Joe Paterno is gone, but our struggle with his legacy endures
Statues come in bronze. People are more complicated. (AP photo)
In death as in life, timing matters. Had Joe Paterno died Jan. 22, 2011, he’d have been hailed as the one coach who’d negotiated the murky waters of contemporary college football and left, both his sport and this world, with dignity shining. Every obituary would have included, no further down than the second paragraph, the line: “He did it the right way.”
But Joe Paterno died Jan. 22, 2012, and today every first paragraph is duty-bound to mention of his forced departure from Penn State 2 1/2 months before his death, a departure triggered not because some recruit was given a new car but because a longtime assistant coach was indicted for child sex abuse.
Joe Paterno took two national championships, won more games at the major-college level than any other football coach and never saw his program penalized by the NCAA. Had he died at age 84, as opposed to 85, we would have mourned his passing while celebrating a life lived about as well as is humanly possible. Today the response is more muted and infinitely more jumbled.
We cannot reduce the non-action that cost Paterno his job and a chunk of his legacy to asterisk material; at the same time, we cannot in good conscience say that one mistake, even one of massive dimensions, should outweigh the good done in a life of 85 years.
In the 2 1/2 months between Jerry Sandusky’s indictment and his employer’s death, we’ve had the chance to review our feelings toward Paterno. Was he enabler or scapegoat? Was he a villain for not speaking up louder and sooner, or was he a victim for being shunted aside in the wake of a media storm unprecedented in American sports? Was he a good guy who’d done a bad thing, or was the thing he did — or, in this case, didn’t do — so bad that all claims to goodness were forfeit?
We’ve had 2 1/2 months to reconsider, and we might need 2 1/2 decades to reach any consensus. The allegations against Sandusky triggered such a visceral response that it was possible to hear an ESPN commentator insist that Paterno should be locked away in a jail cell next to his former assistant. For the crime, we can only presume, of not doing the right thing. But if not doing the right thing every moment of every waking hour constituted a felony, none of us would be free today.
The belief here is that Paterno erred because he came to care more about his legacy than about people. The man who’d made “Success With Honor” his credo was handed a loaded choice: Do I speak up, knowing full well that speaking up will stain a program I’ve spent more than a half-century nurturing, or do I keep quiet and hope the storm passes?
Indeed, Sandusky did resign as defensive coordinator in 1999, a year after Penn State investigated him for showering with a minor. (I will never believe thatSandusky wasn’t pushed aside.) But he never quite went away, and it was a 2002 incident — witnessed by then-grad assistant Mike McQuery, who reported what he saw to the head coach — that brought the Paterno and his proud program low.
Maybe if Paterno hadn’t been hailed as a paragon of virtue — if he’d been a football coach of more dubious portfolio — our shock and disappointment wouldn’t have been so pronounced. We expected more of him, but how many among us would have done differently had the loaded choice been ours? (Oh, we can say we would’ve, but virtue is easy to proclaim when it’s not yours on the hook.)
And now Paterno is gone, leaving us more confused than ever. Had he died a year ago, the charges against Sandusky would have still come to light, but they wouldn’t have been placed so squarely on Paterno’s shoulders. He wouldn’t have been fired with two regular-season games remaining in his 46th season as head coach, wouldn’t have precipitated such a debate within us all. Had he died a year ago, the obits would have been easy to write. They just wouldn’t have been complete.
A year ago we’d have canonized this man as St. Joseph of State College, Pa. A year ago we’d have said he did it the right way and left it at that. Today we must rewrite that line to reflect the complexity that enfolded this life the same way complexity enfolds all human life. Today we must say of Joe Paterno: “He did it the right way — except for the one time he didn’t.”
By Mark Bradley
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307 comments Add your comment
defactodawg
January 22nd, 2012
8:02 pm
Mark, your work once again sets a standard many would do well to follow. Comments today from across the spectrum quickly demonstrated there is no grey area in how Paterno is viewed. By reminding us of the effect time has on perceptions, we all can remember there but for the grace of God, go I.
