Why Joe Paterno can’t be allowed to coach another game
Here's Penn State president Graham Spanier, shown with his boss Joe Paterno. (AP photo)
Penn State felt the need to cancel Joe Paterno’s news conference Tuesday, but allowed him to conduct practice later that afternoon. On Saturday the Nittany Lions will play host to Nebraska. Paterno cannot be allowed to lead Penn State onto the field.
In all likelihood, the Nebraska game would have been the 84-year-old’s last home date as coach if Jerry Sandusky had remained a footnote in Penn State’s athletic annals, but whatever Paterno wanted is immaterial now. At issue is if a proud university wants to be remembered as a school that was handed a last chance to do something and finally did it, or as an institution that again chose to do next to nothing.
The New York Times reports that, in May 1999, Paterno told Sandusky he wouldn’t become Penn State’s head coach when the incumbent, meaning Paterno, retired. Could it have been mere coincidence that, in 1998, Penn State had investigated Sandusky for showering with an underage male? No charges were filed, but Sandusky announced in the summer of 1999 that he would retire as defensive coordinator — at the not-exactly-advanced age of 55.
Did Penn State know back then that such a man couldn’t continue to represent it and nudge him aside? If so, why didn’t it inform the proper authorities? If so, why did it continue to allow Sandusky to hold emeritus privileges on campus and to use team facilities? This is no trifling issue: It was, according to the grand jury’s presentment, in a Penn State locker room that Sandusky was allegedly seen having sex with a 10-year-old — in 2002.
This was the act allegedly witnessed by Mike McQueary, then a grad assistant and now Penn State’s recruiting coordinator. McQueary told Paterno what he’d seen, and Paterno told his superiors, and then nothing much happened for a very long time. He was barred from bringing children on campus, but he maintained an office and reports indicate he was in the team’s weight room as late as last week. According to his lawyer, Sandusky has known he was being investigated for three years before the indictment was handed down.
Think about that. Penn State has sought to act as if this all has been a bolt from the blue, but in 1998 the school should have had cause, if not exactly to know, then surely to wonder. And here we must also wonder if Paterno, faced with a choice between what was right and what was best for his legacy, didn’t take the path of least resistance.
For all the lack of ostentation in Paterno’s image — the ugly glasses and the khaki pants and the football cleats — this is a man who cares very much about how he’ll be remembered. He once famously said he planned to keep coaching because he didn’t want to leave the sport to the likes of rogue operators Jackie Sherrill and Barry Switzer, but the Penn State Story is infinitely more distressing than any $100 handshakes with recruits. Lots of schools cheat in the attempt to get players. The program that has portrayed itself as above it all might well have concealed a predator.
When first the charges against Sandusky surfaced — and here we stipulate that he’s innocent until proved guilty — the reaction was, “How could he have kept such a life hidden?” After further review, it defies credulity that he could have. Someone had to know something. Someone had to wonder why a grown man was showering with boys and traveling to bowl games with adolescents who weren’t his sons.
In 1977 Sandusky founded a charity called The Second Mile, named after a verse from the Gospel according to Mathew, to provide aid and comfort to troubled boys. In the second paragraph of the grand-jury presentment is this chilling sentence: “It was within The Second Mile program that Sandusky found his victims.”
As a player and a coach, Jerry Sandusky had been part of Penn State from 1963 through 1999. Someone had to know something, and surely the 1998 shower incident was enough to generate suspicion even among those who didn’t want to know. Joe Paterno has been at Penn State since 1950. If he knew nothing, it was only because he wanted to know nothing.
But that’s the thing about being a head coach: You’re paid to know everything. Joe Paterno had come to be a case study in ethics in modern athletics, and he’ll retire with the most victories of any FBS (formerly Division I-A) coach ever. But Paterno also emphasized that there’s more to his job than winning, and that’s why he needs to coach no more. If he knew, he needs to go. If he didn’t know, he should have.
By Mark Bradley
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404 comments Add your comment
Mark Bradley
November 8th, 2011
6:48 pm
Thanks, LakeDawg.
lanier
November 8th, 2011
6:49 pm
Bradley you are just a joke. Never rose above this shrunken paper and you call Paterno out? lol
Old School
November 8th, 2011
6:53 pm
Sorry MB, apparent false info or hoax. Many apologies.
alankent
November 8th, 2011
6:56 pm
the cover up of child rape went all the way to the top of penn state, to protect reputations careers and fat pay checks, once the cover up of pedofile rape is institutionalised by a large group of people there is a power motivation to keep the status quo going.
was it the reason RAY GRICAR the county prosecutor mysteriously vanished in 2005 with his lap tops hard drive removed and missing only to be later found in a river damaged? was RAY GRICAR MURDERED? to maintain the silence of a pedofile rape cover up?
the very same prosecutor who choose not to charge sanduskey in the 1998 shower incident when he was caught naked with 2 young boys.
was ray gricar INFORMED of the 2002 incident by someone? perhaps a member of the janitorial staff who spoke of an earlier incident by james ”jim” calhoun, as reported in the grand jury report.
did prosecutor ray gricar confront high ranking members of penn states athletic dept and later was he MURDERED by perhaps local police in on the cover up? who where loyal to joe paterno or other members of the penn state football establishment or was it jerry sanduskey himself and a pedofile friend of his who took care of ray gricar??
