• From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-03-29
  • Posts: 953

Topic: Scandal at Penn St.

I was just wondering what anyone thinks of the very fluid and unfolding situation at Penn St. I believe in due process of the Law. Penn St cancels Joe's  press conference amid reports the Joe wants to speak to the media, and I'm sure he will at some point. But will he even be the Coach by the weekend. This story has some many layers, from a criminal standpoint, morals, ethic's. To who try to cover it up, who didn't speak up, and if the School administrators tried and apparently didn't follow up on the reports of Sandusky's actions and didn't contact the appropriate  authorities.

My first thoughts are with the kids involved, some in their 20's now, last report I saw was the appropriate authorities  are saying they have upwards of 20 victims now coming forward. So many questions to be asked and answered. I want to hear Joe speak, I feel we need to keep an open mind until all the facts are in. Was there lack of leadership, of course, was there the lack of the upper Hierachy coming forward when they should have, yes. Why did Sandusky still have an office there. So , so many questions, but lets give due process a chance to work.Let our first impulsive feelings to settle and here Joe Speak.

When all the facts come in and it's clear that Joe should have pressed this matter and didn't, and it appears he didn't, then lets let the authorities do their job. I do want to say it looks bad for Joe and I'm not sure there's a way out of this for him, and if he knew and didn't press this to include authorities, then I to think he should go. As much as he was the face of the School and College football to a certain extent, he should have come forward if his AD didn't then Joe or someone have call the authority's.

Joe was an american icon, no doubt he did a of of good with so many young men who played for him, some of them are hurt, confused upset and feel betrayed. So again I urge people to wait until all the facts are in, but this does not seem to me that it can be a good ending for Joepa, heads will roll most likely his included. It's so hard to wrap our minds around this especially with the facts not being completely in yet. But if it's proved, he should have done more to stop this then I'll be one of the first to line up to say he among others,  is that he must go. The kids are the first concern, Sandusky second. If we have become a society of people especially people in their position who have turned their heads, it's a  become a sad, sad world indeed. But again, I caution people to let Joe speak, let all the facts come in and let due process run it's course. If this topic is to controversial, then I say to the Moderaters to please feel  free to take it down....your thoughts?

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  • From: Clarion PA
  • Registered: 2008-05-18
  • Posts: 328

Re: Scandal at Penn St.

I was shocked when I heard this. I've been a Penn State fan for years and always admired Joe Pa. However in light of the recent developments my respect for Paterno has slid to the basement. Simply reporting something like this to the administration doesn't go nearly far enough. Even though he didn't release a statement through the school he did have some comments seen here at this link http://www.thesmokinggun.com/buster/sex … rno-647903   I fully agree he should have gone to the cops and can't understand how he couldn't and still sleep at night. I have zero tolerance for any type of sexual predator and fully believe the world would be a much better place if we would truly make examples of this type of scum instead of some rinky dink prison sentence that doesn't seem to have much effect. Well I'll step down off my soapbox now and see what else develops

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  • From: Bellevue, WA
  • Registered: 2006-06-15
  • Posts: 3,336

Re: Scandal at Penn St.

Of all the schools in the universe that I figured something like this couldn't happen at, Penn State was at the top of the list.  The whole thing is absolutely mind bendingly sad.

I love Paterno, but he, and the entire athletic department at the school have to go.  The only way Penn State has any chance to recuperate from this is to completely clean house.  This is the kind of mark that never goes away.

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  • Zurf
  • Zurf
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  • From: Virginia, USA
  • Registered: 2007-06-27
  • Posts: 7,522

Re: Scandal at Penn St.

In my opinion, Joe Pa did the wrong thing by reporting the incident reported to him rather than encouraging the eye witness to report the incident to the police. 

The idea that an eyewitness can report to Joe Pa who in turn reports the report to administration who in turn reports the report of the report to Police could have lead anywhere is not a good one.  By the time it reaches the police that way, it's a rumor.  The eyewitness needed to take it straight to police.  Then it's a witness.  From what I have read, trying to help the witness by reporting it was the biggest mistake (excepting the actual abuse) of this whole situation. 

