[Lemmy]

Thanos wrote:

Paterno is probably one of the biggest examples of how an entire lifetime of good deeds can be totally wiped out by one horrible decision. Paterno worked hard at keeping his players on a straight path by not letting them abuse their privileges as athletes and by making sure that they took their education seriously. Why someone who was so diligent at that aspect of his job and who credibly could claim that he put character ahead of winning games wilfully turned a blind eye to what Sandusky was doing is almost impossible to understand.

Mandatory retirement? Paterno was a great coach...20 years ago, but he hasn't been up to the job for a very long time. The Sandusky incident is a symptom of the senility that set it on Paterno a long ago. It's been hard to watch him bumble about for quite a long time now, kinda like Ronald Reagan in his later days. Yes, what Paterno did (well, didn't do in following up on what he reported) is reprehensible, but I'm going to cut him a break because he should have been put out to pasture long ago. The villains in this case are the higher-ups at PSU who didn't pursue the alert Paterno gave them. They're also the same people who kept Paterno in that position long after his ability to do it was behind him.

[raydan]

andyt wrote:

Silly to bring her into this. MJ, yeah makes sense. Celine doesn't rise to the level of child abuse.

You can't make out my attempt at comedy today Andyt, or are you just looking for a fight.

[andyt]

I think you're silly to bring Celine into a discussion about child abuse. Since you mentioned her in the same breath as MJ, a perfectly valid example, I assumed that maybe there was something about her I didn't know. If you'd left off MJ, I would have assumed you were joking, and just thought it was a poor attempt, in light of the subject matter.

[raydan]

So Brenda got it right, yer slow today.

[Gunnair]

raydan wrote:

So Brenda got it right, yer slow today.

Standng by for andy-tantrum in 3... 2... 1...

[ShepherdsDog]

That foamy white stuff in your coffee isn't steamed milk.

[Freakinoldguy]

Has anyone actually proven that Paterno closed a blind eye to Sandusky's child abuse or is it more guilt by association?

Instead of screaming about Paterno maybe people should be screaming about the Campus Police, the State Police and the State Prosecutors Office who did sweet fuck all in 98 even while a complaint against Sandusky had been filed by a victims mother or maybe the janitors who actually saw an incident and did sweet dick all in 2000. But for some reason they they get a pass.

There are alot more people here with alot more blood on their hands than Paterno yet they get a pass while people villify anyone who suggests Paterno RIP because of his position at Penn State and the impression that he didn't do anything about Sandusky which is not true.

Quote:

According to a transcript of his brief appearance before a Pennsylvania grand jury last year, Paterno said that after an emotional meeting with McQueary he told Curley and Schultz, "We have a problem." The transcript of Paterno's testimony was admitted as evidence in a preliminary hearing last month. In the testimony, read aloud Dec. 16 in a Harrisburg courtroom, Paterno said he told the two officials that McQueary had witnessed Sandusky "fondling a young boy" in a Penn State locker room.

Paterno said he passed the information on to university officials within a few days after meeting with McQueary, saying he believed the officials would handle the matter "appropriately."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/sto ... 52747954/1

It's either a double standard or at the very least it's nothing more than blatent celebrity bashing.

Here's the timeline and actions of all those people who aren't being villified:

http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/22/justice/p ... index.html

RIP JoePa

[andyt]

This is a story about Paterno. The other actors in this are as despicable as he was, but this is about Paterno. You want to start a thread about the others involved who did nothing, feel free. But to let Paterno off the hook because he was famous or a good coach is sick. He's a guilty as all the others who didn't report to the police. And that includes the DA who sounds pretty eager not to press charges. Even Paterno admits he blew it:

Quote:

November 9 -- Paterno issues a statement saying he will retire at the end of the 2011 football season, adding, "I wish I had done more."

This is not the 1950's anymore. So no, no RIP. The hell with the whole bunch.

[Freakinoldguy]

andyt wrote:

This is a story about Paterno. The other actors in this are as despicable as he was, but this is about Paterno. You want to start a thread about the others involved who did nothing, feel free. But to let Paterno off the hook because he was famous or a good coach is sick. He's a guilty as all the others who didn't report to the police. And that includes the DA who sounds pretty eager not to press charges. Even Paterno admits he blew it:

Quote:

November 9 -- Paterno issues a statement saying he will retire at the end of the 2011 football season, adding, "I wish I had done more."

This is not the 1950's anymore. So no, no RIP. The hell with the whole bunch.

Nobody's letting Paterno off the hook like you suggest. As the matter of fact it's become exactly the opposite. He appears to be the only one being villified in the press and on forums like this.