JOEPA: It was all about me. Don't believe anything else.
January 22nd, 2012
8:02 pm
Mark Bradley,
Oh palease. Please, people could argue the same crap about OJ’s contribution before he murdered two people.
You lose any reference or regard when you violate society’s expectations to the extend both of the selfish men did.
JOEPA: It was all about me. Don't believe anything else.
January 22nd, 2012
8:09 pm
If I cared about PSU then why didn’t I retired 10 years ago. Said another way, watch how fast PSU finishes in the top 5 now that I am gone. And within 7 years, PSU will play for a NC.
Ex. Spurrier left when and FL played and won and NC how soon after. Check that 2 NCs.
Fair n Balanced
January 22nd, 2012
8:16 pm
I’m sick an dang tired of the media on this issue. Do you guys know something that nobody else does? The stupid Penn St admin found a scape goat and ought to be ashamed of the way this thing was handled. YOU may be struggling with joe Pa’s legacy but I’m not. Great man. Great coach. End of story. This will be reversed. Mark it down. This crap of blaming him for this situation will be reversed and the dang media will have to apologize along with penn st admin.
Nahila
January 22nd, 2012
8:17 pm
I believe that Paterno did do what he was suppose to do in reporting to his superior the AD and to the highest ranking police/security official about the Sandusky shower episode. It was their responsibility to take this information and act upon it not Paterno. Where I do fault Paterno is that he must have known that there was some hint of an earlier scandal regarding Sandusky when Sandusky suddenly resigned from his own Charity Board of Directors that he had spent many years building and also resigning his asst. head coaching job at Penn State at a young coaching age with no visible means of support. That is where the cover up started I believe, many years ago before this shower incident and Paterno had to know something was amiss and yet he allowed Sandusky continued access to the atheletic facilities before and even after the shower incident. That was wrong in itself. I still would have let Paterno finish this past season with only a few games to go, that action by the Board was panic driven and considering all Paterno had accomplished and monies donated by he and his wife to the school, a little civility was in order here but they now have his sudden death sealed within their memory of a hasty and unjust firing of a devoted coach, all without bothering to allow time to have the truth come out with the police investigation. the Board, the President, the AD, and the head policemen on campus now will have to wait for the judgement of their roles in the COVERUP from the beginning to present actions In withholding vital I formation from the Grand Jury as well as the City law enforcement officials. Paterno has now met his obligations, may he rest In peace in heaven with his maker.
Fair n Balanced
January 22nd, 2012
8:31 pm
BTW – Your paragraph that. Engines with “the belief here” is pathetic. You think you have the right to pass judgement on this man? You think you know what this man was thinking? Are you God sir? The trouble with you media types is that you do pretty much believe that you are some kind of god in the way you have passed judgment on this man. First of all Sandusky has not been tried yet. Secondly, he has denied guilt. Your not judge and jury as you pretend. Had we NOT tried this man in the media as you have done, he could have died in peace and your dang struggle (why are you so concerned about your dang struggle?) would not have to be expressed. I don’t see why it is a struggle today. There is a family who lost a loved one. A university lost a legendary coach. And you are worried about your struggle to print an evaluation of this man’s life! I’m sick of this! You don’t have the right! Lay off!
I heard that his statue was being turned around...
January 22nd, 2012
8:35 pm
so that it looks the other way…
I heard that his statue was being turned around...
January 22nd, 2012
8:35 pm
He died at the hospital, but his doctors are waiting a day before they tell their superiors
katherine
January 22nd, 2012
8:39 pm
whoa whoa fair and balanced…..first off this is Mark’s column…so he has every right to write about news that is very current. It’s not his belief…it’s what was in the grand jury testimony…out of jo pa’s own mouth that got him fired and shamed….don’t blame Mark for that….get over yourself. If you don’t like his column..then don’t read it.
