I’m a little fuzzy on Joe Pa’s role in this.
As far as I know, someone came to Joe with a rumor. Joe immediately went to his superior. Is Joe supposed to be all knowing? Isn’t it possible that Joe thought it was handled and the rumors are false. You know, they’re trying to use the same mentality on Herman Cain. It’s not the truth, but the seriousness of the charges that’s driving things.
This is one case where the seriousness of the charges rule should apply, at least to get it resolved, because of the potential for more victims.
Rumor like that and I call the cops and hope I wasnt wrong
It was not a rumor. Grad assistant and former PSU QB McQueary WITNESSED a 10 year old boy being ass raped by Sandusky.
He went to Paterno who claims the incident wasn’t described as ass rape to him but “fondling” or “inappropriate behavior”.
Read the grand jury report if you want to remove the fuzziness about joepa’s role.
If you haven't read the 23 page indictment, I suggest you should. It is not for the squeamish.
Joe allowed Sandusky to hang around the program and facilities after he knew of the sex abuse. The fact that Joe must have been seeing him and not following up on the allegations is unacceptable.
The seriousness of the charge should have been enough for JoePa to find out the truth, rather than just telling his bosses and washing his hands of the situation. Sandusky was Paterno’s Asst Coach, his employee, but he didn’t seem to care if the charges were true or not. Just pass it up the chain and forget about it.
Joe Paterno is cooperating with the DA and the grand jury. I think that it's reasonable to conclude that the grand jury report is putting a spin on Paterno's role in return for that cooperation.
As far as Joe being "all-knowing"? It's pretty close to that with JoePa. He 'handles' every problem that faces the football program. No athletic director or university president has the stature to take him on when it comes to that program. His power comes directly from the PSU board of directors. Spanier, the PSU president, wanted Paterno gone when his last contract was up, but couldn't get it done due to that board.
It wasn’t a rumor. A guy witnessed an attack on a ten year old boy in the men’s shower in the locker room. He went home and told his father, who knew Paterno, and the father advised him not to go to the police, but to go to Joe Paterno.
That’s what he did and Paterno kicked the decision up to the next level. There were people in the school administration who knew all about it and helped make the decisions about how to handle it.
Spanier knew everything. It seems that the school administrators put the PR of the football team and the university about the child welfare. My guess is that they justified it by telling each other that exposing Sandusky would reflect badly on the football players and the rest of the university.
I'm sure other posters have already chimed in...but a direct eyewitness report from a trustworthy individual whom you later name as your wide receivers coach is not simply "rumor central."
Joe immediately went to his superior. Is Joe supposed to be all knowing? Isn’t it possible that Joe thought it was handled and the rumors are false
How do you define the word "immediate?" Let's say 'twas YOUR son who had been raped...and the rapist had the same potential access to your son the following night...earlier in the day of that "following night" -- Paterno heard face-to-face the eyewitness account...and yet had still not reported it to his superiors...he didn't report it til Sunday.
So Paterno knows the urgency of a hurry-up offense late in the game when they are down, but not the urgency of a felony report where children remain at risk?
Come on. Don't dumb down this crime and its tangled web of immoral responses.
Obviously it would be "reasonable" for Joe to believe it was "handled" once he passed it off that Sunday. But come on, we're talking March 2002. You'd think that by the time 2003 rolled around and Sandusky had never been arrested & he was still doing his 2003 sports camps that Joe just might get a clue that some follow-up/follow-thru was needed. (Ya think?)
Now here we are over 9.5 years later? Sandusky still had access to the main Penn State campus last week. Sandusky still ran sports camps thru 2008 at Penn State satellite campuses.
Why how "vigilant" of JoePa to do the "virtuous" thing long-term.../s NOT!!!