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
Goober
November 8th, 2011
10:22 pm
Too bad Sandusky didn’t try to ply his trade in South Georgia back when I was growing up. We might have been little boys, but we knew where d1ngdongs weren’t supposed to go, and we’d have beat his d1ngdong with a baseball bat until it fell off.
Mr Charlie
November 8th, 2011
10:23 pm
Like I said, the guy who alerted them is still in the program, usually whistle blowers get fired and buried.
This guy is more culpable than any of than any of them.
Mr Charlie
November 8th, 2011
10:24 pm
Johnnycash, you are right.
Spete birddawg
November 8th, 2011
10:33 pm
Any one defending Joe Pa is sick
wawel78
November 8th, 2011
10:33 pm
First of all – we have no idea why Paterno told Sandusky he would not be the next coach in 1998. To make the assertion that it’s b/c Joe Pa did it b/c he knew of the actions is not even close to being reasonable assumption.
2. The DA chose not to press charges against Sandusky in 1998. Are we going to throw the DA in this blame game as well?
3. Paterno testified that in 2002 the GA came to him but didn’t mention anything specific. He gave the info to the chain of command as he should have. What was he supposed to do – go to the cops and tell them one of his GA looked upset but didn’t provide specifics? Not only that , but it is my understanding that PSU contacted the 2nd Mile (who was responsible for the boy) to let them know there might be some issues. Why are we not throwing them under the bus?
4. Mark – I love your writing but your claim that we should cut the GA slack and your reason why is one of the most idiotic statements I’ve ever read in mainstream journalism. If anything, he had the most responsibility to alert the authorities b/c he actually witnessed it! Based on your comments should I now assume Joe Pa controls the police in PA too?
The current state is – none of us know what actually happened and who knows what. So why don’t we wait a little bit and let the facts come out before we try to ruin so many lives? The media should be ashamed of themselves for trying to ruin careers and lives before the full truth is told.
I’m so impressed by the morality of anonymous people on the internet and the media. What a wonder world it would be if I had your moral compass.
Mark Rickety
November 8th, 2011
10:36 pm
This is beyond the pale. So much for the high and mighty Joe. He should be prosecuted for his role in the coverup. Even at 84 and after having been the object of great reverence, his failure to protect kids from a predator undoes every “good” thing he stood for. Don’t let him retire. If he’s not going to be prosecuted, fire him immediately and kick him off campus.
The Pope
November 8th, 2011
10:46 pm
Joe
You look a lot like me…..I can not sleep nor will you
David
November 8th, 2011
10:52 pm
Get a rope. Hang them all. Joe included.
yeller bug
November 8th, 2011
10:55 pm
Someone needs to be indicted. The key piece of information is what did the grad student, McQueary tell Paterno in what he saw. If his grand jury testimony is that he saw the rape and he stated anything remotely close to what he saw to Paterno, then Joe needs to go to jail. If McQueary failed to really report what he saw to JP, then he’s the one that’s gotta go.
IMO, all who knew should go to jail
November 8th, 2011
10:57 pm
Obviously, if this turns out to be true, then there were several that knew it and were involved in covering it up, starting with the grad asst who witnessed it. Inform Paterno? That’s where it should have gone after calling the police, which is what should have happened after he stopped Sandusky’s sick activity.
I’m no judge, but I would imagine that those that knew and did nothing to stop it are complicit in some way. At the very least they should be fired, every single one of them, without the ability to ‘retire’ and retain any benefits they earned. At the most, they should face charges. This is beyond despicable, way beyond any scope of the NCAA, and the NCAA should stay out of it, and let the courts handle it. Losing scholarships, bowl victories, etc..is not even an issue. The issue should be, who knew and did they break the law in not reporting it to the police. They have disgraced themselves far beyond any recruiting violation ever could.
Wow
November 8th, 2011
10:59 pm
It is sad to think the JoPa would have been better off retiring in 1998. I think he is a great man, coach, and representative of Penn State…
…until now. Clearly some sort of cover up has taken place for someone that JoPa knew for what 35+ years?
I think the cover up is wrong–almost as wrong as the things that have allegedly taken place. But before all of you that are so quick to pass judgement do so…ask yourself: Have you known anyone for 35+ years? If so…if they wanted to hide something from you, could they have? I know that there are children involved but surely all of you with your black and whit moral code would have at least thought twice about ruining a lifelong friend–even if they brought it on themselves.
JoPa is a good man…even if he was presented with an impossible situation and chose wrong.