1/22/2012 JoPa Edition | collegefootballnewswire.com
January 22nd, 2012
8:43 pm
[...] Be Forgotten MCCALLUM: Paterno Wasn’t Perfect, But Legacy More Than Final Chapter BRADLEY: Paterno Is Gone, But Our Struggle With His Legacy Endures DOYEL: Lasting Memory Of Paterno Will Be In The Eye Of The Beholder CAREY: Joe Paterno’s [...]
Roterhals
January 22nd, 2012
8:51 pm
It’s a fair article. Paterno was, by far, the most powerful person on campus and continued to allow a suspected child rapist on that campus. Don’t tell me he didn’t have the authority to stop Sandusky coming around, he could have.
There’s no gray area when it comes to child rape folks. You are either all in to stop it when you know about it, or you are part of the problem.
Doggy poop
January 22nd, 2012
8:51 pm
Those Richt apologists who maintain Cummings is innocent until proven guilty should apply the same measures to Sandusky. Georgia football has a problem with violence against women that can’t be winked at with a one-game suspension.
katherine
January 22nd, 2012
8:53 pm
doggy poop….you mean one player has a problem with domestic violence…not the whole team or the coach….
wyld byll hyltnyr
January 22nd, 2012
9:11 pm
Here are the facts – in this great country everyone is innocent until proved guilty and Sandusky has not been convicted. Paterno fufilled his responsibility in reporting Sandusky, what was he supposed conduct a witch hunt against a man for an incident of which he had no first hand knowledge? The only message to take from this sordid affair is that the media is truly despicable.
I heard that his statue was being turned around...
January 22nd, 2012
9:17 pm
Dear F&B,
you are in denial. read the grand jury testimony. read what Paterno said himself. It’s damning and I’m shocked he wasn’t charged with conspiracy or abetting.
This isn’t about the media. This is about a football program, led by a narcissist who was dead set on reaching the all time wins mark. Even if little boys were getting raped in his OWN TEAM’s showers!
You make it sound like Paterno and the administration and the school are the victims here. I read the 40 – FORTY – counts against Sandusky and I didn’t see any of these conspirators listed as victims.
I know Joe Pa is roasting in hades right now… wishing he hadn’t been so selfish
Bradley's an a$$
January 22nd, 2012
9:21 pm
What a trashy trashing of a great man. I am sure you would have done it differently. Bradley. You’d have cowered under your desk and wet your pants. You know not what went on more than anyone else does. Get off your high horse….put your head back in the sand and just go away.
Nativebird
January 22nd, 2012
9:37 pm
Worship of sports heros as something other than just a man leads to the inability of millions of otherwise normal law abiding everyday people excusing a man for covering up child rape. That is what is sad about this entire episode. Its ultimately a reflection of what this society has become. And we all thought that, at least in the beginning that OJ couldn’t possibly have butchered two innocent people. We WANT our sport heros to be spotless and cannot fathom…even will defend the defensleless to proclaim them so, that they arent super human, that they are just weak flawed people. What this weak flawed old man failed to do when children were at risk is THE story of his life. Not football games. He failed the test. Like millions do, every day.
Imagine your kid was Involved
January 22nd, 2012
9:44 pm
All you self righteous JoePa freaks need to get a clue. Your hero looked the other way in a serious and longterm case of sexual abuse that he obviously knew something about. This is much more serious than preserving your “football legend”. Come on people, I’d like to think you’re more educated than what I’m reading here.
Media carnivores
January 22nd, 2012
9:46 pm
Paterno lived a very humble life in a small college town. He donated millions to the university that employed him. No one care more about Penn State football players than he did. There is no evidence that he witnessed anything first hand. And he notified the head of the University Park police authority — yes, real police — when he was informed of a possible allegation. But, let’s continue to vilify the man on the day he died. The media and Penn State trustees destroyed this man in his final days. Blame the university authorities and police who investigated and did not do more. Blame those who are under indictment. Don’t blame Paterno.
Imagine your kid was Involved
January 22nd, 2012
9:51 pm
JoePa’s family is fortunate he passed away now as it would have been worse had he been indicted which was very likely. I can’t believe the unfounded support here for this man who was obviously on the wrong side of the law. This is beyond football, folks. This is real life sad to say and Joe Paterno is closer to criminal than hero.
