Joe’s Gotta Go

As a proud Penn State alumnus, I was trying to tune out the news from Happy Valley in the last few days. I think Joe Paterno is on the Mt Rushmore of college coaches and for 4+ decades his program has been the standard-bearer that all other programs are compared to. Even at their 3-9 worst in 2003, I maintained that on reputation alone, Joe Paterno alone should be able to decide when his coaching career should come to an end.

Disclosure- I’m not just a proud alumnus, I have multiple connections with the football program. I’m NOT unbiased when it comes to Penn State football. Veronica also has connections, she used to work for someone on the board of directors of The Second Mile, and we both spent some time inside the football team facility.

If you don’t follow sports news, this article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette lays out the timeline of events starting in 1994/5.

Did Joe Paterno do the right thing, legally speaking, by reporting what he learned to Athletic Director Tim Curley? Yes, I believe so. It’s what he DIDN’T do that is bothering me, and why I think he has to go.

After Joe Paterno was informed that Jerry Sandusky may have sexual abused boys inside the Penn State football facility, JoePa didn’t take away Jerry’s access to the facility. Keep in mind that Jerry found his victims through The Second Mile that he founded in the 70s. It’s easy to envision him using his position with the football team and access to the facilities as tools that he used to help him curry favor with these boys and give him a place to commit his alleged crimes.

Veronica: And I have to admit, the 1st time I got a tour of the football team facility I was giddy as a school girl.  At 34.  I can only imagine the effect access to the football facility had on a sports loving tween.

JoePa didn’t take that access away from Jerry Sandusky. He could have. He SHOULD have, and for that failure to act, I think the only honorable thing left for him to do is resign.

Veronica: I  have to agree.  I also think that there is a lot of shame to go around.

For those of you who want to crucify JoePa for not doing more, here is an excerpt from a great piece on Deadspin

Sandusky was Paterno’s colleague (and one would assume friend) for over three decades. So imagine someone coming up to you and telling you that your friend of 30 years was raping a kid in the shower. Would you believe it? Would you want to believe it? Probably not the first time you hear it. Would you go to the police? What if the grad assistant was wrong and your friend’s life is ruined because of a misunderstanding? You might not even want to explore the matter further because you can’t tolerate the idea of someone you trusted doing such monstrous things. I think the reason Paterno went to his AD and didn’t go to the cops is because it provided him with the chance to have it both ways. This way, he was able to “report” it, without having to be the person who takes the significantly braver step of actually calling the police. Problem solved. Conscience cleared.

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I haven’t mentioned the kids, the alleged victims of these monstrous crimes. My son is the same age as some of those boys, I can’t imagine how I might respond if DB fell victim to a person like Sandusky. I hope they get the help they’re going to need.

Veronica:  I can.  And I would happily go to jail for the violent bludgeoning death I would inflict upon the person who would dare do those things to either of my children.  And my thoughts and prayers go out to those young men.  I also wonder if Mrs. Sandusky knew anything about all this, since these boys allegedly spent a lot of time with the immediate family.

As for Sandusky, I’ve heard that in prison society those who sexually abuse children are looked down upon as the worst of the worst. Should the allegations prove to be true, I hope that the prison guards look the other way.

Veronica: We can only hope.

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