Paterno knew of only the one allegation, and he says the assistant coach who reported seeing the inappropriate behavior did not get into any specifics. Paterno wasn’t entirely sure about what he was dealing with, but he knew it couldn’t be good. He did the right thing and immediately reported it to the people who were supposed to follow through.
We really don’t know for sure what Paterno may or may not have done in the interim. For all we know, Joe did indeed continue to inquire about the matter. Beyond that, there just wasn’t much he could do. One thing is for sure - - you don’t point fingers and publicly accuse somebody of being a homosexual pedophile predator without a whole lot of proof.
Please keep in mind that we are looking at this situation now from the perspective of a lot more information, and a pile of additional accusations beyond that single hearsay report Paterno got back in 2002.
And so, that’s all from me on this mess. We shall see how it all shakes out.
He was the head coach for a STATE university. In PA it's THE state university. The guy can pick up the phone and call the governor and have the governor take his call. At the very least he should have called the state police to come investigate.
Now instead of protecting his franchise and the good name of his program he will forever be remembered as the guy who would rather sweep rape allegations under the rug. The guy spent years building the Penn State brand name and now it's dirt.
Paterno should step down. Even if the charges are proven false his handling of the situation shows his priorities are misplaced. That he was willing to sacrifice an unknown 10 year old and his own integrity instead of getting to the bottom of serious charges. A head coach is supposed to be able to make the tough decisions. Paterno showed he was not up to the task.
If the allegations prove true then the Penn State program should be shut down immediately until a new coaching staff is recruited from top to bottom. If they prove true Paterno better lawyer up the victims will be coming after his retirement nest egg.
Include President Spanier also.
If they prove true Paterno better lawyer up the victims will be coming after his retirement nest egg.
This is going to be messy. Spanier said he would defend Curley and Schultz with university money. Paterno has agreed to testify against Curley and Schultz.