Paterno’s statement’s not enough, Penn State dropped ball
Joe Paterno is retiring, but he will be allowed to coach the rest of the season. (AP photo)
Joe Paterno will coach at least three more football games.
This is not going to be pretty.
Paterno confirmed this morning that he will retire at the end of the season. This follows ugly sexual abuse claims against former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky and the belief by many that school officials, including Paterno, may have been complicit in covering up the matter and/or could have done more to push for an investigation.
Paterno released a statement in which he conceded, “With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.”
They were the proper words. But they should have been spoken, not released via email, before anybody at Penn State even considered allowing him back on the sideline.
I can’t imagine any university, company or entity handling a situation worse than how Penn State has handled the past few days.
Paterno’s complete statement:
“I am absolutely devastated by the developments in this case. I grieve for the children and their families, and I pray for their comfort and relief.
“I have come to work every day for the last 61 years with one clear goal in mind: To serve the best interests of this university and the young men who have been entrusted to my care. I have the same goal today.
“That’s why I have decided to announce my retirement effective at the end of this season. At this moment the Board of Trustees should not spend a single minute discussing my status. They have far more important matters to address. I want to make this as easy for them as I possibly can. This is a tragedy. It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.
“My goals now are to keep my commitments to my players and staff and finish the season with dignity and determination. And then I will spend the rest of my life doing everything I can to help this University.”
I wrote the other day about how sickening this whole saga is, that potentially something so despicable could go on for so long. Paterno had met his legal obligations in the Sandusky matter but questions about whether he had met his moral obligations lingered.
I also wrote that before I jumped on the growing “Paterno Must Go” bandwagon, I wanted to hear what he had to say — live, in a room, behind a microphone, with people. Granted, Paterno was being crushed by public opinion and it seemed implausible that he could not have known — 0r done –more. But to me it all seemed a little too much too fast, given Paterno’s stature and reputation before this story broke.
I believed that Paterno needed to get behind a microphone, answer every question, show remorse and make us believe that there was no intent on his part to cover up such alleged heinous crimes for a long-time friend.
Because anybody who enabled Sandusky also belongs behind bars.
But Penn State already has made its decision. That’s a mistake. It’s as if the university is allowing Paterno one final power play in State College.
It’s going to be ugly in “Happy Valley” at Saturday’s final home game against Nebraska.
It’s going to be ugly and scary when Paterno and Penn State go on the road for the final two games to Ohio State and Wisconsin.
If Paterno coaches in a bowl game, the atmosphere certainly is not going to seem like a season celebration, which is what bowl games were intended to be.
Penn State dropped the ball. And when everybody looks at Paterno on the sideline Saturday, the first thought most will have won’t be, “There’s a great football coach.”
By Jeff Schultz
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590 comments Add your comment
Ocilla Dawg
November 9th, 2011
11:32 am
Scenario…you fing out your best friend for the last 30 years has been molesting children. Do you go to him and say you might get in trouble? hell no, you beat the hell out of him and turn him into the police!
ARdawg
November 9th, 2011
11:33 am
Just wow! Like you Jeff I expected more. This is the thing, the only ones that “know” what happened were in the position to sweep it under the rug or bring it to the light. None of those did that. We are talking the upper echelons of PSU, Joe Pa included. All these people were/are tops in their respective fields apparently, all fail miserably at being human beings. If it didn’t happen (which is looking less and less likely) they need to say so , now, in the court of public opinion. The legalities can take take of themselves. None of them are saying that. Forget the smoke, looks like a blazing fire to me.
Obviously, PSU’s priority is still it’s image with no remorse or contrition
cmon man
November 9th, 2011
11:35 am
Joe P needs to retire effective immediately. Bulldog Steve maybe you should read the 23 page report and then tell us what you think. Grown azz man taking shower with lil boys. What if it was your son or your lil brother and he chose not to report it. Do you understand that???? CMON Man!!! Read The Report!!! I cant imagine what father would approve of their son going to Penn State for football for a long azz time!!!!
He Should Quit Immediately
November 9th, 2011
11:35 am
I sure hope the NCAA will get involved. There’s no way that PSU wins by letting this guy back on the field. What did Paterno know?
