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
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
404 comments Add your comment
St Simons - we're on Island time
November 8th, 2011
9:00 pm
And all of Auburn breathes a collective sigh of relief.
Old Dawg Fan
November 8th, 2011
9:00 pm
If this pact of bozo’s knew this and decided not to go to the police they should be beaten to within an inch of their life. Then the NCAA should completely eliminate this entire football program!
MHJim
November 8th, 2011
9:05 pm
It took 8+ years to get from the assault in the shower to where we are know. Can’t we give Paterno a few more days to give his side of the story?!
Wet Willie...keep on smiling
November 8th, 2011
9:05 pm
PSU didn’t handle this right back in the 90’s during phase I for they knew then this guy was and odd ball at best. The retired the guy in 99 knowing full well he was a pervert!!! To allow him back around the program for phase II shows ignorance on the part of Joe and the Admin. Phase III is going to take down the U and the HC. Joe was a great coach and won more games than anybody but he’s a fecking 100 so if you’re 8-4 every year for 20 years that’s a lot of wins. Had Paul Bryant lived to be 84 no way in hell would Joe have the record but the record but that really means nothing without honor. Paterno is a fine coach but in no way could he carry Paul Bryant’s jock strap. I will take a coach that drinks Jack Daniels, smoke Camel unfiltered and winks at the ladies anytime over a guy that hides a pervert!!! Get off the field Joe. You finally did sheet in your pants.
James
November 8th, 2011
9:06 pm
I’m reading a lot of mob justice here. Only been in 1 traumatic situation in my life (never having served in active military) and it wasn’t anything CLOSE to see what McQueary saw. But, I have to say, when a person sees something that’s so heinous that it’s hard to conceive, the brain can and DOES prevent it from being processed because it’s SOOOOOO outrageous. Both McQueary and a janitor on another date, according to the indictment, witnessed the the piece of crap known as Sandusky doing the same thing to 2 different little boys. Neither did anything to stop the act. Both were significantly, emotionally distraught about what they saw and sought out the counsel of others as to what to do about it. I don’t think the “do nothing” reaction is as rare as most people here seem to think.
figures
November 8th, 2011
9:07 pm
@ Wet Willie
Are you comparing Joe to the Bear or Mike Price? Both fit the description.
DESPICABLE
November 8th, 2011
9:08 pm
JoePa is a senile fool and his all-time wins record is a joke. How can he have the most wins when he hasn’t coached in over 10 years? It’s this same self-serving attitude that prevented him from reporting this incident to the police, and thus, allowing his program to avoid scandal so he could remain head coach.
LakeDawg
November 8th, 2011
9:08 pm
Matt Millen stated that no one was more powerful than JoePa at PSU, except MAYBE the president. This incident went away, because JoePa wanted it to. Obviously, this is speculation, but the circumstantial evidence is pretty damning. Before anyone poo poos circumstantial evidence, people have been convicted of murder on circumstantial evidence.
As for McQueary, Mark makes a good point. He was a GA facing off against the PSU monolith, which obviously decided to cover the incident up. It would have taken a lot of courage to face that at his young age. He did more than anyone else. I’m not going to condemn him, BUT in the end he didn’t do the right thing and will have to live with it the rest of his life.
GTJeff
November 8th, 2011
9:09 pm
SPOT ON MARK! BRAVO! Paterno is just as much a slime as the pedophile! May he go down in flames!
Sick Sick Sick
November 8th, 2011
9:10 pm
Does anyone ever study history?
After WWII, war crimes trials took place and it was evident that people could not just pass the buck to someone either up or down the line.
“I just put Jews in the gas houses and ovens because I was told to do so” or ” I just executed those POW’s because I was told I needed to relieve the over crowding problem.”
That defense didnt work then and it shouldn’t work now.
There isn’t just ONE school official that is responsible for this. JoPa is responsible. The AD and President is responsible. The Graduate assistant is responsible.
The AD and President were arrested. Who knows what will be the situation with the graduate assistant? But the bottom line is JoPa should NOT spend another day as a coach for an NCAA institution!
To even consider defending this guy is sick!
DESPICABLE
November 8th, 2011
9:10 pm
JoePa is a senile fool and his all-time wins record is a joke. How can he hold the wins record when he hasn’t coached in over 10 years? This same selfish attitude is why he didn’t report this incident to the police.
Georgia Sam
November 8th, 2011
9:11 pm
Perhaps all the creeps involved had an affair going among themselves. They should all be put in a cell together, they deserve each other.
DESPICABLE
November 8th, 2011
9:13 pm
Someone explain to me how JoPa has the record for most wins? He hasn’t coached in over 10 years. What a selfish jerk.
LakeDawg
November 8th, 2011
9:14 pm
@James wrote “I don’t think the “do nothing” reaction is as rare as most people here seem to think.”
——————————————————————————————————————————–
I agree. It’s not rare at all. It takes courage to act and most people don’t have any. Its still wrong. And I’ll repeat, we expect more from our leaders.