Ole Ball Coach
January 22nd, 2012
10:11 pm
I agree with Dawg 88, Joe Pa did what he had to do and the Univ Pres and board of trustees are the ones that had the power to do and did nothing but try to find a scapegoat. Mark, you need to rethink your article, and not try to judge someone when you were not present when Joe and the Assistant coach told their upper management what had gone on. He reported what he had heard, the head of security knew about it, the present governor(attorney general at the time and on the board) knew about it, but yet somehow it is all Joe’s fault.
RTR22
January 22nd, 2012
10:15 pm
Shame on you Bradley. The man just died and this is not the time for your opinion on his legacy.
Who cares what you think? RIP Coach and condolences to the Paterno family
BIG MIKE
January 22nd, 2012
10:17 pm
Where was all this high profile indignation when a real pediphile with Greatness up his sleeve died (of a self inflicted overdose no less). That’s right I’m talking about Michael Jackson. He was guilty of the accusations thrown at him yet he received a PASS on his sordid life after his death and instead was elevated to Sainthood. There were no stories sullying his reputation the day he died….there was nothing but adulation and praise. What a bunch of hipocrites our media and society in general have become. The main line media outlets don’t have the balls to step up and tell it like it is. The reporting is tempored to the winds of half truths and inuendo that guide public opinion , rather than the truth driven by fact and educated awareness.
It was politically correct to give Michael Jackson a PASS on his disgraceful conduct with children.
It is also politically correct to piss on the reputation of (in my opinion) a much greater man to symbolize individual opinions of the events that took place at the hands of Sandusky (not Paterno).
Here’s a question for all you hypocrites out there……….I think we all know the answer but it’s politically incorrect to voice it.
Why Joe Paterno and not Michael Jackson???????????
Voice of reason
January 22nd, 2012
10:24 pm
None of us knows if Coach P knew and did the minimum, knew and did all he could, or knew and tried to cover it up. I have kids, and have no problem saying this: if he knew and did anything less than going to the police, the president of the university, the media, etc…then he was despicable. If he truly did all he could, then bless him.
Either way, the next months are going to be tough for all associated with PSU.
Imagine your kid was Involved
January 22nd, 2012
10:25 pm
Whether by court of law or by the sensibility test, Joe Paterno was not innocent which is why he was fired from PSU. He is no hero and his legacy should read as such. Al these self righteous people who think football is above humanity need to rethink their positions. University is about preparing us for LIFE which is what 99.9% of us move on to, not FOOTBALL.
bamabelle2000
January 22nd, 2012
10:38 pm
Cancer didn’t kill Joe Pa, it was Jerry Sandusky. The man died of a broken heart and poor judgement.
Samuel Langhorne
January 22nd, 2012
10:49 pm
Winning football games helps the greater good, if a few children have to be raped in the process of reaching that greatness, then so be it. I think it’s safe to say that what Joe Pa was able to accomplish by winning those football games far outweighs what those child rape victims would have been able to do if they weren’t raped. Winning football games outweighs all the bad and Joe Pa did it with class and honor. RIP Joe Paterno.
A-Ville Ranger
January 22nd, 2012
10:51 pm
I was banned on a Rivals board for starting a thread titled ”we should remember the victims” with no derogatory language at all. On the same board anybody ready to cannonize Paterno is allowed to slobber all night. The facts remain, he allowed young boys to be raped while pretending not to know what was going on. Dying doesn’t change what he did.
Ronald Millsaps
January 22nd, 2012
10:53 pm
Excellent article, and I wonder if the average person stopped and thought about what he/she influences and tolerates. Tolerance is a subtle, deadly, deceptive weapon.
I think also that this story might’ve accelerated the cancer in his body. The stress level he has been under–not to say he hasn’t been to blame for it–must have been beyond inexorable.
phil
January 22nd, 2012
10:53 pm
Appalling ignorance on display here for all to see…
phil
January 22nd, 2012
10:55 pm
Once again, the Falcons crash and burn while the vanquishing foe moves on to the SB…
Who will be next?