WHAT I DO KNOW is that a pedofile rape cover up is a powerfull motivation for MURDER.
figures
November 8th, 2011
6:59 pm
Another pedophile wrapping himself in a religious veil to do reprehensible things to children. Disgusting!
The Nature Boy @ Old School
November 8th, 2011
7:00 pm
you may have to retract your apology real soon….Paterno is gone…if he wasn’t so stubborn he’d step down…we’re waiting on lawyers man…be patient….
dawg4u
November 8th, 2011
7:04 pm
Good column Mark and agree that Joe Pa should go and the quicker the better. The man was head coach at PSU when I attended my first Ga. Tech game against them in 1966. He has been MR. PENN STATE forever and he should’ve known everything.
amsjacket
November 8th, 2011
7:04 pm
Sad but true: the lawyers are calling the shots as Penn State covers it’s hyde…mispelling intended.
The conference was cancelled today because to hold it would have meant:
a) lying
b) admitting to culpability
The only other alternative is that a whole number of people are falsely accusing Sandusky…and given the graduate assistant’s testimony and Sandusky’s earlier mea culpa that is incredibly unlikely.
There are so many losers in this…the kids (most of all), the fans (who invested their hopes in the PSU and its image) and the seniors on the football team (whose final game in front of the home crowd will be sad no matter what the administration does).
The consequences of actions taken or not taken always catch up…sooner or later. Joe Pa and the PSU administrators have failed themselves and everyone who invested trust in them for their personal ambitions.
SEC
November 8th, 2011
7:04 pm
It sounds like a lot of you live in your own little bubble. JoePa can’t know everything just as any other coach can’t know what every player, booster, or parent is doing that is on or associated with his team. Contrary to popular opinion Mark you can’t just go to the police with hearsay information and make an accusation. Police do not arrest or start investigations on hearsay and you get sued for that. He has already testified to the grand jury that what he was told by the grad assistant contained no specific details about what the grad assistant saw, and he reported it to his superiors. At the time Sandusky did not work for him or the school so JoePa had no supervisory role to play with him. The grad assistant should have intervened at the time of the incident and when Sandusky “woke up” the police would have been there already. Maybe JoePa did check on the incident later to see what was going on. If the two superiors above him covered it up they may have misled JoePa about what their investigation uncovered. If so they hung him out to dry and he is catching all this flack from all of you for something where he did what he should have done and maybe more. We don’t know, but instead of giving him the benefit of the doubt until the facts are known you’ve already run him out of town. Typical mob mentality. Maybe it is time for JoePa to move on but until I learn more about the facts of this incident it would not be because of this.
JDawg1785
November 8th, 2011
7:04 pm
Great article, Mark. So sad that a legend like Coach Paterno might have to go out like this because of some sick freak like Sandusky. May Joe Pa be remembered for all the good he did college football.
The Nature Boy
November 8th, 2011
7:05 pm
Is Patern’s son a vegatarian..??? I say no…
katherine
November 8th, 2011
7:05 pm
what a sad end to joe pa’s legacy…this is all he will be known for now.
spider
November 8th, 2011
7:06 pm
say it aint so joe
oldfart
November 8th, 2011
7:08 pm
Yes, allegations are just that and everyone will have their day in court accordingly. That being said, has Paterno overstayed his welcome? From the almost inconsequential viewpoint of the sports side of the equation the answer is a flat YES. If it is proved he has enabled a monster then his legacy is shattered beyond repair as well. That can be determined later but the University should have never allowed it to come to this. He has to go and should already have been gone.
Dawgman
November 8th, 2011
7:09 pm
Joe Paterno and the whole Penn State leadership, including the President need to go immediately. Sandusky in shower with 10 year old boy, 40 counts of child molestation dating back 15 years….are you kidding me! Makes me wonder what the NCAA is going to do, given they are all over the hard core crimes of selling jerseys and receiving complimentary tat’s….
Big Enos Burdette
November 8th, 2011
7:10 pm
This all smells like communism
Mr. Obvious
November 8th, 2011
7:12 pm
Joe Paterno can no longer coach.
Mark Bradley can no longer write.
Real
November 8th, 2011
7:12 pm
Long live Joe Pa. To hell with all you stone throwers.
The most straight laced coach ever to grace
sports and you idiots think he protected a child
molester?
