The Injustice Done to Joe Paterno

[Mister D]

Snip

First news of the Sandusky scandal, in which longtime defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was accused of sexually molesting underage boys, broke in March 2011, and it came before the board of trustees that June. They said it was not a Penn State problem, because Sandusky had left the university in 1999, though he continued to use an office there for several more years. It was a problem for the institution Sandusky had founded, the Second Mile organization for youngsters.
Then, quite suddenly in November 2011, with a huge national scandal erupting, the board suddenly acted as if the burden were on them. They did not weigh their own responsibility, their own inaction, their own failure to get to the bottom of the scandal of five months earlier. In a fit of what to many alumni seems to have been fear for themselves, the board’s members ducked their own responsibility, and in the most ignoble and impersonal way, made JoePa, the moral giant of Penn State, a moral outcast.
What did they do? Despite the fact that JoePa had said he was going to resign after the 2011 season was over, they gave Joe (after nearly 60 years of leadership unparalleled in the annals of any university) over to the national press and the national mob as a scapegoat, to bear the whole heartbreaking scandal on his shoulders, to be burned as a live offering, in expiation of their sins.

http://www.nationalreview.com/articl...-michael-novak

[jgreer]

What about the injustice to all those kids that got molested. Justice for them

It could have been prevented if this coach did what any good person would have done but stupid football was to important for that

[Mister D]

Did you read the article, greer?

[Conley]

What else could the Board have done? As I understand it only a few people knew about what happened and that didn't include the Board, plus there are no doubt different members now than when the molestation took place, back in '03 was it? Even Joe Paterno said he should have done more. JoePa lost a lot of points with me when he said that he didn't understand what was being described to him because there was nothing like that in his era (men raping boys).

The cynic in me says the author has a close relationship with Penn State and has already started the campaign for his brother to join the board. That's just how I roll...trust no one.

[Conley]

The fact that JoePa was ill and died soon after all this makes him more sympathetic but it really doesn't change the facts of the case.

[Mister D]

What else could the Board have done? As I understand it only a few people knew about what happened and that didn't include the Board, plus there are no doubt different members now than when the molestation took place, back in '03 was it? Even Joe Paterno said he should have done more. JoePa lost a lot of points with me when he said that he didn't understand what was being described to him because there was nothing like that in his era (men raping boys).

The cynic in me says the author has a close relationship with Penn State and has already started the campaign for his brother to join the board. That's just how I roll...trust no one.

I just posted this to engage some people. I don't follow sports aside from football season on Poltiirant. If it's not here chances are I don't know about it.

[Conley]

I follow American politics. I know nothing about Penn State politics.

[Peter1469]

My problem with the entire affair is that the high level people in the state knew about Sandusky and his tastes. They all covered up for him. Did Paterno get too much of the blame? Was he thrown under the bus. Perhaps. But by that I mean that many many more people need to be pushed under the same bus.

[Mister D]

The author obviously has a high opinion of Paterno but he makes the same point you make: Paterno was scapegoated.

[Conley]

My problem with the entire affair is that the high level people in the state knew about Sandusky and his tastes. They all covered up for him. Did Paterno get too much of the blame? Was he thrown under the bus. Perhaps. But by that I mean that many many more people need to be pushed under the same bus.

I couldn't agree more. There was a culture there that turned a blind eye to this and did so repeatedly.