There is so much about this case, as Sly said, that pisses me off. Having started the thread, I more wanted to get this subject matter rolling then weigh in with my full opinion. I also wanted to see how this played out in the media and at Penn State before I said anything substantial.
The biggest piece to this entire story is the kids that were abused, and Jerry Sandusky. Most of you have done an admirable job, whether I agree with you or not, on pointing this out. The farce the media has made of this making it mostly about Paterno while essentially barely giving Sandusky a mention should be criminal. If the allegations are true, and I fully believe they are, then Sandusky should be the focus. But like it or not, Joe Paterno's name makes this round the clock coverage for ESPN. His name makes this round the clock coverage for the national media. His name brings out Governor Tom Corbett to speak on every channel in Pennsylvania as well as ESPN. And as I and I'm sure a few others have found out, his name makes this the only topic in Mid-Western Pennsylvania. If Tom Bradley, PSU's interim coach, was the name in question, this wouldn't get half the publicity it has. I find this to be a damn shame. This should, first and foremost, be about how these children should heal, and villifying Jerry Sandusky, God have mercy on his despicable soul. But this case has been about villifying Joe Paterno, who is hardly a villian.
As a life-long Pitt supporter, my dislike for Penn State when it comes to collegiate sports knows no end. I don't like Joe Paterno either, although you better believe I respect him. And he deserves better then to go out this way. Ive never seen people come out in ardent support for the man the way people have in the past few days, and for good reason. I believe Paterno did, in his mind, what he felt was best here. Does that leave alot of unanswered questions? You better believe it. But why don't those questions start with Mike McQueary, who witnessed the incident? In one of the most egregious miscarriages of "justice" Ive ever seen, Paterno was fired and McQueary remained the WR coach, although he won't coach another game at PSU, Id imagine. The man witnessed a rape and the best he could do was go to Joe Paterno? If anything, the person people should be most upset with for not going to the police is McQueary. Instead, the 28 year old man ran to his dad, who sent him to Paterno.
Here is where I fault Paterno. From what Ive read and seen, which has been substantial, Paterno agreed to take care of it, and went through proper chain of command in notifying the Athletic Director. So let's say Paterno followed proper chain of command to the letter. But if he didn't DEMAND McQueary go to the police about what he witnessed, hounding him until he did, then intentional or not, Paterno was part of the cover-up. I defy anyone to tell me differently.
I find it silly when people talk about Sandusky being allowed on campus as being Paterno's fault as well. Unless Paterno had pull in this situation, in which case he's at fault again, this falls upon administration at the University, not Joe Paterno. It's hard to argue when Paterno says he should have done more then he did and is now contacting a criminal defense attorney that Paterno himself doesn't believe he was wrong in some way, or knows something that has yet to be revealed. But until that comes out, Ill err on the side of giving what has been an ethical man his entire life the benefit of the doubt.
The University, understandably so, is demonstrating damage control at its finest. That's not a compliment, however, it's a double standard. Their stance is that no one man is bigger then the University, and its the stance that should always be taken. But yet they've sat on this for how long, knowing what a black eye it would be to the University? The football program has been about Paterno for half a century, and only know that it's a black eye on them, they take action. A full investigation should have been launched internally a long time ago, and if Paterno was outed as being at fault in any way, so be it. In my eyes, this is a black eye on the entire University, moreso then Joe Paterno. I really hope history reflects it as such.
In closing, the first steps taken in firing Paterno and the University President were necessary steps, but not the first ones. The entire football program should have been gutted from top to bottom. How Paterno's right hand man in Tom Bradley is still able to stay on and coach is another example of gross mismanagement. Bradley listed Paterno as the second most-important person in his life, behind only his father. That's above his wife and kids. It's gullible thinking at best and pathetic scapegoating otherwise to believe Bradley knew nothing as well. Do I believe Paterno should have been let go? I do, but not in the way he was. Far smaller heads should have rollen before Paterno's. The University, for the sake of it's future, needed to move on. But not this way. Not this way. Regardless of how a combination of elements essentially made this a necessity, it doesn't make the necessary thing the right thing.
