I've heard too many people wrongfully criticizing Joe Paterno and affiliating him far too deeply with this whole issue who have absolutely no idea what they are talking about. So let me break it down for everyone so we can stop blindly pointing fingers and accusing the innocent. Here are the facts:
1. Jerry Sandusky, a former Penn State assistant coach who retired in 1999, has been accused for 40 counts of child abuse.
2. On March 2, 2002, a graduate assistant told Paterno that he has witnessed Sandusky violating a 10 year old boy in the showers.
3. On March 3, 2002, Paterno calls Tim Curley, the Penn State athletic director, to his home the next day and reports what the graduate assistant had said.
4. Later that month, Curley and the vice president for finance and business Gary Schultz called the graduate assistant into a meeting and discussed the situation.
5. Curley and Schultz confiscated Sandusky's locker room keys and reported the incident to "The Second Mile", an organization founded by Sandusky that began as a group foster home dedicated to helping troubled boys and grows into a charity dedicated to helping children with absent or dysfunctional families.
6. No police question the graduate assistant until he testifies in December 2010.
7. On November 7, 2011, the Pennsylvania Attorney General Linda Kelly said that Paterno is not a target of the investigation into how the school handled the accusations.
Did Paterno cover up the incident? No. Did he report the incident as soon as he heard it? Yes. Could Paterno have done more to make this known? Maybe. The man did what he thought was best at the time. He even said,
"With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more," Paterno said.
Paterno realizes now the actions he should have taken, but during that time frame he did what was appropriate and called attention to the matter.
I think that Sandusky should spend the rest of his pathetic life behind bars with an easily-annoyed body builder named Hank, but the foul words and hatred shown towards Joe is just not fair. If you're going to be furious, focus your rage on Sandusky, not every single person affiliated with Penn State.
2 comments:
Your use of the word "Maybe" speaks volumes on your age and what's important to you. One day you'll have children and you'll know. Joe should have done more. No maybe's about it.
Sick of everyone's stupid talk. Joe should have, fire em all, give em the death penalty. Grow up you bone heads. The man did what he thought was right. Is how you would have reacted probably not. Is it how I would have handled it...no. But you weren't there and you aren't joe. The man reported it, which what he was supposed to do. What about the grad assistant that witnessed it, he should have gone in the shower knocked sandusky out first then reported it. Joe is an icon and in my mind will be forever. This kind of crap happens, and now a head must roll and Joe is the biggest head there. Well how about focusing on the scum who did the act, not the man who now knows the facts. And before some idiot says something about kids, I have 2 boys and if that happened to mine I'd be upset with Joe but not wanting his head.
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