Beyond disgusting
November 8th, 2011
11:01 pm
My first post was not printed, so let me say this. Anyone who knew what was going on is trash, human filth and it is my hope that anyone who knew and remained silent ends up behind bars at most, and at the very least find themselves unemployed and totally disgraced.
Studawg
November 8th, 2011
11:03 pm
Good article Mark.
Beyond disgusting
November 8th, 2011
11:04 pm
Wow, are you saying that if you found out that one of your friends was raping children you would help cover it up by not reporting it so as not to ‘ruin’ them? I feel sure you don’t really mean that, do you?
Beyond disgusting
November 8th, 2011
11:04 pm
And yes, Mark. Very good article.
Paul in NH
November 8th, 2011
11:06 pm
wawel78 – You have some good points in your post but you wasted your time typing it – Sandusky’s probable crimes are sickening, but the rush to judgement is predictable and depressing.
Mr Charlie
November 8th, 2011
11:23 pm
Mark, lots of questions. Why did the Grad Student go to the police? Why did the mother who confronted Sandusky go to the media and police? Did she? Did they cover it up too? Why did it take years for the DA to bring this to light? If this is so open and shut, are they as culpable? Finally, is it does firing jopa answer these questions? Bottom line, this goes way way beyond a guy a 70 year old guy being able to comprehend and completely understand everything that was happening. Sure, fire guy to prove he should have retired a long time ago, but this is far bigger than that.
Mr Charlie
November 8th, 2011
11:30 pm
So we have a grad student to witnessed Sandusky RAPE a 10 year old, and he makes a career at the institution that covered it all up? Somehow, I don’t think he got his point across.
KingGator
November 8th, 2011
11:38 pm
great article! Don’t agree with you on your Gator Bashing, but on this one, you’re dead on!! Paterno is bigger than any AD or President at penn state, and should have brought this thing to a head years ago when he filed the report. He failed not only the fans, players and public, but his own family and children if he truly knew about this stuff and was covering it up to protect Sandusky. No amount of wins in your career can make up for something this vile or sick. His legacy is shot, and penn state will be in shambles for years to come. Not only the athletic program, but the school as well. I surely wouldn’t want to send my kids there
doc
November 8th, 2011
11:48 pm
yeah year of yhe dawg joe is guilty under the court of public opinion and should be fired though he is the lone individual that is not implicated ib any of the legsl issues and mark us quick to point out that ssnduski is not guilty until proven so because it would be on him kegally to not suggest otherwise as a reporter becsuse he himself could go to trial for slander if wrong along with many others. hypocritical of you mark to not put yourself on the line like you think joe pa should have. penn state fears what joepa can say right now better be careful how they treat him or the whole story eill be told quivkly before the trial.
i am not a joepa fan but hare public hangings of peope not even incriminated in any fashion except public perverse opinion that wants some lamb killed. this is nothing more than folks figuratively waiting for the hench man to come in and serve a head sny head up so they cab feel better about their lives.
doc
November 8th, 2011
11:56 pm
a lot of facts are being overlooked and many facts unknown assumed. terribly irresponsible stuff here where joe pa is hangwd for superiors misdeeds. he was not as ppwerful say as the ohiocstate coach who really lied and took things ubder his own wing
Go Power Rangers
November 9th, 2011
12:01 am
There is no lubricant in hell.
Class of 93
November 9th, 2011
12:07 am
Great artcle Mark. If there is evicence that the allegede molestation occured prior to the GAs Sugar Bowl loss to them would the NCAA consider vacating that victory?
Paul in NH
November 9th, 2011
12:13 am
Class of 93
November 9th, 2011
12:07 am
Great artcle Mark. If there is evicence that the allegede molestation occured prior to the GAs Sugar Bowl loss to them would the NCAA consider vacating that victory?
—-
Hopefully you are either joking or drunk.
cannot make this up
November 9th, 2011
12:26 am
I DO NOT KNOW HOW IN THE WORLD THE PENN STATE CROWD AND PATERNO ACTUALLY THOUGHT THIS WOULD BLOW OVER BEFORE NEBRASKA AND THAT ALL WOULD BE JUST HUNKY DORY. PATERNO NEEDS TO BE RAN OUT ON A RAIL..L O S E R AND SORRY #SS LUNATIC FOR EVEN THINKING HE DID HIS PART
Reddog
November 9th, 2011
12:27 am
It blows my mind that the Catholic faithful seem to still turn the other cheek when it involves the horendous act of sexually harming children especially little boys. Why law enforcement is not immediately invloved is beyond me! I promise you this guy has a repeated pattern over many years and it seems was not indiscrete about it. Just unbelievable! At what level do you not call the authorities immediately. At what point does such an aweful crime become acceptable. Question: if you see an old man molesting a ten year old boy in a public place of work, What would you do???? I have a whole list of responses, i think simply telling my boss and walking away isn’t one of them. Quite absurd when you think about it! The witness should be arrested too.