- Paterno knew the guy was a pedophile and the university did nothing, yet he sat idly by, for years.
- He was on the board of the charity that the pedophile founded and used as a hunting ground for young boys to rape.
Whoever made the decision to let Paterno finish out the season is a fool.
Lowcountry Bulldawg
November 9th, 2011
11:36 am
The administration didn’t know if a crime had been commited but they told Sandusky to stop bringing kids on campus. Look, if you have to have that conversation with someone, that should give you a idea that a crime was in fact commited. WOW!
honest_abe
November 9th, 2011
11:36 am
who cares about joe pa. yes he should’ve made a bigger stink when he found out what happened with sandusky. but a university has it’s protocol and he followed it.
the person everyone should be trying to crucify is the university president! i dont’ even know his name. he’s getting a complete free pass in this and it’s a darn shame.
So Full Of IT
November 9th, 2011
11:37 am
Joe Paterno will coach at least three more football games.
You are so full of it – he will be gone Friday when the Board meets – no way the school would put the players and the students throw the mill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Right on the money
November 9th, 2011
11:37 am
You nailed it Mark – he should go, today.
@CRuleSportsGuy
November 9th, 2011
11:37 am
Those people who comment here saying you’re an idiot, Jeff, are the morons. Simply put, Joe Pa has more power at PSU than anyone else there. If he wanted a coach fired, it would’ve happened.
Legally? Yep JoePa is fine. That’s not the court he’ll be in. This is the court of public opinion, and Joe Pa has been convicted. Too quickly by many, but seeing Penn State’s reactionary movements reek of “hunker down, wait it out” which is a telling sign in itself.
Welcome to public relations, Penn State.
Another Cynic
November 9th, 2011
11:38 am
Jeff, this story isn’t over just yet. Joe Paterno may have “decided” to retire at the end of the season, but the PSU Board of Trustees are meeting this week to discuss next steps, which include the hiring of a new university president. I wouldn’t be surprised if they make a decision on Paterno too. He has lost the right to determine his fate.
Not Penn State
November 9th, 2011
11:38 am
This Sandusky guy is sick…wondered why little boys and not one of the big linebackers on the team that would have bust the “you know what” out of him!
DawginLex
November 9th, 2011
11:38 am
Is al Golden still saying he loves Miami?
He will be Penn State’s next coach.
Herschel Talker
November 9th, 2011
11:38 am
Schultzie – Well Said
Bulldog Steve/Daniel – YOU ARE TWO STUPID FOOLS!
PATERNO DESERVES EVERYTHING THAT COMES HIS WAY FOR WITHHOLDING INFORMATION ON CHILD SODOMY!
MARK RICHT MAY BE A TERRIBLE COACH, BUT THANK GOD HE HAS HIS MORALS IN PLACE. IN TIMES LIKE THIS, IT’S GREAT TO HAVE SUCH A MORAL LEADER IN PLACE.
HT
RememberDuaneAllman
November 9th, 2011
11:38 am
Stewart Mandell of SI has , in his bowl projections, UGA vs Penn St in the Capitol One Bowl. I had rather the Dogs decline and appear in a lessor bowl, or even no bowl at all, than to be a part of what will certainly be a circus.
DawgDad
November 9th, 2011
11:39 am
“Look, I dont care how old you are and who it is that is doing that, If you see what it is stated then you need to address that situation on the spot. He should have gone and whipped Sanduskys arse. No excuse, you go and standup for that victim.”
You might want to check with your local police department as to their recommendations of what you should do when you witness a violent crime. Sure, we’d all like to believe we’d run to the rescue, save the victim, and detain the perp, but that isn’t always possible or the best course of action. You have to consider a lot of other factors, not the least of which are the elements of shock and surprise, fear, and age/authority differences. Did the grad student do “the right thing”? No, it appears he did not, and apparently he did not get good advice from his father, either.
DawginLex
November 9th, 2011
11:39 am
Paterno should have already coached his last game
Honky Talkin
November 9th, 2011
11:40 am
Read the freakin’ Grand Jury Report you idiots!!!!! Paterno and the entire P.S. administration should be arrested. This is the most disgusting story in the history of sports.