To hell with all of you.
Mr. Phoenix
November 8th, 2011
7:12 pm
I have not seen anyone ask the question if Paterno was also involved with this type of activity with young kids and would not speak up for fear of being investigated himself.
WestOfAthens
November 8th, 2011
7:13 pm
Due to the fact that the majority relies on what exists via TV/Radio/Internet, i remain confused by the whole ordeal. It’s only those close to the situation that really know the truth.
Shocking if true MB, disgusting actually
Benjamin
November 8th, 2011
7:15 pm
paterno is a god.
he did not rape anybody
he should coach for 10 more years
end of story
11/8/2011 Evening Edition | collegefootballnewswire.com
November 8th, 2011
7:18 pm
[...] Miss BIANCHI: Penn State Like The Catholic Church LASSAN: Ole Miss Coaching Candidates BRADLEY: Why Joe Paterno Can’t Be Allowed To Coach Another Game KING: Bama-LSU Rematch Unlikely STAPLES: Paterno Must Go Now MCCALLUM: Sandusky Fooled A Lot Of [...]
Bravesfan54
November 8th, 2011
7:18 pm
I can’t believe any responsible adult could say that if JoPa goes “he should be remembered for the $4 million he gave the university”. I have always been a quiet, thoughtful poster who doesn’t flame anybody, but this poster, who calls himself, “watsgindown” is an absolute idiot.
Princess Winnalotta
November 8th, 2011
7:19 pm
For all those dogooders out there… Joe should have done this, Joe should have done that…. well, you should have donated blood today, you should have dropped off clothes at your local Goodwill today, and you shouldn’t be reading this because you should be dropping off blankets at Peachtree and Pine downtown… you people need to let the emotions settle down and let the DA determine if laws were violated. Don’t forget those blankets.
Buffalo Bill
November 8th, 2011
7:19 pm
this is such a non-story.
Benjamin
November 8th, 2011
7:21 pm
win a lot a and buffalo bill are spot on
steve
November 8th, 2011
7:22 pm
I don’t know about you folks, but I have 3 children and I KNOW exactly what I would have done had I happened upon this incident in the shower. I would have killed the SOB right there. No questions, no excuses nothing. This is just beyond disgusting.
katherine
November 8th, 2011
7:23 pm
it was reported that the allegations were reported to joe pa and he supposedly told the athletic director, but continued to let this molester coach with him for 10 more years….yea the guy is a god psht
SuperB
November 8th, 2011
7:24 pm
Mark: I totally agree with you. There is a legal responsibility and a moral one. Paterno failed on the more important of the two.
A lawyer in PA
November 8th, 2011
7:24 pm
Are all these boys coming out of the wood work going to sue PSU..?? or are they just “cleansing themselves..”..??
Bravesfan54
November 8th, 2011
7:27 pm
Fine piece of writing, Mark. By these events this Irishman gives kudos to his Scot,Gaelic-brother, Edmund Burke who famously said over 200 years ago: “the only thing necessary for evil to triumph in the world, is for good men to do nothing”.
I don’t pretend to know if Joseph Paterno was a good man – by all accounts he was (otherwise, I must add), but he did nothing, and evil was visited upon 8 or more vulnerable youths.
At 5:42 watsgindown posted that he should be remembered for the $4 million dollars he gave the university. Where did this pseudo-human receive his education in human values? (I’ll bet he thinks Bernie Madoff has “suffered enough”!)
MHJim
November 8th, 2011
7:29 pm
Paterno turned in Sandusky, a long time associate, as soon as he got word and stood back. He didn’t let PSU down, the admin and cops let Joe, PSU and those kids down. Authorities dropped the ball multiple times before Paterno became involved. I think he deserves a chance to tell his story before he gets burned at the stake.
SayWhut
November 8th, 2011
7:30 pm
The people, like “SEC” must either not have children or not have morals. The coach abused young boys. He is scum, and so are the enablers like the VP, AD, and yes, Paterno– for allowing it to go on. This was not “hearsay,” a coach witnessed an act of sodomy! By law, you are required to report this to the police– not some self-serving Ad or VP.
SmyrnaBob
November 8th, 2011
7:31 pm
The title should be ” Why Joe Paterno can’t be allowed to be propped up in the coach’s box and giving credit for coaching another game.”
country boy
November 8th, 2011
7:31 pm
Good read Marky boy. Got a chuckle from your picture caption.
1962 DAWG
November 8th, 2011
7:32 pm
Good article Mark.
Should the Captain go down with this ship? FAST!!
The real puzzling thing to me is why these claims took so long to investigate by the State of Penn.
Paddy
November 8th, 2011
7:32 pm
Mark…..as a professional sports writer, that had to be one of the most difficult articles any sports writer had to pen.