Ueeediot
November 9th, 2011
12:59 am
As a player…how do you walk out of that tunnel with the coaching staff on Saturday?
ToccoaDawg
November 9th, 2011
1:41 am
Lets not try Joe Pa in the newspaper and allow this to all come out in the trial.
MattMD
November 9th, 2011
3:42 am
“if Jerry Sandusky had remained a footnote in Penn State’s athletic annals,”
Nice wording Mark.
Buzz ME
November 9th, 2011
4:44 am
Inexcusable!!! Fire his ass and embarrass the heck out of him just like he did to a great university. Nice piece Mark!
Had enough
November 9th, 2011
4:47 am
Joe has to go if you want the truth to come out.He has to come down from his ivory covered tower first.I’m sick of hearing how great a man he is.If he was a great man he would have called the police and made sure this jerk would never do this crap again.Instead Joe enabled sandusky to do this horrible things to these boys.I’ve had enough of papa Joe.
Second Mile
November 9th, 2011
6:02 am
More often than not, when someone goes out of their way to wear their religion on their sleeve, it is there to camouflage a disgustingly vile tattoo that lurks underneath.
Obi-Wan
November 9th, 2011
6:08 am
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
W.W.P.
November 9th, 2011
6:10 am
JoPa is a senile, selfish thug. All you people not wanting to rush to judgement are the same ones that come on here criticizing your racists comments. Joe is a joke, just like his all-time wins record. He hasnt coached in ten years but stayed on as head coach to take credit for the wins.
W.W.P.
November 9th, 2011
6:13 am
Mike Vick > JoPa
Soy un Perdedor
November 9th, 2011
6:32 am
I love it when someone is publicly humiliated for their moral failings. It makes me feel so much better about my own moral failings that remain secret.
I have always been one who takes pleasure in casting the first stone. The facade of superiority is like a drug, and I become more exhilarated with each stone that I cast.
Gritz
November 9th, 2011
6:41 am
Read the PDF file that SusanH attached to her post. Sandusky is a sick, twisted, predatory pedophile who was allowed to use the facilities at Penn State as his lair. Anyone associated with Penn State who didn’t immediately report his criminal behavior to the police should be fired….Paterno included.
legionaire
November 9th, 2011
6:55 am
Paterno had the duty to report the incident to the AD, report it to the local police(not the school police), contact the parents of the kid, and follow up. Mark you are on the money on this one.
AU Liberal in ATL
November 9th, 2011
6:59 am
This is not a football program issue. This is an issue for the police and the courts. The NCAA will have nothing to do or say on the matter. Any moron looking for sanctions or the death penalty will be and should be deeply disappointed. It ain’t gonna happen. War Eagle! Beat the hell out of Ugger.
jtdawgfan
November 9th, 2011
7:28 am
I’m more disgusted by the idiot younguns camped out a t Joe Pa’s last night, rallying for the man to stay.
I mean, I guess it’s just in some kids to have to protest *something*, but hell, go join an “Occupy Something” movement and leave this alone! I find it thorougly digusting that any single person could defend the fact that he turned an eye to this for **years
jtdawgfan
November 9th, 2011
7:38 am
wawel78
November 8th, 2011
10:33 pm
YOu definintely need to get your moral compass from somewhere else, so why knock people on the internet? You certainly seem like you don’t have one.
Joe Pa knew of the investigation in ‘98
Joe Pa was told of a incident in a shower with another underage person and his friend – he may have not known he was getting raped, but lets let old age senility prevend him from being responsible.
Joe Pa told him of his fate in ‘98 for *some* reason. Intelectuals will have a hard time believing becase he thought he would outlive Sandusky(sic).
Joe Pa certainly knew he was bringing young boys along to his bowl appearances.
Yes the GA should be held accountable – completely – and should no longer be employed by the university. In his defense, Joe Pa IS the chain of command of the football program and is directly responsible for everything that happens under it’s precipe.