Penn State should shut down the football program today!!
Get a grip
November 9th, 2011
11:40 am
For those of you who say there is no proof Joe did anything wrong or that no one has had their day in court. Joe didn’t wait for a court case or arrest to ban Sandusky from football facilities. He was judge and jury….he just didn’t go far enough. Do you think Joe was wrong to ban him since there was no guilty verdict? Of course not, but he should have went to the police or at least followed up. Joe dropped the ball big time, and so far he’s getting off easy.
JOD
November 9th, 2011
11:40 am
After reading the indictment, I wonder about all of the other adults who witnessed different events over several years. They are all culpable, even the janitors who feared for their jobs and the campus police/DA who ‘investigated’ one of the incidents.
It’s unreal that no one ever stepped in to stop this insanity when it happened right in front of them!
That being said, what precipitated all of this coming to the grand jury at this particular time? Did someone finally get tired of not being able to sleep at night? Maybe I missed it somewhere.
G.Wally
November 9th, 2011
11:41 am
The fact that JoePa thinks it’s ok to finish out the season tells you all you need to know about his character. But what else would you expect from someone that allowed this to go on, knowing what he knew. Good article Jeff. Ignore the idiots on here.
Rickb
November 9th, 2011
11:41 am
Look, everyone up there knows JP had more power than anyone at the Penn St. He failed to use his power when it counted the most. How could he allow this creep to maintain his status for an additional 9 years and owe by the way why was he forced to retire in 1999, when he was the next coach in waiting? I played at a Major College in the SEC and the Head coach knows everything period. The problem I have with the entire stench is 1. Why didn’t JP follow up when nothing happened, 2.Why was he still allowed access to the facilities for 9 more years.
gsueagle
November 9th, 2011
11:41 am
joe should retire today. no more coaching.
IL Jacket
November 9th, 2011
11:42 am
Jeff, I am not sure you are right that he will
be permitted to coach 3 more games. As I read it, this is Paterno’s statement and what he desires to happen. I believe the Trustees may remove the President of the University as early as this week and the new President, or the Board of Trustees themselves, may decide Paterno has coached his last game. It just shows the netherworld Paterno is in. There is no way he should be leading the Nittany Lions on any more football fields.
cmon man
November 9th, 2011
11:42 am
Dawgdad: If one of your workers walked into the bathroom of your department and saw one of your very best friends raping a 10 year old boy and he tells you about the noises he heard…..you can see that he is shaken to the core… And if you choose to only tell your supervisor and nobody does nothing. Then trust me, all of the “ADULTS” that had this information will be looked at as having covered up this crime against a helpless child especially on the hills of a massive investigation in 1998 against the same damn employee. DAMNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!
Phildo
November 9th, 2011
11:42 am
A travesty all the way around. Say it ain’t so, Joe (Pa), but you can’t, and that’s the shame. Did the very minimum you had to, probably because of your long time relationship to a man you only thought you knew, and then sat quietly by, hoping that would be the end of it. So naive on your part because for sickos like Sandusky, it never is the end as long as there is only a slight wrist slap. And even, now, YOU want to retire at the end of the season. Sure, it’s all about what YOU want, but you cannot escape the ownership you have in this sordid affair, and if the Board of Trustees has any integrity, you will not be on the sidelines Saturday. If your name is now tarnished, it is you who have done the tarnishing.
GT Joe
November 9th, 2011
11:42 am
Paterno told the grand jury that the graduate assistant, Mike McQueary, who is now on Paterno’s staff, told him that he had seen Sandusky “in the Lasch Building showers fondling or doing something of a sexual nature to a young boy.”
McQueary later told Curley and Schultz in a separate meeting — Paterno was not present — that he witnessed what he believed to be Sandusky having anal sex with the boy in the Lasch Building showers.
What this tells me is that JoePa didn’t know EXACTLY what was going on. I don’t think McQueary had the stomach to go into details with a 75 year old man.
GT Joe
November 9th, 2011
11:44 am
For those of you that actually read the GJ report: what crime did JoePa commit?