Fire Mike Smith!!
A-Ville Ranger
January 22nd, 2012
10:56 pm
Thank you Bradley, this is EXACTLY the time to voice truth. Paterno should not get a pass just because he died. What he did wasn’t ”one mistake” either. The man was culpable in child rape to protect his reputation, if there’s a hell he’s probably there.
Whiskey Breath
January 22nd, 2012
10:59 pm
I love Joe because of the Penn St rivalry with Alabama. However, I wonder if he knew about Sandusky all the way back to the 70’s.
bake
January 22nd, 2012
11:00 pm
Its easy to sit here and be perfect for a lot of you. While what happened in happy valley is troubling I think we all need to sit back and realize that the good joepa did is so incrediblely far reaching that maybe as a whole we should reserve judgement since none of us actually know what he might have actually known. He might have made some mistakes but he was a better person than a lot of us and I’m tired of him being vilified by folks who have no business casting the first stone…aka ajc writers…
jd
January 22nd, 2012
11:00 pm
Just “Beat a dead horse”, not calling Paterno horse but you know what I mean. What happened was wrong but he does not deserve mentioning it every time his name is brought up after death. You are wrong to do this.
phil
January 22nd, 2012
11:05 pm
Bake, well said.
Very, very well said.
phil
January 22nd, 2012
11:07 pm
Jacksonville was wise some yrs ago now to fire Tom Coughlin….
Brilliant move, guys.
Ghoti
January 22nd, 2012
11:09 pm
RIP JoePa.
Thoughts and prayers to the Paterno family.
JoePa is guilty of bad judgment, not a crime, and no matter what you may think of him, he didn’t deserve to be hung out to dry by the institution he loved and supported to the end. I’ll save my venom for the perps.
crazy man
January 22nd, 2012
11:10 pm
I can’t say he was great, are a good man. I just hope he knows his maker and he was ready to go. Cancer is hell..my sister found out she had it and three weeks later she was gone. At least Joe didn’t have to suffer long..RIP! Prayer for Family.
Larry30
January 22nd, 2012
11:16 pm
Didn’t know this was a Bradley article when I saw the headline on the “front page” of the website. If I had realized it, I wouldn’t have read it. Bradley is all too happy to tear someone down. I swore after reading the hatchet job he did on Wayne McDuffie after his death in 1996, that I would never read another one of his columns. I kept that promise until a few minutes ago. I’ll have to look closer at the byline before I click on another sports related headline. Bradley is nothing but a creep.
Janet
January 22nd, 2012
11:17 pm
It makes me sick that some of you are referring to the RAPING of children as “this Sandusky thing”. MY GOD, PEOPLE, where is your humanity?
Paterno KNEW, they all knew… and CHOSE to protect their football program over the welfare of children. Once Sandusky faced sex abuse charges back as the 90s, there is no denying that they knew. It’s not even plausible. Paterno did the absolute MINIMUM that he had to do to avoid being culpable (as did the grad assistant). I wouldn’t be suprised if Paterno even consulted with an attorney to find out his what that minimum standard was before saying something to higher ups. It was all about the football. Paterno is every bit as guilty as the Bishops and Cardinals who shuffled around “suspected” but not officially charged child rapists from church to church. We now know the damage of those actions.
In life, to have a functioning society, we expect the good people to do the right things. If we can’t depend on the Good Guys, all we have left are the bad. Is that where we are as a society? Paterno should have acted as a human being first, and football coach second. He chose not to, and for that, he will always be remembered. Famous quote… “All it take for evil to prevail is for Good Men to do nothing.” That is what happened… at both Penn State and within The Catholic Church. Those of you who can’t see that, and only consider Paterno a football coach, your moral compass is broken.
I personally believe that Paterno did regret his choices after it all came to the light of day. But his “legacy” will and should be forever tarnished. I certainly hope he was able to get right with God before he passed. What a sad ending… on all accounts.