I agree that maybe he could have done more, but, at least he did something, which as far as I'm concerned is fuck of alot better than the others. But as the matter of fact it might just be the Penn State trustees who said Paterno didn't do enough and not just Paterno, just to cover their asses and the asses of those they put in power.

Quote:

NEW YORK -- Penn State's trustees agonized over the future of legendary football coach Joe Paterno but ultimately decided to fire the Hall of Famer in part over what they said was his failure to go to authorities with a report of alleged sexual assault of a child by an assistant coach nearly a decade ago, according to a report published Thursday in The New York Times

Quote:

The alleged 2002 shower assault ultimately resulted in charges against two university officials, athletic director Tim Curley and vice president Gary Schultz. They're charged with failing to report suspected child abuse and perjury related to their testimony before the grand jury.

Paterno's attorney defended the coach's actions in a statement, saying Paterno passed on a report about an alleged assault to his superiors at the university believing they would investigate and act appropriately

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nationa ... z1kGGRbNsi

But if saying a generic statement that you should have done more makes you guilty of negligence then I guess everyone who's ever said that after a tragedy is guilty of causing that tragedy.

This may not be the 50's and you are certainly entitled to your opinion on Paterno and his guilt, but as far as I'm concerned he did report Sandusky and it was the failure of the School to take action that resulted in this whole sordid affair.

So until someone can unequivocally post facts that prove Paterno hid Sandusky's horrid crimes then I'll continue to believe that Paterno did the right thing and it was his superiors that "didn't do enough".

[OnTheIce]

Freakinoldguy wrote:

Paterno said he passed the information on to university officials within a few days after meeting with McQueary, saying he believed the officials would handle the matter "appropriately."

The second he found out the school was doing nothing, it's his duty to report this to the police.

Instead, he and the school decided to sweep it under the rug to protect a friend and colleague.

For example, when I coach 7-8 year old boys hockey and I have a kid come up to me and report the head coach touched him in the dressing room, I'd go to the head of the hockey league first and let them know and would fully expect the police to be called the same day.

If they didn't, I'd be the first guy on the phone to the police if it wasn't handled in a timely manor.

The University officials that knew about this should be crucified and "JoePa" can take the shame straight to the grave.

[BartSimpson]

CDN_PATRIOT wrote:

Being the hardcore football fan that I am, I am remembering the man for being the greatest college football coach in NCAA history. Did the guy make a mistake or two? Sure he did. He's a imperfect being on an imperfect world. Could he have done more? Yes, and he probably should have.

Instead of crucifying this man for a mistake, I choose to forgive him. Harbouring ill will after the man's death won't change what happened with Sandusky, nor will it accomplish anything. Sandusky on the other hand, deserves nothing less than whatever he ends up getting for what he did to those innocent children. Put him in a prison for life and let the other inmates deal with him.

JoePa was all about football, nothing more, nothing less.

-J.

It takes a lifetime to build a reputation and one act of stupidity to erase it. Mr. Paterno is an exemplar of that metaphor.

His failure to call the police when initially confronted with a violent sexual predator is unforgiveable. That he remained silent and continued to work with Sandusky while Sandusky continued his assaults on little boys is unfathomable and unforgiveable.

Were it up to me, that statue of Paterno would be hauled down and sent to the recyclers.

[Freakinoldguy]

OnTheIce wrote:

Freakinoldguy wrote:

Paterno said he passed the information on to university officials within a few days after meeting with McQueary, saying he believed the officials would handle the matter "appropriately."

The second he found out the school was doing nothing, it's his duty to report this to the police.

Instead, he and the school decided to sweep it under the rug to protect a friend and colleague.

For example, when I coach 7-8 year old boys hockey and I have a kid come up to me and report the head coach touched him in the dressing room, I'd go to the head of the hockey league first and let them know and would fully expect the police to be called the same day.

If they didn't, I'd be the first guy on the phone to the police if it wasn't handled in a timely manor.


The University officials that knew about this should be crucified and "JoePa" can take the shame straight to the grave.

I guess that's where the statement " I wish I had done more came from". As an aside. While watching TV today they were having a discussion about his legacy and apparently in Pennsylvania he did what was required by law, but, and here's the big but, had he been in another state he and the School Administration may have been charged.

Penn State, Paterno included fucked it up royally. By putting their School and Football Program ahead of their moral responsibilties they ensured that Paterno and the Schools legacy will always be this associated with sordid sick scandal and not with what it should have been and that to is a shame.

Now maybe people can start focusing on the real villain here, who seems to have gotten a pass up to this point because of Paterno's celebrity.

[Batsy]

I've never heard of him.