Angie
November 9th, 2011
11:45 am
Jeff, according to Paterno’s son, Joe wanted to go ahead with the press conference yesterday, but Penn State officials shut it down without Paterno’s input. I just get the feeling that PSU officials (trustees and pres) are enjoying hanging Paterno out as the scape-goat when there are several others who had more opportunity and knowledge to have taken this entire situation to the police. Not entirely clearing Paterno, but there are a lot more people who did a lot less than he did. The Grad Asst, the janitors who all knew what one man saw, the grad asst’s father (who is in the medical profession and knows he has an obligation to report ANY hint of child abuse, and the AD’s who waited a week and a half before even talking to the Grad Asst. If all of those people covered up/did nothing, why is it so hard to believe that they would have told JoePa that it was all being investigated/taken care of/ etc.
The Ghost of Wally Butts
November 9th, 2011
11:45 am
It would be best for him to retire now – and come back for a ceremony sometime next year after the initial shock had passed (and presumably after the criminal ‘justice’ system has run it’s course).
By insisting on staying through the end of the year, he only ‘enables’ white-hot negative media coverage, and possibly protests by victim groups.
Nittany Slim
November 9th, 2011
11:46 am
Older Woman young boy = Cougar
Older Man young boy = Nittany Lion
IL Jacket
November 9th, 2011
11:46 am
Oops, looks like Another Cynic beat me to the punch. That said, I think he is right.
BULLDOG STEVE
November 9th, 2011
11:47 am
Joe did not witness anything. Sandusky was no longer on his staff. I am sure the board of trustees approved Sandusky’s retirement plan allowing him full access to the facilities. I do not believe the football coach has the power to determine who gets what privledges and who doesn’t. Now the Board is acting high and mighty. Can anybody honestly say the board of trustees had no prior knowledge of what happened? heck Sandusky has even said that he knew about the pending charges over 3 years ago. The police department has know for several years about the charges while they worked on them. If it is so cut and dry, why did it take so long? I am sure Joe has lots he wants to say, but at this point nobody is letting him. Again the legal system working its magic.
Rickb
November 9th, 2011
11:47 am
To GT Joe, I beg to differ. Take a look at the timeline, he was still a coach when the first investigation happened prior to the 2002 report. He was forced to retire in 99 after he was investigated in 98. They knew then just like they know now.
Kirk
November 9th, 2011
11:47 am
As the son of a pedophile and the brother of a pedophile, I can think of no excuse for JoPa to keep his mouth shut after discovering what was going on.The steps he took allowed this crap to go on for years.There is no high ground or due process that will make this right. He needs to be reminded about all the soldiers who claimed they were just following orders. They were wrong too.
GT Joe
November 9th, 2011
11:50 am
Rickb: Sandusky was politely shown the door in 99, likely because of the 98 allegations.
After that, JoePa has no power over Sandusky; Sandusky wasn’t working for Joe. It’s the ADMINS that needed to do something.
Joe did all he could do: report what he heard to the admins.
BULLDOG STEVE
November 9th, 2011
11:50 am
Its amazing how the AJC and all the reporters are coming to the defense of Herman Cain, when he was directly accused of doing something, not heard something second hand about somebody who was no longer on his staff. “Herman could never do something like that…..it was 20 yrs ago….blah blah blah. Several people knew what happened to these kids and nobody did anything, but Joe is having his legacy destroyed before all the facts are presented. Give Joe a chance to voice his side of what happened before you stone him.
GT Joe
November 9th, 2011
11:51 am
Regarding what the GA told JoePa about what he saw: the GA should have gone to the cops, not JoePa. What, is JoePa going to go to the cops with hearsay? JoePa probably won’t even be able to testify on that incident, since all he knows is hearsay.
WKH
November 9th, 2011
11:51 am
Shame on everyone involved to not put the predator behind bars.
Dawg48
November 9th, 2011
11:51 am
Gtjoe
Penn state told Sandusky not to bring boys back on campus basically saying” if your going to rape little boys do it on your own time” and you can honestly say you think Joe pa new nothing about what the school ” Penn state” told Sandusky? You ask what he is guilty of and they all are neglect!