James Adams
January 22nd, 2012
11:21 pm
Let’s not forget, folks. We’re talking about the former coach of a Big Ten Football team. Big Ten football doesn’t matter. Save your words.
7576DAWG
January 22nd, 2012
11:28 pm
Just imagine if McQuery had looked in the shower’s and he had seen Sandusky doing whatever he was doing to McQuery’s son. What would McQuery had done differently? If McQuery had told Parterno he saw Sandusky in the shower’s with one of Paterno’s Grandson’s , would Paterno have done anything differently? YOU DAMN RIGHT TO BOTH QUESTION’S.
Paterno was a coach who really loved Penn State but because of what happened with him while he was in charge will be more remembered as a Pedophile enabler who did nothing to help take a child molester off the street. The worst part is he will not even get the recognition as being a great coach because the attributes of a great coach encompasses a lot more than just win’s. I have no sympathy from the man if that’s what you want to call him. I do feel sorry for his family.
marktwain
January 22nd, 2012
11:28 pm
Paterno’s legacy vs. Alabama 3-10. 3-8 if you don’t count the last two mercy killings by Saban. I love these Penn State fans. They make us Tide fans look sane. I didn’t think that was possible after Harvey and the teabagger.
DMac
January 22nd, 2012
11:40 pm
I grew up a PSU fan and thought the world of Paterno. I have several Penn State framed pics including a few of Paterno in my basement. I pray that he is now in a better place with the scandal of the last few months behind him.
I will say to the people saying it was all Sandusky, I don’t believe it is true. When Sandusky suddenly “retired” in 1999, I was shocked. PSU investiagted him then and I believe that was why he was forced out and didn’t retire.
The major mistake from PSU was to let him have anything to do with the college moving forward and keep an office for his “charity” on campus. If McQuery had told JoePa in 2002 he saw someone molesting one of JoePa’s relatives, the response would have been much different including the fact they suspected something in 1999.
When people say he made a mistake, it wasn’t like a DUI. You enabled a guy to continue to moleste more children. Imagine if one was your kid, nephew or grandson.
Sorry to say this but Mark Bradley was spot on with his article.
RIP JoePa.
Sid
January 22nd, 2012
11:44 pm
I choose to mourne his passing while celebrating “his life lived about as well as is humanly possible”.
Your article and the Penn State Board of Trustees only serve to destroy the legacy of Paterno. The man was from a different era. He did what he thought was the right thing to do. Joe Paterno didn’t deserve being made a scapegoat and the even hint of your article of complicity on his part strikes to my inner core. “Non action” my ass. He reported it to his superiors. Do you really think
that his thinking was as corrupt as yours to understand what was presented to him without much explanation was really what it turned out to be.
“In the 2 1/2 months between Jerry Sandusky’s indictment and his employer’s death, we’ve had the chance to review our feelings toward Paterno.” Mark, do you not understand the employee/employer relationship? Your pay checks says Atlanta Journal-Constistution on it….maybe Cox Enterprises, not your bosses name……..right?
Katherine, you have your head up your ass. Sandusky was not with Paterno after 1999 and plenty of other officials and police had ample evidence and opportunity to take this predator out way before it got to the Penn State Board of Trustees trying to blame anyone but themselves.
1969: Penn State hires Sandusky as an assistant football coach and he serves under legendary Head Coach Joe Paterno.
1977: Sandusky founds The Second Mile, a charity dedicated to helping troubled children. It was through this charity that Sandusky finds his victims, befriends them, gives them presents, and then molests them, a Centre County grand jury alleges.
1998: A boy identified as Victim 6, now 24, told the grand jury Sandusky asked him to shower together when he was 11, and that Sandusky lathered soap on his back and bear-hugged him. The boy told his mother, who reported the incident to university police, leading to a lengthy investigation.
1998: University police conduct an investigation into allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior involving Sandusky and young boys in the football showers. No criminal charges were pursued. Gary Schultz, a university finance official, told the grand jury in 2011 that he was aware of the 1998 investigation.