It's an awful thing.  I think pretty much everyone is tainted with this much time passing.

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  • From: Ashville, Ohio
  • Registered: 2009-09-29
  • Posts: 304

Re: Scandal at Penn St.

The ONLY thing that I beleive JoPa did right was reporting it to his administrators; however, he then should have addressed this situation himself as any supervisor should in terms of at least having a face to face question with the accused to hear his side of the story and then should have acted accordingly.  His next action may have well been that he should have contacted the police.  This will leave a permanent stain on Penn St and on JoPa.  I have NO, NADA, ZILCH sympathy for any predator of children and also those who take a see no evil, speak no evil action.  In this case, JoPa heard the evil and chose not to do anything about it.  Shame on him and the disgusting actions of Sandusky.

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Re: Scandal at Penn St.

I continue to think that Joe Pa reporting it to the Police results in hearsay.  Further, his supervisor also supervised the University Police, and so he did report it to the Police after a fashion.  He should have encouraged the eye-witness to report it to the Police.  You can't see someone bugger a little boy and then think telling your boss makes it all better.  Everyone should have done more, except Sandusky who should have done less.

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  • Zurf
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  • From: Virginia, USA
  • Registered: 2007-06-27
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Re: Scandal at Penn St.

I am reminded of when I was between the ages of 22 and 24.  I ran a chain of photo labs then.  One of my customers brought in several rolls of home made child pornography to develop.  Our lab tech who printed those rolls got my attention and pointed them out to me.  The State Police had a commercial account with us and had officers in our lab pretty much on a daily basis.  So we photocopied the customer's roll envelop that had his name, address, and phone on it, then made two prints of each negative.  We sold the customer exactly what he came to us to get, and then gave the second set of prints with the roll envelopes to the police when they came in that day. The photographer was arrested later that day, with the photos in his possession.  We knew what to do because we had protocols for what to do.  If a young twenties lab manager with a college student lab tech could figure out what to do, it seems to me that someone who works with kids day in and day out ought to have known. 

So, I would say in addition to them not doing some things right, they really ought to have had a plan for what to do in case of unethical behavior, and trained people on that plan.  I know at my company, we have an ethics hotline where everything reported to it is thoroughly investigated, and any illegal behavior is reported to proper authorities.  Everyone is trained once a year on the ethics hotline, there are posters telling people about it in case they've forgotten the number from the training, and we have policies prohibiting anyone from retaliatory action resulting from a good faith report.  What we have isn't unusual.  It seems that a University as large and well-funded as Penn State could and should have a similar mechanism for reporting unethical or illegal behavior.

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  • bunbun
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  • Registered: 2010-09-24
  • Posts: 255

Re: Scandal at Penn St.

The problem I see (in some response to Zurf's post above) is that whether or not they had protocols there is the RIGHT thing to do. Paterno did not do the right thing.

I have always admired Paterno for what I thought were his ethics. I find out he is not much different than many others in the college game. I am amazed and angry that he did not report this to the police. he has an OBLIGATION to do so. I am angry that he did not tell the witness to go directly to the police. Again there was an obligation.

In work that involves contact with children or underage teens there is a certain expectation that certain people MUST act upon what they may see or hear. As a paramedic I am obligated to report possible child abuse and, even elderly abuse. As public workers (and Paterno is a public worker in the employ of the state of Pennsylvania), that are in constant contact with children and underage teens we are obligated to report what we see and obligated to act upon what others see.

Paterno reporting it would have been hearsay but it is the right thing to do. The fact that the assistant (an adult) saw what he says he saw and STILL did not take it upon himself to go to the PROPER authorities makes me wonder about his ability to think on his own.

Both had an obligation to act in this case. Both failed to act and in their inaction further harm was caused. How much money do you think Paterno and that assistant have on hand to pay for the negligence case that will surely arise from this?