The biggest piece to this entire story is the kids that were abused, and Jerry Sandusky. Most of you have done an admirable job, whether I agree with you or not, on pointing this out. The farce the media has made of this making it mostly about Paterno while essentially barely giving Sandusky a mention should be criminal. If the allegations are true, and I fully believe they are, then Sandusky should be the focus. But like it or not, Joe Paterno's name makes this round the clock coverage for ESPN. His name makes this round the clock coverage for the national media. His name brings out Governor Tom Corbett to speak on every channel in Pennsylvania as well as ESPN. And as I and I'm sure a few others have found out, his name makes this the only topic in Mid-Western Pennsylvania. If Tom Bradley, PSU's interim coach, was the name in question, this wouldn't get half the publicity it has. I find this to be a damn shame. This should, first and foremost, be about how these children should heal, and villifying Jerry Sandusky, God have mercy on his despicable soul. But this case has been about villifying Joe Paterno, who is hardly a villian.
As a life-long Pitt supporter, my dislike for Penn State when it comes to collegiate sports knows no end. I don't like Joe Paterno either, although you better believe I respect him. And he deserves better then to go out this way. Ive never seen people come out in ardent support for the man the way people have in the past few days, and for good reason. I believe Paterno did, in his mind, what he felt was best here. Does that leave alot of unanswered questions? You better believe it. But why don't those questions start with Mike McQueary, who witnessed the incident? In one of the most egregious miscarriages of "justice" Ive ever seen, Paterno was fired and McQueary remained the WR coach, although he won't coach another game at PSU, Id imagine. The man witnessed a rape and the best he could do was go to Joe Paterno? If anything, the person people should be most upset with for not going to the police is McQueary. Instead, the 28 year old man ran to his dad, who sent him to Paterno.
Here is where I fault Paterno. From what Ive read and seen, which has been substantial, Paterno agreed to take care of it, and went through proper chain of command in notifying the Athletic Director. So let's say Paterno followed proper chain of command to the letter. But if he didn't DEMAND McQueary go to the police about what he witnessed, hounding him until he did, then intentional or not, Paterno was part of the cover-up. I defy anyone to tell me differently.
I find it silly when people talk about Sandusky being allowed on campus as being Paterno's fault as well. Unless Paterno had pull in this situation, in which case he's at fault again, this falls upon administration at the University, not Joe Paterno. It's hard to argue when Paterno says he should have done more then he did and is now contacting a criminal defense attorney that Paterno himself doesn't believe he was wrong in some way, or knows something that has yet to be revealed. But until that comes out, Ill err on the side of giving what has been an ethical man his entire life the benefit of the doubt.
The University, understandably so, is demonstrating damage control at its finest. That's not a compliment, however, it's a double standard. Their stance is that no one man is bigger then the University, and its the stance that should always be taken. But yet they've sat on this for how long, knowing what a black eye it would be to the University? The football program has been about Paterno for half a century, and only know that it's a black eye on them, they take action. A full investigation should have been launched internally a long time ago, and if Paterno was outed as being at fault in any way, so be it. In my eyes, this is a black eye on the entire University, moreso then Joe Paterno. I really hope history reflects it as such.
In closing, the first steps taken in firing Paterno and the University President were necessary steps, but not the first ones. The entire football program should have been gutted from top to bottom. How Paterno's right hand man in Tom Bradley is still able to stay on and coach is another example of gross mismanagement. Bradley listed Paterno as the second most-important person in his life, behind only his father. That's above his wife and kids. It's gullible thinking at best and pathetic scapegoating otherwise to believe Bradley knew nothing as well. Do I believe Paterno should have been let go? I do, but not in the way he was. Far smaller heads should have rollen before Paterno's. The University, for the sake of it's future, needed to move on. But not this way. Not this way. Regardless of how a combination of elements essentially made this a necessity, it doesn't make the necessary thing the right thing.