Sometimes it is not all champagne and rose parades.
notduckytoday
November 8th, 2011
7:32 pm
OH M GEE. YES – Joe Paterno should have called the police. So should have the TWENTY EIGHT YEAR OLD MAN who witnessed it! So should the janitor who witnessed the other incident. So should have every mother who confronted Sandusky about her child’s uncomfortable feelings. Why is Joe the sole scapegoat here?? A 28 year old is capable of 1) STOPPING THE RAPE OF A CHILD 2) Telling the police instead of his father or a coach. GOD.
LakeDawg
November 8th, 2011
7:34 pm
@SEC….Excuses, excuses. The veil has been lifted on St. Joe. I won’t go into the many fallacies of your post. I’m too lazy, but if you’re honest with yourself, you will see them.
Sharkman
November 8th, 2011
7:34 pm
Ditto!!!
katherine
November 8th, 2011
7:35 pm
notduckytoday
November 8th, 2011
7:32 pm
OH M GEE. YES – Joe Paterno should have called the police. So should have the TWENTY EIGHT YEAR OLD MAN who witnessed it! So should the janitor who witnessed the other incident. So should have every mother who confronted Sandusky about her child’s uncomfortable feelings. Why is Joe the sole scapegoat here?? A 28 year old is capable of 1) STOPPING THE RAPE OF A CHILD 2) Telling the police instead of his father or a coach. GOD.
Yes, they are all responsible…INCLUDING joe pa…..
Bill
November 8th, 2011
7:35 pm
SusanH@6:02…I just read all 20 something pages. Thanks for link. I have no doubt that Paterno and all the other Penn State people knew about it. There were to many times he was with young boys that would make anyone wonder (red flag) what the hell he was doing. It reads like everyday he had a boy with him where ever he went.
Where was his wife? Everyone need to be fired including the police that failed to investigate after being took… $$ talks and kids get raped! All of them need to get life and Sandusky needs his balls cut out. Paterno should also go to jail. Man that was sick! They all had to know!
Beachdawg
November 8th, 2011
7:35 pm
Everyone should read the Grand Jury report from Susan’s insert on page 1. If you can read these and not realize that this “House of Cards” HAD” to fall, is just being moronic. Sandusky should never see the light of day AGAIN. Paterno has to go as well, because he remains a “cancer” now at a school that never again will be respected in OUR lifetimes!
Nice article, MB.
SuperB
November 8th, 2011
7:35 pm
With respect for MHJim: Paterno did NOT turn in Sandusky “as soon as he got word.” After witnessing the crime, the GA (McQueary,) waited until the next day to tell Paterno, who waited another day to tell the AD.
Reporting this should have taken a person with morals about a nanosecond to report– to the police. These men waited– why? (You know why!) They all would have been fired in what– a nanosecond– in 2002? And that would have meant Paterno would not be the winningest D-! coach ever.
Mr. Obvious
November 8th, 2011
7:37 pm
It looks like Mark Richt may still have a coaching job this time next year, assuming he doesn’t mind Pennsylvania, the State with the UGLIEST Women in the Union.
Bill
November 8th, 2011
7:37 pm
Its a disgrace if Paterno ever coaches another game….
Thanks Mark!
Merry Pason
November 8th, 2011
7:38 pm
Folks, I am reporting to you, right now, that Atlanta is one of the leading sex trafficking cities in the USA. If you didn’t know, now you do. So, it has been reported to you. You live here. What are you personally going to do? Maybe donate your time or money to a YMCA, or Boy and Girls Club, consider fostering or adoption? Nah, you’ll pontificate on a story you know very little about.
Mr. Thomas Anthony Jones, SR
November 8th, 2011
7:39 pm
All the clowns who are after PSU Head Coach Joseph Paterno’s scalpj ust disgust me. There is a constant need by the media fools to destroy people. They go after Mr. Joseph Paterno, Mr. Herman Cain, Mr. Eldrick Tont Woods, Mr. Michael Vick, Mr. Bobby Bowden, Mr. William Campbell, Mr. Vernon Woods, Mr. Lebron James,Mr. Mohammed Kasim Reed, Mr. Orenthal James Simpson, Mr. Paul Hewitt, etal. Yet you never ever talk about people’s good points. Why. You need say anything good about people.Yet I notice you never discuss reporters. I happen to know of hundreds of reporters who have Income Tax liens on their property. Why does the AJC not admit this fact? Why the cover up, Mr. Bradley? Who are hiding Mr. Bradley? Tell us the truth now, Mr. Bradley!!! Tell the truth and shame the Devil, Mr. Mark Bradley!!!
dawg & GT fan
November 8th, 2011
7:39 pm
Thank God for Richt & Johnson ..win are lose.
Mr. Obvious
November 8th, 2011
7:40 pm
I am sure Bobby Bowden had NOOOOOOOOOO-THING to do with the “anonymous” report made to the police.