Everything I've read about the Sandusky story makes it seem like some strange dystopian alternate-universe version of a college town, where football is considered to be the most important thing in the universe and academics and ethics mean nothing.
Because yeah, this is a true story, including the students who rioted when a football coach was fired because did nothing about child molesting happening under his nose.
Thought the same thing. The scene where they chanted Paterno’s name outside his house looked like a cult of football zombies. What kind of depraved people put football above the safety and well-being of children?
shareThe scenes with the chanting student and the rioting students were... astonishingly creepy. And made it clear that this wasn't just a problem with Paterno himself or the university government, the rot went all the way through the student body.
It's a great case of truth being stranger than fiction, who'd make this stuff up?
I don't think it was fair to Paterno though. He gave his life to that school. Sure, the sex abuse scandal was awful but Joe didn't witness it. He was just "told" about it by McQueary. I think a lot of people would have done the same thing. For example, if someone comes up to you and says "hey, I saw your friend Bob robbing a bank the other day" are you going to the police? Keep in mind, Paterno knew Sandusky for over 20 years. It's not like he could just say okay, I'm calling the cops based on one person saying it happened. I think he would have called the cops if he had witnesses it first hand.
Plus, McQueary was in a position to take Sandusky's job, so he had a motive to make this claim. And seriously, why report it to Paterno? Why not go to the FBI or the police?
Either way, it was sad to see Joe's legacy/memory removed from Penn State in this fashion, then months later he dies of cancer and never received any honors from PS.
To be fair, didn't just "know" Sandusky, he was his boss, he employed the man for decades. And as the man's boss and the head of a college department, it really was his responsibility to make sure that any possibilities of misconduct were investigated.
And really, by all accounts Sandusky was bringing little boys to his workplace frequently, including his victims. I'd bet my 401K that people other than McQueary witnessed inappropriate or criminal behavior, and that there was workplace gossip about Sandusky and those little boys, and that his co-workers quietly kept their own kids away from him. But they don't want to talk to the press about it now, because that sort of thing doesn't play well outside of insular little football-mad towns.
PS: I suspect that the police in that town wouldn't have done anything that might hurt the football program.
Paterno didn't employ Sandusky, the school did. It was the school's responsibility to do something about it. Paterno was not the head of the school, which is the one you should go to. Sure, you could say they didn't want to disrupt the football program but to pin it all on Joe is bit unfair.
I mean, who would believe McQueary's story anyways? He claimed that he saw Sandusky screwing a 10 year old on school grounds in a shower. REALLY?? who would be so bold as to something like that where people could catch you doing it? Most likely I would have reported it myself but I could certainly understand why some people would be a little reluctant to believe that and it wouldn't necessarily have anything to do with preserving the football program. I mean, this is rape we're talking about, what does that have to do with football?
There was negligence all round. I remember McQueary said he walked in and saw what was happening but didn´t even intervene while the act was going on. I agree that blaming Paterno for the whole thing is unfair.
shareThat too...
For god's sake, you actually witness Sandusky committing that kind of crime and you don't confront him during the act? Instead, you go to Paterno? Whatever...
"I agree that blaming Paterno for the whole thing is unfair."
Well so do I, Sandusky is the one I blame for the whole thing!
But Paterno did fall short of his duty as a university employee in a management position, a citizen, and a human being. He also judged his own interests unwisely, by ignoring a huge problem under his nose he allowed a huge scandal to tarnish his reputation and that of his team, and his university. I mean there was never any suggestion that Paterno did anything illegal, but the fact is that any university would fire a department head that failed to prevent a scandal that monumental from blowing up under his watch.