Personally, I thnk the DA succumbed to the guilt of letting PSU pressure him into not pressing charges and offed himself.
As for the Grad Asst, not only did he not call the cops and not leave the program as his father reportedly suggested, he landed a cush job as an assistant coach. He’s the redhead you see prominently on display on the sidelines every game day. Apparently, he’s a great negotiator when it comes to putting a price on his silence.
Back in the 70's when I was an undergrad, my friends who worked the health center told me about the stifling of information regarding campus suicides and rapes. Most campuses covered up negative statistics back then, but at Penn State the protective attitude was incredibly powerful. There were and still are stories of how Paterno had an agreement with the local PD that he would handle disciplinary actions when the football players broke the law. There are also stories that Sue Paterno had disturbing DUI violations were covered up.
The love - and therefore the donations, endowments and image marketing - for PSU runs so deep in fans and alumni that preserving the image became an acceptable part of the loyalty package.
Let me just add,
Those of us who love Penn State and Joe Paterno are deeply affected and emotionally racked by the recent developments, the way any of you would be crushed by the same allegations against a family member.
The trouble with EVIL is that it can advance its cause by occasionally performing GOOD....the trouble with GOOD is that it can do no EVIL, or it immediately loses the value of its cause.