June 1, 1998: University police interview Sandusky, who admitted showering naked with Victim 6 and hugging him in the shower and conceded it was wrong. A university police detective told Sandusky never to shower with children again.
1999: Sandusky retires as defensive coordinator but retains many privileges such as access to Penn State athletic facilities.
Fall 2000: A janitor saw Sandusky in the showers performing oral sex on a young boy identified as Victim 8 who was pinned against the wall, the grand jury said. The janitor told co-workers and his supervisor, but the incident was not reported to authorities at the time, the grand jury said.
March 2002: A graduate assistant, later identified as Mike McQueary, reports seeing Sandusky rape a boy who appeared to be about 10 years old in the showers of the Lasch Football Building. Called Victim 2 by the grand jury, the boy has not been identified or located. The next morning, McQueary telephoned Paterno and then went to Paterno’s home to explain what he had seen. Paterno testified that he called Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley and met with Curley the following day, explaining that McQueary had reported seeing Sandusky involved in sexual activity with a young boy in the showers. About 10 days later, McQueary was called to a meeting with Curley and Schultz at which he recounted what he had seen. The incident was not reported to any law enforcement or child protective agency. Curley told the grand jury he was informed of “inappropriate conduct” and “horsing around” but not of sexual assault. Curley barred Sandusky from bringing minors onto campus.
2009: The Centre County grand jury said Sandusky was barred from a school district attended by Victim 1 after the boy’s mother reported allegations of sexual assault to the school. That matter was promptly reported to authorities, triggering an investigation by Pennsylvania State Police and the Attorney General’s Office.
November 5, 2011: A Centre County grand jury charges Sandusky with 40 counts of molesting eight boys from 1994 to 2009. Sandusky was arrested and released on a $100,000 unsecured bail. The charges carry a maximum combined penalty of 373 years in prison. Two university officials, Curley and Schultz, are each charged with one count of perjury for testimony they gave about their knowledge of accusations against Sandusky. The Penn State President at the time, Graham Spanier, said the men had his “unconditional support” and that the allegations against both would be proven groundless.
November 6, 2011: Paterno issues a statement in which he acknowledges being told by McQueary in 2002 of the incident in the shower but that “he at no time related to me the very specific actions contained in the grand jury report.”
Mark, how is JoePa supposed to Rest In Peace with you and hundreds of other writers beating the drum to disgrace a great man. People taint other people because they need to feel better about themselves. Maybe you should write a story about Sandusky instead.
Sid
January 22nd, 2012
11:48 pm
James Adams
January 22nd, 2012
11:21 pm
Let’s not forget, folks. We’re talking about the former coach of a Big Ten Football team. Big Ten football doesn’t matter. Save your words.
*******************************************************************
You are Satan himself aren’t you…………..what an asshole.
Painful Truth
January 22nd, 2012
11:48 pm
What a sick culture we live in where an enabler of child molestation is saluted as a hero when he dies.
I also refuse to give this degenerate any slack because “he told others and no one cared”. Oh really ???
What if YOU red handed caught a guy in your neighborhood molesting local kids. You told the police and they didn’t seem to care. Would you take the “oh well, the police didn’t mind, so I guess we’ll just ignore him and let him keep on molesting kids” ???
No you would not. You’d yell at the top of your voice to any and everyone who’d listen until the man was put behind bars.
Paterno did not do this. What a low life scum and shame on you who defend this pervert.
Sid
January 22nd, 2012
11:52 pm
“The allegations against Sandusky triggered such a visceral response that it was possible to hear an ESPN commentator insist that Paterno should be locked away in a jail cell next to his former assistant.”
***********************************************************
Mark, you had to be reaching to add that statement. Oh wow, an ESPN commentator said that? Why would I even bother to investigate it on my own………….holy cow.
wins-by-a-link
January 22nd, 2012
11:57 pm
Coach Paterno and others knew what was going on at Penn State, To allow a former coach to commit a felony on school property and ignore the crime hoping it would go away is almost as bad as the crime itself, Sadly Coach Paterno’s legacy will forever be tarnshed along with that of Penn State