Penn State Molestation Scandal

[Jawbone]

Wow, what a way for Joe to go out. Look's like his days are numbered with this scandal.

Seriously, how could a major university like this cover up something so despicable and shameful for so long?

[waleross]

Happy Valley

[jaywa]

Breaking news says Paterno is resigning at the end of this season. Several others as well.

Agreed... what a devastating way for a living legend of college football to end his career.

[Actium]

Originally Posted by Jawbone

Wow, what a way for Joe to go out. Look's like his days are numbered with this scandal.

Seriously, how could a major university like this cover up something so despicable and shameful for so long?

To protect his and their reputation. But by doing so they've worsened the problem.

[SoonerMatt]

This is a terribly ugly situation for everyone involved. My thoughts and support go to the kids and their families and I wish them all the best in their recovery. I read all 23 pages of the Grand Jury's report and needed a very strong drink afterward. How anyone could be so caustic is truly despicable.

As a college football fan I'm sad to see Joe Pa step down like this, but as a person I wish he'd probed McQueary for more information when he came forward ("I saw something I think was inappropriate" is way too vague) and that he went to the authorities when the university didn't.

I think Penn State's Board of Trustees worded it best when they said they "cannot begin to express the combination of sorrow and anger we feel about the allegations...." Sandusky is a despicable wretch and a waste of space who will get daily reminders of karma in prison.

[jaywa]

Personally I think JoePa should have hung it up a few years ago already. I've also not been real fond of the guy ever since he sold my Chicago Bears a bill of goods on Curtis Enis who turned out to be one of the Bears' worst draft picks of all time.

That all being said... it's a shame his career is ending on this note. And many times more the shame for all the victims and their families.

[Dr. Cheese]

I think the Penn State crisis is a good time for all of us to look ourselves in the mirror. We all know that Paterno and the rest of the staff and administration failed to do all they could do in the face of blatant child abuse. It is easy to condemn them for their failure to stand up for the children. After we condemn them, we then need to remind ourselves that none of these people were bad, none of them were evil. In fact, i think that all of them honestly cared about students and the program, but they took the easy way out when confronted with a really unpleasant situation.

My point is how many of us have done something similar (not the exact same situation)? How many of us have turned our heads when we could have confronted soemthing that we knew was wrong? Instead of just dumping on Paterno, I think the best thing we all could do would be to resolve to be brave ourselves when we confront a situation.

[Funky Ghost]

Every one of the adults that were privy to the incident should have cells along side that sick bastards. Screw program affiliation, what they did is a crime against humanity. They have none ( humanity ) and I hope their dreams are filled with terror. 11 years. How many crimes would have been prevented if any one of them had a shred of decency? We'll never know, but it would be foolish to think he didn't continue until he was caught.

They were most definitely not good people. They, each and every one, sold their soul for money ( a job ). It's black and white.

Period.

As for how many of us? Let me tell you I've made calls to CPS, police, Alta Regional and code enforcement on many occasions through the years. There are far too many ways of reporting ANONYMOUSLY to give any form of a pass to these despicable wastes of space.

This entire thing pisses me off to no end.

[Dr. Cheese]

Originally Posted by Funky Ghost

Every one of the adults that were privy to the incident should have cells along side that sick bastards. Screw program affiliation, what they did is a crime against humanity. They have none ( humanity ) and I hope their dreams are filled with terror. 11 years. How many crimes would have been prevented if any one of them had a shred of decency? We'll never know, but it would be foolish to think he didn't continue until he was caught.

They were most definitely not good people. They, each and every one, sold their soul for money ( a job ). It's black and white.

Period.

As for how many of us? Let me tell you I've made calls to CPS, police, Alta Regional and code enforcement on many occasions through the years. There are far too many ways of reporting ANONYMOUSLY to give any form of a pass to these despicable wastes of space.

This entire thing pisses me off to no end.

I'm sure you have done the right thing, but unless you are perfect, you have tolerated injustice or unfairness at one time or another. Most of the time we don't even realize it until we are called out.

I am not excusing what went on, but people are very good at rationalizing what they do.

[SoonerMatt]

Originally Posted by Dr. Cheese

My point is how many of us have done something similar (not the exact same situation)? How many of us have turned our heads when we could have confronted soemthing that we knew was wrong? Instead of just dumping on Paterno, I think the best thing we all could do would be to resolve to be brave ourselves when we confront a situation.

Turning a blind eye to a friend stealing a bag of ice from a gas station or a classmate cheating on a test is light years apart from being an eye witness to somebody raping a child. I'm giving a majority of the blame to McQueary; he could have easily pulled Sandusky off the kid or told Paterno exactly what happened but did neither of those things. After the university decided to brush it under the rug he could have gone straight to the cops himself and he would have been a hero.

The closest I've been to this situation was pulling a frat boy off one of my drunk friends when he was trying to date rape her, and I'm 5'6 and was barely a buck 40 back then. If I could stop someone who had at least 50 pounds on me then what's McQueary's excuse?

[Dr. Cheese]

Originally Posted by SoonerMatt

Turning a blind eye to a friend stealing a bag of ice from a gas station or a classmate cheating on a test is light years apart from being an eye witness to somebody raping a child. I'm giving a majority of the blame to McQueary; he could have easily pulled Sandusky off the kid or told Paterno exactly what happened but did neither of those things. After the university decided to brush it under the rug he could have gone straight to the cops himself and he would have been a hero.

The closest I've been to this situation was pulling a frat boy off one of my drunk friends when he was trying to date rape her, and I'm 5'6 and was barely a buck 40 back then. If I could stop someone who had at least 50 pounds on me then what's McQueary's excuse?

