused after these “men” knew. Those additional cases could have all been avoided and the lives of these kids spared. The number of cases over a 10 year period could run into the hundreds as child molesters are habitual offenders that find a routine that works for them and then repeat this routine over and over again. Never is it a “one time” offense.
Parents: please educate your children as soon as you can with age appropriate information about child sex offenders and what to do if this happens to them. Not an easy subject, I know, but there are excellent books to read to your kids from age 5 and up that explain the subject at their level. It really is never too soon to start education.
Sorry for the long reply…this one hits home. Chris, if you think this is too much of a rant, please feel free to delete.
Not a rant at all. You’re right on.
They will keep coming forward…but remember only a small percentage of them will have the courage
http://xfinity.comcast.net/articles/sports-cfb/20111117/Jerry-Sandusky-Penn-State-Scandal-Victims/
absolutely. thank you for sharing that link.
Fire Pathetic Paterno! Paterno is Pathetic. If only Paterno were one of the victims exploited by Paterno’s Pal Sandusky … as such, how would Coach Paterno then “coach” babies, boys, men to act, behave, consider the consequences of such vile, shameful acts and cowardice? Fire Pathetic Paterno. Paterno is Pathetic!
And how did Paterno know? Because someone else told Paterno instead of the police. It’s amazing how long of a chain of people could decide the way to deal with this was in-house. And in addition to the rather large example of Catholic clergy, I read a long article recently about the Boy Scouts having a long history of failing to report sexual assaults to the police. How does this (the failure to report, not the assaults) happen, in seemingly every large organization?
I saw one commentator suggest today that it’s because most of these large organizations are mostly led by men. I don’t know if that’s fair, but it did make me think of the whole “supervaluation of the male” present in, say, the Catholic priesthood, certainly in college football and in the Boy Scouts. I’m not trying to make a causal statement there, but it’s something to think about.
Child molesters are master manipulators. They seek out positions where they can use their power to their advantage. They are drawn to these organizations, for Pete’s sake…the organizations don’t MAKE them! Led by men…led by women…it makes no difference. They are sickos but they are very committed to their sickness and they will change their lives to be where there are young vulnerable victims. “Super-valuation”……every adult is “super-valued” in a child’s eyes. They are taught to respect adults and do what they say. it doesn’t matter if they are teachers or uncles or neighbors.
To address Chad: these things happen every day in large organizations because large organizations have powerful people. It takes “big ones” to accuse a person in power of something that could end their lives and put them away in prison. They are afraid that it may end THEIR life if they accuse, and they need to be 100% sure of what they saw.
Once again, parents…please educated your kids.
I agree with you. I didn’t mean to suggest that organizations create pedophiles, but that these three organizations, all which encourage the supervaluation of males (by adults as well as children, and by society in general) created cover ups. Absolutely, any organization is capable of such a thing and more organizations do it than we can ever know. The question has been raised (by people other than me) as to whether or not the culture of male dominance fed into the culture of cover up. That’s what I was trying to get at. You’re exactly right that offenders seek these organizations, and that organizations enable them.
Sorry, Chris….I am so used to engaging folks who try to tell me that “a life of celibacy creates pedophiles” so I think I was on “auto-attack”.
I don’t believe the culture of male dominance feeds the culture of cover up. It is just the fact that it is easier and a lot more cost efficient to cover it up than to admit guilt and face the fallout. If your cover up fails, you’re no worse off than if you admitted it, so why not try to cover it up first?
no apology necessary…I should have worded it better!
Isn’t everyone involved legally bound in some way because they all are responsible to be a mandated reporter even to the degree of mere suspicion regarding abuse? Everyone in the University who knew about it was an educational administrator which makes them legally required to report. Tragic on so many levels.