Joe Paterno – Should He Share Responsibility In The Penn State Sex Abuse Scandal?
Posted: Friday, November 11, 2011
by Judge Dred
The Penn State University sexual abuse scandal has intensified since November 4, 2011. A question that has worked its way into the fray is this – Should ex- football coach Joe Paterno share responsibility for the sex abuse scandal? There are some that say that the alleged perpetrator of these crimes, Paterno’s ex- defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, should be the one to pay for the crimes. This is true, as the alleged perpetrator, he should go to prison if found guilty (which he most certainly will).
As the head coach, Paterno was the person in charge of the entire football operation at Penn State. When information came to his attention about Sandusky’s alleged misdeeds, he could have stopped his ex-coach in his tracks. He chose the path of least resistance by doing the bare minimum, that is, what he was legally obligated to do, which was refer the information to his immediate superior, Athletic Director Curley. Could it have been that the administration at Penn State did not wish for a scandal to explode, especially in the football program?
As the father of five children, one would surmise that Paterno would have called law enforcement, for no parent should want to allow any child to be harmed. If this were dealt with in 2002, there would have been a scandal, but not of the magnitude that we are witnessing now. It looks as if Paterno was attempting to protect his friend Sandusky, but this has now blown up in his face.
Paterno had not a legal obligation, but a moral obligation to call law enforcement. A then 55 year old man, his friend, was observed performing an illegal act on a young boy in the football facility in which his team trained. He could have stopped the future abuse of other young boys had he just picked up the phone and told the police. Now that his failure to take action has been exposed for all to see, Paterno wanted to write the script for his exit from the Penn State football program.
He did not get the chance. He deserved to be fired for not seizing the reins of control and insuring that Sandusky never got the chance to harm anyone again. Yes, Joe Paterno should share responsibility for the alleged crime committed in 2002 under his stewardship. There is no way that Paterno could have known everything that Sandusky was doing, that is an unrealistic point of view. He had direct knowledge of the incident in 2002 and did nothing. Knowledge of a felonious act against a child in his football facility is enough to remove him from his coaching job, if he simply passed the buck.
Supporters of Paterno, and Paterno himself, are trying to paint the former coach as a victim in this situation. What about that young boy in the shower with Sandusky in 2002? What about the other young boys who were preyed upon by Sandusky after 2002? How about all of the young boys who were victimized by this Sandusky, who used his position as a sports icon to accomplish his cruel deeds? You can read the grand jury account of the details at this link (some of the details are graphic in nature):
http://www.freep.com/assets/freep/pdf/C4181508116.PDF
As for Joe Paterno, I will leave you with this thought:
Victims of crimes don’t reach out to high profile defense attorneys in order to protect their assets. Especially if they did the right thing in 2002.
Until next time.
JD
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)Great article JD.Hi Paul,
This is going to get much worse. Now that Paterno has lawyered up, the truth will begin to come out. The luster has come off of Paterno and Penn State. Thanks for reading and commenting.
The trouble is, we don't know all the facts yet. Supposedly, Paterno reported the abuse to his boss. Should have reported it to the police as well? Of course, assuming things were the way we think they were. But I agree with Franco Harris - Paterno should not have been fired until they had all the facts. Franco lost a lucrative opportunity because he spoke up for his former coach. We need more people in the world like him.Hi Terry,
I agree that all of the facts are not out. Day by day, more evidence and people are appearing. What I find interresting is that McQueary is now putting more information out for all to see. Is he trying to take the heat off due to threats? McQueary is actually the one who should have gone directly to law enforcement, not to Paterno or anyone else. Once Paterno became aware of the allegation, he then should have called someone other than the AD.
Franco Harris feels strongly about his ex- coach Paterno, and it is fine to stand up for him. But Franco has to read the climate of public opinion, which is flowing against Paterno due to the horrific nature of the situation. Franco took his stand, personally I'm fine with what Franco has done, Paterno is not the one accused of abuse. We do need more people willing to stand up in the face of controversy.
Paterno, as a role model and leader, had more of a responsibilty than most. Had he made a phone call in 2002, there would have been a firestorm, but I think he would have been absolved of any blame. Penn State is now in damage control mode, unfortunately part of that meant that Paterno had to go.,
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