Fan of the Game
November 8th, 2011
9:16 pm
Lakedawg – I agree. I love college football, but I am sick and tired of kids smoking marijuana and being suspended just one game, LSU QB beats the crap out of a guy and he is a hero Sat. night.,
the taunting, grade fixing and all the other crap. College football is getting away from the student athlete. Then you have coaches that do this crap. But oh yea where are we in the BCS? To many that is all that matters and it shows.
James
November 8th, 2011
9:17 pm
@Lake
I agree with your last 2 comments. Makes one wonder what the world has come to.
MHJim
November 8th, 2011
9:17 pm
@”Sick Sick Sick” Your history analogy is silly, even for a sports page comment. This isn’t anything like the holocaust. More like the Salem witch trials.
LakeDawg
November 8th, 2011
9:20 pm
@James
Yes it does. Most people are a product of their culture. It doesn’t say much for our current culture .
Bill in VA
November 8th, 2011
9:28 pm
Way to go, Mark!! You tell it like it is!!
Good article!!!
witness
November 8th, 2011
9:30 pm
No doubt. JoPa is out as PSU’s HC. His accomplishments forever smeared such as Woody Hayes of OSU. I think this will take its toll on JP and feel the stress and shame will be his end. Within 2 years he’ll be RIP and a memory just like Woody.
Larry
November 8th, 2011
9:32 pm
Hummon
November 8th, 2011
6:31 pm
“The sad truth is that none of us know what we would have done.”
You see a fully grown man trying to push in the stool of a 10 year old boy and you wouldn’t know what to do?
What a freaking girly man!
William C Smith
November 8th, 2011
9:37 pm
It seems unusual that the NCAA will punish a school for lack of institutional control concerning sports. However, this carries lack of institutional control to an all time high. To have your football team placed on probation for violations is nothing compared to this. I have been to Penn State and the people are some of the best people you will ever meet. This is a perfect example of a small elite group that has control, and will do anything to keep that control. Even at the expense of the children.
phil
November 8th, 2011
9:40 pm
SusanH
November 8th, 2011
6:02 pm
As a victim of childhood sexual abuse, I just ask one thing. Before you express any opinion about this article read the grand jury report. http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/uploadedFiles/Press/Sandusky-Grand-Jury-Presentment.pdf. I realize that everyone is to be presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, but if you can read this and then still say that any person at Penn State that knew and did not report it to the police themselves or make sure that someone had, should not be fired immediately, then you really don’t understand what being sexually abused as a child does to a person for the rest of their life.
<<<<<<<
I read it. Every word.
It's remarkable to me the slack given to mere football coaches. This man's conduct cried out for thorough investigation and yet little was done.
Sadly, there likely are many more victims out there.
I still want to see the legal process play itself out where Paterno is concerned, but this is some terribly disturbing and infuriating stuff.
Sandusky would be a dead man if he did something like that to my child. A dead man.
If he in fact did what he's accused of, i hope someone gives him what he would richly deserve.
And no, i don't apologize for feeling that way.
Tom, Resident Georgia Fan
November 8th, 2011
9:42 pm
Joe Pa gave a million dollars to the school thus buying time to coach, pursue records, and ways to look the other way. Maybe it’s time to “Occupy Happy Valley.” As I’ve posted before the old goat hung around enough to ruin his legacy a la Saddam Hussein.
phil
November 8th, 2011
9:42 pm
I know what i would have done….
Taken a chair to the side of his head, followed by a call to the cops.
Not hard to figure out.
SadAndUnbelievablySick!!!
November 8th, 2011
9:43 pm
How could the then graduate assistant and current recruiting coordinator Mike McQueary have gone so long without going public with this? How could he walk into a shower and see what was going on and not do something immediately to help the child and call the police? Disgusting and sick! Both he and Paterno should resign immediately!!!
phil
November 8th, 2011
9:45 pm
In the end here, we’re talking about a stupid game.
And we treat these boneheads like gods….
What a sad statement about us all…..pathetic.
DILLIGAF
November 8th, 2011
9:49 pm
I would have loved to be a fly on the wall for the past decade and a half as the discussions ensued regarding Sandusky and his repetitive laundry list of “alleged incidents”. I can’t even fathom the amount of money that changed hands between university officials, alumni/boosters, elected local officials, law enforcement agencies and anyone else with their hand in the collective cookie jar that is Penn State University.
There is no way in hell that you can convince me that with the amount of evidence that exists from these victims and that mysteriously, time and time again these incidents were quelled and swept under the carpet, that alot of people didn’t benefit from keeping their mouths shut.
It’s sickening to think that in the big money business of major college football not only do student athletes come with a pricetag but apparently so do innocent children.
Hummon
November 8th, 2011
9:55 pm
Larry, I’d know what to do and I sure hope I would do it. I’d consider it a huge moral failing if I didn’t. What I’m saying is that it’s easy for a radio host to sit in a studio and shoot his mouth off about what he would or wouldn’t have done in a particular situation, a situation he wasn’t actually in.