Herschel Talker
November 9th, 2011
11:51 am
GT Joe:
No one is saying he committed a legal crime. But if someone knows about a child sodomizer and does not make sure he is apprehended by the police, you don’t think he’s culpable when the sodomizer continues his rampage? Jeez dude, get a clue.
HT
ARdawg
November 9th, 2011
11:54 am
Bulldog Steve
Joe Pa has a chance and that chance is now. Nobody, not even the university can prevent him from telling his side of the story. They are all lawyered up in attempts to cover there own @zzes. The truth will set them free. That is unless they have something to hide
Rickb
November 9th, 2011
11:56 am
GT Joe
Sorry that does not wash, JP knew everything that goes on in the Program, he waited a full day before calling his so called superiors? I wouldn’t be surprised if he called Sandusky before making the call. Sorry I have a son and I would have called the police and my superiors at a minimum. Just think if was little girls! There never any room for speculation when it comes to our sons and daughters being protected. Ever
Lowcountry Bulldawg
November 9th, 2011
11:57 am
GT Joe,
Paterno committed perhaps no legal crime but a crime of failing to make sure the allegations made there way to the authorities. He failed the victims, the university, the town, his family and himself for failing to protect these young men from the predator Sandusky. For that he deserves to lose his job.
Tarheel in Georgia
November 9th, 2011
11:58 am
I would encourage people to read the actual indictment. When you read the horrific details of what happened to these boys, and how over the top the behavior was, I think you will realize as the police commissioner stated, there were moral failures in handling this situation better. Not just by JoePa, but the graduate assistant who witnessed the rape, the janitor who saw the sodomy and the administration.
Rickb
November 9th, 2011
11:59 am
GT Joe, how can a man have 16 grand children and do the minimum?
BULLDOG STEVE
November 9th, 2011
12:00 pm
cmon man, I read the report. How do you know what the GA told Joe? Did he give Joe all the details about what he saw? Somebody above made a great comment that the GA’s father was in the medical profession and they have a legal responsibility to report what his own son told him. How come nobody is going after him? Shunning him from seeing patients? The court of public opinion is a very powerful thing, and unfortunately convicts before all the facts are presented.
In Joe We Trust
November 9th, 2011
12:00 pm
First off…Paterno was ready to get behind a microphone yesterday to field questions…but the P.O.S President, Graham Spanier cancelled the press conference. This has been nothing but a witch hunt on Paterno without anyone putting the spot light on the GA who WITNESSED the crime and did nothing to intervene or call the police himself. Forget allowing the VP to retire or the AD to take “administrative leave’…FIRE both of them NOW without pension. Spanier should be fired as well without pension. You can debate all you want about what more Joe could have done, but don’t lose focus on the fact that a GA saw what happened and did nothing…..an AD and VP overseeing campus police did nothing…..and a university President who should have used the supreme rule he has did nothing.
Those of us who have read the facts know Coach Paterno is being thrown to the wolves…for no other reason than him being the most recognizable target. SHAME ON ALL OF YOU (media) for taking a tragedy that should be focused on prosecuting the monster and the ones who had more power to do something and instead using the story to drag a man through the mud.
cmon man
November 9th, 2011
12:02 pm
GT Joe. I hope GT doesnt stand for Georgia Tech. You usually have to have a certain IQ to be admitted to that institution…. and hell im a bulldog. For you to say Joe did all he could do says a lot about you sir. He got word that his friend was raping a 10 year old boy and he did all he can do. Okay. Great! He made a call to the AD. Dont call the Police Joe. Dont find the boy Joe. Dont whipp Sandusky’s Azz Joe, Nawwwww Just tell your boy about it.
reebok
November 9th, 2011
12:03 pm
Couldn’t care less about the 84-year old accomplice to child molestation. But my prayers go out to the abused children and their families.
Big Dawg Daddy
November 9th, 2011
12:03 pm
61 years of high ethics. It’s more than clear that he made a massive mistake in this incident, but give the man a little credit. I give more credibility to this man even at this time than ALL of the AJC reporters combined. He is retiring. He should have done more. But he is not the criminal here. Just a good man who did not handle a terrible situation well. Let the emotions cool and think about what you are writing.