I find it rather sickening that you will defend this at all. I’m not saying it’s *criminal* either. But I certainly would blast that old man out face to face, and wouldn’t trust him with the best intrests of my children over his own, that’s for sure.
jtdawgfan
November 9th, 2011
7:40 am
BTW – this has been under investigation – by a grand jury – for 3 (THREE) years.
isn’t that fact finding??
chazzo
November 9th, 2011
7:45 am
What Sandusky did was despicable, criminal, and insane. There is no argument. While I don’t find Paterno’s actions or inactions forgivable, these situations are much more complex than the melodrama that you make of it. I am willing to let the whole story come to light, before I start hurling stones at Paterno. Maybe he loses his job and maybe rightly so, but to tarnish the man’s entire career in this way is the equivalent of a lynch mob mentality. I am sure everyone would like to believe they would have done the exact right thing in Paterno’s situation, but the truth is we don’t know exactly what Paterno’s situation was.
Sandusky is obviously a very sick man who cannot control himself and wishes himself dead. Paterno deserves the respect of letting the whole story get sorted out before being bashed in the head with a stone.
BTW Mark Bradley, Schultz wrote this same story a day before you did. You could have at least added something.
RTD
November 9th, 2011
7:51 am
Mark, is it nice to be perfect? Because you sure do cast those stones!
k483
November 9th, 2011
7:51 am
A terrible, terrible, situation. What if Sandusky is innocent? Then would Paterno be ruining Sandusky’s reputation? That had to go through his mind when he reported the event to the authorities. He had to be wondering what was going on here. In either event, he should resign because he is culpable or because he can no longer align himself with an institution that does not appropriately respond to these allegations.
Happy (ness Lost) Valley
November 9th, 2011
8:02 am
I was always an ardent supporter of Joe Pa but this is a despicable and completely unforgivable criminal matter. He needs to go RIGHT NOW and not a moment later. That card flipped to the center of the table, let me know when the ilk of the SEC – Saban; Petrino; Nutt; Chizik, Spurrier, etc. – supplant Joe Pa at the top of the all-time victory column. .
Happy (ness Lost) Valley
November 9th, 2011
8:06 am
I was always an ardent fan of Joe Paterno but this is a despicable, unforgivable and criminal matter. Those cards flipped to the center of the table, let me know when the ilk of the SEC – Saban, Chizik, Petrino, Spurrier, Nutt, and the rest of those pillars of society – come close to supplanting Joe at the top of the all-time victory list.
Dave from GT
November 9th, 2011
8:06 am
is this all they have after 3 years ?
Paterno is an old school coach, he reported the incident and moved on !
Yes, looking back it is obvious that more should have been done.
That is always the way when these type of things happen.
So……. go ahead and hold your witch hunt.
The fact appears to be, the old guy reported what he knew to this bosses. The bosses did not take what we today would judge as “appropriate” action.
It is disappointing to find our that Paterno is not as much of a leader as everyone held him up to be. At the end of the day……. he is just a football coach with character flaws. He turned this head the other way….. handed off the issue to his bosses…… and probably compartmentalized the issue to the back of his mind.
Not a whole lot different than all those people that ignored a 2 year old getting run over…… it’s bad, but not criminal.
I guess when a university hires a football coach, they better make sure that the job description includes a clause for impeccable morals and character – along with the ability to go 12-0 every year.
Otherwise, judge the coach on his (football) record, leave it to the courts to decide if criminal activities were concealed, and leave it to the citizens of Pennsylvania to decide the moral and character requirements for their coach.
David Mac
November 9th, 2011
8:20 am
I can’t understand why Mike McQueary did not break go into the shower and kick Sandusky’s a_ _.
Going home to call his father – WHAT?
Gerhart76
November 9th, 2011
8:29 am
I would suggest reading the inidictment before throwing Mcqueary under the bus. There is a pretty significant disconnect between what he testified seeing and reporting versus what then PSU AD Tim Curly testified to hearing. Has all the appearances of a coverup or minimization of the events. It also appears as Joe Pa was steered in the wrong direction by his superiors about the extent of their alleged investigation (or lack thereof). That, however, does not let Joe off the hook for failing to follow up the investigation of Sandusky (who at the time of the alleged shower incident was no longer employed by PSU). There certainly a lot fingers to point. I want to believe if I were Mcqueary, I would have checked back with Joe Pa to see what was going (even though his testimony was that both the AD and the finance dean were going to look into the situation). This whole story is horrid and goes way up the pecking order from Mcqueary.