As I said before, I think the best thing we can get from this is not to say how bad McCreary or Paterno were for not acting, but to challenge ourselves to do the right thing when we have a choice to make. If you have been courageous in the past fine, but was your frat buddy in a position to ruin the career you have dreamed about all of your life? In the real world, people rationalize not acting when it is in their self interest. We can all be brave typing on a keyboard.

[aborgman]

Originally Posted by Dr. Cheese

We can all be brave typing on a keyboard.

Yep... and everyone in this case has proven themselves to not only not be brave, but to be abject cowards.

[boynamedsuse]

Originally Posted by Dr. Cheese

. . . . we then need to remind ourselves that none of these people were bad, none of them were evil. In fact, i think that all of them honestly cared about students and the program, but they took the easy way out when confronted with a really unpleasant situation.

My point is how many of us have done something similar (not the exact same situation)? How many of us have turned our heads when we could have confronted soemthing that we knew was wrong? Instead of just dumping on Paterno, I think the best thing we all could do would be to resolve to be brave ourselves when we confront a situation.

I have to respectfully disagree (as others have already). Some of these people definitely were bad and some of them definitely were/are evil. I also disagree that they honestly cared about the students.

When you stick to the facts, you can write some great stuff. I am afraid that trying to moralize/justify things is not working so well for you today.

[Dr. Cheese]

Originally Posted by boynamedsuse

I have to respectfully disagree (as others have already). Some of these people definitely were bad and some of them definitely were/are evil. I also disagree that they honestly cared about the students.

When you stick to the facts, you can write some great stuff. I am afraid that trying to moralize/justify things is not working so well for you today.

The facts tell you nothing about what is in the hearts of the people involved except for Sandusky. My point is that good people do bad things and fall short at critical times. That doesn't excuse it or make it right. It is a fact that shows itself time and again.

[Relic]

Originally Posted by Dr. Cheese

The facts tell you nothing about what is in the hearts of the people involved except for Sandusky. My point is that good people do bad things and fall short at critical times. That doesn't excuse it or make it right. It is a fact that shows itself time and again.

This is absolutely true.

I'm not advocating giving either Paterno or McCreary a free pass or break in this - if they knew this and said nothing, then they were very much in the wrong.
It just is what it is.

[nutdog]

You've kind of lost me on this one, Cheese. If any of these guys had done what they were supposed to do and reported Sandusky it wouldn't be a scandal. It would be a crime. The university and the system would be fine.

There is no justifiable reason for any of these people to protect this man. That's not keyboard bravery. If they covered for him, they all deserve punishment and disgrace. Unless someone here has watched their buddy sodomize a 10 year old and walked away, the "look ourselves in the mirror" thing is irrelevant.

[Dr. Cheese]

Originally Posted by nutdog

You've kind of lost me on this one, Cheese. If any of these guys had done what they were supposed to do and reported Sandusky it wouldn't be a scandal. It would be a crime. The university and the system would be fine.

There is no justifiable reason for any of these people to protect this man. That's not keyboard bravery. If they covered for him, they all deserve punishment and disgrace. Unless someone here has watched their buddy sodomize a 10 year old and walked away, the "look ourselves in the mirror" thing is irrelevant.

I took my annual ethics training course today, and one of the things it mentioned is that it is human to not want to turn in your friends or even those whom you just know. We tend to not want to raise a fuss and keep a low profile. The Penn State situation is not that unusual. In the schools, other teachers often know when a teacher is spending time around students in a manner that doesn't look quite right. In churches, people know when the pastor is having an affair. It is often "easier" to look the other way.

All I am saying is that while we are mad at the men of Penn State, we need to remember that we might have to rock the boat ourselves some day.

[MatticusMania]

Im always up for a good boat rockin'!

[crucislancer]

Originally Posted by Dr. Cheese

I took my annual ethics training course today, and one of the things it mentioned is that it is human to not want to turn in your friends or even those whom you just know. We tend to not want to raise a fuss and keep a low profile. The Penn State situation is not that unusual. In the schools, other teachers often know when a teacher is spending time around students in a manner that doesn't look quite right. In churches, people know when the pastor is having an affair. It is often "easier" to look the other way.

All I am saying is that while we are mad at the men of Penn State, we need to remember that we might have to rock the boat ourselves some day.

If this was some case of theft, or perhaps a fight that got out of hand, maybe I can see how folks would not want to involve themselves. But this.........this is evil, sick stuff, hands down.

As a parent of a two young children, the first thing that goes through my head is "what if that was my son?" I don't need to look in the mirror and ask myself what I would do, I wouldn't take the easy way out, and I certainly don't give a damn what excuse anyone would have for not stopping him cold when they had a chance. This isn't "keyboard bravery", this is parental rage! There were opprotunities in the past that should have been taken to stop this, and they weren't, and there are no reasons to justify this.

[Relic]

Originally Posted by crucislancer

If this was some case of theft, or perhaps a fight that got out of hand, maybe I can see how folks would not want to involve themselves. But this.........this is evil, sick stuff, hands down.

As a parent of a two young children, the first thing that goes through my head is "what if that was my son?" I don't need to look in the mirror and ask myself what I would do, I wouldn't take the easy way out, and I certainly don't give a damn what excuse anyone would have for not stopping him cold when they had a chance. This isn't "keyboard bravery", this is parental rage! There were opprotunities in the past that should have been taken to stop this, and they weren't, and there are no reasons to justify this.

I've got three kids myself and if this happened to one of them, I'd probably want to kill someone.

But human nature being what it is, it's just a simple fact that otherwise good people can sometimes turn a blind eye to things. It happens all of the time - in a police force, in a church, in a business, etc. just human psychology. It doesn't make it right, not at all. It's simply a fact that this happens. And yes, they should be punished.