There are many who will defend Joe in the coming days, weeks, and even years. But as time goes on I have no doubt this will look much worse than what it looks like today. Let me be clear: In the coming months, the public will see the full scope of the atrocities that occurred, and the past few days will be the tip of the iceberg. This whole fiasco stinks. It reeks of cover ups and indifference; of men in authority caring more about money and the reputation of a program than the life of a child. This is about educators, or at least thats what the NCAA will call them, turning a blind eye because they felt it could hurt the reputation of their University or in other words it would hurt business.
Lets start from the beginning. Jerry Sandusky was, by all accounts, a brilliant coach. In 1977 he started the Second Mile, a charitable organization helping at-risk children, the same year he became Defensive Coordinator. As Defensive Coordinator he helped lead the Nittany Lions to national championships in 1982 and 1986 and was considered to be a possible replacement to JoePa. His final game occurred in 1999 when he led his defense to a shut-out of Texas A&M in the Alamo Bowl where he was ironically, hoisted and carried by his players to commemorate his final game. He remained at Penn St, holding an office and continuing to use the university facilities until his arrest November 5. Lets backtrack to his retirement. He retired in 1999 at the age of 55, which is suprisingly young, for someone thought to be the successor to one of the storied programs in college football. But it appears as though something was going on in the background. In 1998 Sandusky allegedly showered with an 11 year old, eerily labeled as "Victim 6" in the Grand Jury Report. This incident was brought to police who investigated the matter but no criminal charges were filed. Sandusky alleged said in regards to his interactions with "Victim 6", "I understand. I was wrong. I wish I could get forgiveness...I wish I were dead." There is no doubt that administrators within the athletic department of Penn St knew of this egregious act yet they allowed Sandusky to maintain a presence at the University. While I am only speculating, it makes perfect sense that Sandusky was forced out the next season. More or less a cover up of titanic proportions.
Yet after the incident in 1998, he continued with his charity culminating in the now famous incident when in 2002 graduate assistant Mike Mcqueary allegedly witnessed Sandusky, late at night, anally raping a young boy, thought to be about 10 years old. He inexplicably did not tell the police and instead told his father and subsequently told Joe Paterno which is the moment where most of the current outrage at JoePa is focused. He told his superiors and left it at that. He didnt follow up. He didnt call the police. And instead let Sandusky continue on as if nothing had happened allowing Sandusky to allegedly molest more children.
I should note I am leaving out a number of instances detailed in the grand jury report. And although it is disturbing and graphic if you want to understand why JoePa's inaction is infuriating read the report. http://www.wgal.com/pdf/29737452/detail.html
It should also be noted that administrators Gary Schultz, who is Senior vice president for finance and business, and Tim Curley, who is Athletic Director were both arrested and charged with perjury for lying about what they knew about the allegations. Both have stepped down.
Now lets fast forward to the present. Sandusky is arrested and there is a firestorm of allegations and rumblings about the future of Paterno. This is the point where I lost any respect for the legendary coach. After cancelling his weekly press conference, Joe lets the public know he will retire at the end of the season, on his terms. Don't be fooled by this outrageous statement. It is not noble or commendable or pious. It is selfish. And worse it is denigrating to the victims in this case. Joe wanted to ride out on a high horse for the final three games and be cheered by the 100,000+ people that will attend Saturday's game. He wanted to go out on his terms. Hey Joe, did victim 1,2,3,4,5,6,7, or 8 say their terms when Jerry Sandusky was molesting them? And especially the victims after 2002 when Joe knew that innappropriate acts occurred. What about them? The Board of Trustees made the right call by firing him. His inaction is unforgivable. Period. The University needed to levy a tangible punishment and frankly, it is very little compared to the trauma his decision making or lack thereof resulted in.
Many have decried the decision as wrong. And have said Joe deserves better. Many have also said they don't understand why some are still employed, notably the graduate assistant, Mike Mcqueary who witnessed the 2002 incident, while Joe is gone. They are looking at this the wrong way. Joe should not be allowed to coach because Mcqueary is still coaching. Both should be gone. Anyone involved should be gone immediately. So while the Board of Trustees fired Joe, they have not gone far enough and I hope they fire Mike Mcqueary and anyone else who knew of something and didnt speak up. Just because you didnt break the law doesnt mean you didnt commit wrongdoing. There is a moral threshold, which in an insitution that prides itself on honor and integrity should live up to. Systemically, Penn St destroyed that moral threshold.
I have also heard that Joe did what he was supposed to, that he told his superior, which was all that was required of him. This is once again and outrageous statement. I wanted to put into words my thoughts but Howard Bryant did an incredible job so I will let him speak for me. In an ESPN article he wrote,
"It is incongruous that any adult with basic common sense -- especially those who supposedly have worked with children and young adults for decades -- could conclude that there was no wrongdoing after a report that a grown man was inappropriately in a shower with a child. Being in a shower inappropriately with a child or adolescent is the finding of wrongdoing. Paterno, Schultz and Curley all appear to be using the same defense: that the graduate student who came forward did not detail specifically what he saw. Which begs the question: After being told that an adult, who to that point had worked with children for 25 years, was caught showering in your locker room with a child for any reason, just how much more specificity did Paterno, Schultz and Curley actually need?" Couldnt have said it better myself.
So how big and far does this go? Mark Madden, who reported the case many months ago, said that people are looking into rumors, and these are simply rumors right now, that kids were being pimped out to rich donors through the foundation. At this point, it wouldnt surprise me. Already a ninth victim has allegedly come forward and I do believe there are many more to come.
So what is JoePa's legacy? I'm not sure. He's done a lot of good for this university helping shape the lives of young men and that cannot be debated. Some will defend him. Some will call him a monster. I dont know what he is. But I know one thing he isn't: The honorable man we once thought he was.
Here is some further reading:
For Conspiracy Theorists: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/09/sports/ncaafootball/questions-on-sandusky-wrapped-in-2005-gricar-mystery.html?_r=1
For an Inside Perspective: http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7205085/growing-penn-state
For someone who shares my opinion: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/11/10/joe-paterno-and-penn-state-s-code-of-omerta-in-the-sex-abuse-scandal.html
Howard Byrant article: http://espn.go.com/espn/commentary/story/_/id/7208029/penn-state-joe-paterno-failure-power