Joe Pa(thetic)
November 8th, 2011
9:56 pm
Paterno knew that a man had raped a little boy and DIDN’T go to the police.
Ane he DIDN’T follow up or express concern after he pathetically and politically correctly notified his AD.
Joe Paterno was/is complicit in the RAPE of little boys.
Lamar
November 8th, 2011
9:58 pm
Paterno said he reported it to the president and its plain he did nothing except demote him on the staff. After Paterno reported it to him and he seen nothing was being done, he should have went to the authorities with it. If you see someone doing a crime and do nothing about it, YOU ARE JUST AS, OR MORE GUILTY AS THE ONE DOING IT! ITS A SICK PREDATOR THAT NEEDS LAURANA BOBBIT TO GET A HOLD OF HIS MAN HOOD!
phil
November 8th, 2011
9:58 pm
I sure wish one of these boys would take the law into one of their now adult hands….
LakeDawg
November 8th, 2011
9:59 pm
I take back what I said about McQueary. I just read the indictment and found out he was 28 years old! He is just as culpable as JoePa and everyone else.
FLA DAWG
November 8th, 2011
10:00 pm
A real shame that such a great coach will be unloaded just before his historical retirement not because of something he did but because of something he did not do.
Good Luck To Penn State – A great school with a great tradition.
Hippo Crit
November 8th, 2011
10:01 pm
Mark, apparently in journalistic cirlces there were rumors about Sandusky. Did you know that? If no, why not? If yes, why didn’t you investigate it?
phil
November 8th, 2011
10:03 pm
Apparently that great tradition is more one of preying on helpless and defenseless young boys…
I am amazed at these accounts, and it takes a lot to amaze me anymore.
No one did anything apparently. What the hell is wrong with most people?
Joe Pa(thetic)
November 8th, 2011
10:03 pm
Screw football.
Double screw records and anything like that.
Several little boys’ lives have been unalterably RUINED by Sandusky, AKA Scumbag with the complicity of Joe Paterno, AKA another Scumbag, and any others that didn’t fight to the death for those kids.
Sadly and tragically, this sometimes leads to a legacy of duplication by the victims, thus, the continuation of the tragic circle. Sandusky was warped into his monster state- possibly by another monster in his childhood.
Now, he, with the aid of Joe Paterno may have continued the chain.
Truth squad
November 8th, 2011
10:08 pm
Joe Pa is not to blame for this sick individual. He fooled everybody. That being said, I think Paterno should retire because he hired the man in the first place and he’s just to old. Give someone else a shot at the job.
phil
November 8th, 2011
10:08 pm
Fire FG…
Ginger
November 8th, 2011
10:09 pm
Great job Mark…very well written article.
Agree—I am apalled at this story…It is time to clean house…It is time for all involved to go from Penn State…It is time for all of them including Joe, the grad assistant, AD, VP and others who knew to apologize to the victims and everyone else–they were wrong and very, very sorry for doing nothing to truly stop Sandusky–the predator
Hippo Crit
November 8th, 2011
10:09 pm
So, for all you moral crusaders, just what should happen to Joe? 10 years in the pen? 20? 30? What? Just resign from PSU?? I thought you said he was complicit in the rape of a child.
chazzo
November 8th, 2011
10:12 pm
Paterno is the boss of the President of Penn State?
phil
November 8th, 2011
10:12 pm
Bring back JP!
LakeDawg
November 8th, 2011
10:12 pm
@Hippo S^it
Maybe he should be raped by Sandusky.
mark
November 8th, 2011
10:14 pm
birds of a feather flock together,makes me wonder??
Rampdawg
November 8th, 2011
10:15 pm
Why didn’t the coach who caught Sandusky in the act, grab a helmet, mop handle or bat, and start beating the sh*t out of the sorry Mother Effer
waynester
November 8th, 2011
10:17 pm
Charlie Daniels’ “Simple Man”
“find a big tall tree and a short piece of rope– hang him up high and let him swing ’til the sun goes down”
Thomas Brown
November 8th, 2011
10:20 pm
I was informed in 2002 by an assistant coach that he had witnessed an incident in the shower of our locker room facility. It was obvious that the witness was distraught over what he saw it was clear that the witness saw something inappropriate involving Mr. Sandusky. As coach Sandusky was retired from our coaching staff at that time, I referred the matter to university administrators
____________________________________________________
Sickening
Mr Charlie
November 8th, 2011
10:21 pm
What I find interesting, it the guy who alerted Joe is still in the program. I do agree that as the head coach, he should know everything, but the man is 84, and he was 73 when all this went down, so his intellectual ability to know “everything” was gone a long time ago.
jonnycash
November 8th, 2011
10:21 pm
This has the same background as the Catholic Priests scandals. Bishops knowing and doing nothing about it. Get rid of Paterno and Everyone involved. Do what the Church wouldn’t do.!!