Penn State trustees fire football coach Joe Paterno and PSU president Spanier

AP/Newser.com ^ | Nov. 9, 2011 | Genaro C. Armas

[Colofornian]

Penn State trustees fired football coach Joe Paterno and university president Graham Spanier (SPAN-yer) amid the growing furor over how the school handled sex abuse allegations against an assistant coach.

The massive shakeup Wednesday night came hours after Paterno announced that he planned to retire at the end of his 46th season.

But the outcry following the arrest of former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky on molestation charges proved too much for the board to ignore.

One key question has been why Paterno and other top school officials didn't go to police in 2002 after being told a graduate assistant saw Sandusky assaulting a boy in a school shower...

[Will88]

Most anything could have happened. I actually meant that McQueary and Paterno could have gotten their versions of what McQueary told Paterno straight to be sure it could not be said that Joe knew the worst details of what McQueary witnessed.

But we’ll never know that part for certain, and there will be quite a few more details that come out in the coming weeks and months until this thing is put to rest by the court system.

[junta]

Its a cult

[Colofornian]

Hyper-reactions and emotionalism make for horrifyingly bad law, precedent, and history. [teacher317]

Which is exactly HOW this pedofile was enabled by Paterno and PSU. Did you or did you NOT read the grand jury report? [rintense]

Imagine that. If a Grand Jury acting almost 9 years after the fact...and the Attorney General's office acting a full 9 years after the fact constitutes "hyper-rectionism"...wow! we're in a heap of more trouble than I thought in this country.

Perhaps the slow - burner -- oh, say, a century or so -- is how you would have preferred all the legal folks to have handled these issues to avoid any accusations by you of hyper-reactionism?

Teacher, What did you want the boy total to reach, btw, before the school and the public reacted?

[Teacher317]

See 360 please

[dfwgator]

Well they better ask Paterno those questions now, because I fear he won’t be around much longer.

[fatima]

Some shots not live.Statement.
CNN producer note

‘The recent events have tarnished everything we students have come to be proud of here at Penn State,’ Daniel Johnson, a 23-year-old business student at Penn State, said. ‘We rallied, and we will continue to rally, to honor the victims, to make sure the student voice is heard, to gain back pride in our school, and to support Joe Paterno. We are not responsible for the decisions made by school officials, who at the end of the day are Joe’s bosses. We firmly believe that Joe would never turn a blind eye to something as sick and disturbing as this, had he knew the full extent of the situation. It is deeply troubling to know that such evil occurred here on campus by someone so intricate to the football program for 32 years. We pray that the victims can find a way to move on from this and find peace.’

Johnson tells CNN that there is a movement taking place to replace this Saturday’s ‘white-out’ at the game with a ‘blue-out’ as a way to show support for the victims and to raise awareness about child abuse.

‘May God be with the victims now and always. And may Joe Paterno be given the chance to step down with dignity at his choosing, as he amply deserves,’ Johnson said.
- ccostello3, CNN iReport producer
iReport —

Students rally on Beaver Avenue and on Old Main’s steps...

[little jeremiah]

Interesting thread. Serial homosexual pedophile, Big Important Man so was covered up by others who knew of his ongoing serial rapes of boys, and to top it all off, Teacher317 making comments as though it’s all hyperbole and no big deal. After all, making a big deal out of it could hurt the sports team or season or something. What has happened! Why is the disgusting rape of little boys no big deal? Hyperbole? I’m sick. Shut down the whole freaking university if need be. Anyone raping little kids should be executed! And anyone who knew about it and did nothing should be imprisoned!

And anyone on FR who thinks child rape no big deal doesn’t belong here.

[dfwgator]

Well put.

[buccaneer81]

You think that Due Process ISNT a part of Employment Law?!?! Especially in public institutions?!?! Wow. Okay. Not much point in going on after that. (hint: it is)

Hey, union teacher, I suggest you read up on tort law, specifically Vicarious and Principals Liability.

People like you are why I vote NO on every school levy that has the misfortune to be on my ballot screen.

[tcrlaf]

Penn State created a GAY-FRIENDLY CULTURE that looked the other way while kids got RAPED. What part of that do you not understand?

the students are as much victims of the administration that swept all of this under the rug as the kids are.

[techworker]

From Twitter:
SPORTSbyBROOKS SPORTSbyBROOKS
I can confirm there will soon be new, major allegation involving child sex abuse in Sandusky case. Told tonite it could come before Saturday

SPORTSbyBROOKS SPORTSbyBROOKS
If what I was told tonight about the details of the new allegation in Sandusky child sex case is true, it will horrify the public.

[Teacher317]

Don’t be obtuse. The hyper-reactionism is from the posters here. The fact that the report comes nine years after the events (one of the explicit reasons we have a statute of limitations... Memories fade, witnesses die, etc) is another reason we should be SLOW in our reactions, not accelerating. I have no idea when the investigations into the rapist began.... But we’re talking about the admins here. It seems that for most posting here, the investigation began with this mornings breaking news.

[MrEdd]

especially when the events reported happened so long ago?

The events covered specifically in the grand jury were long ago.

Had you been following this story, you would know that since the investigation has gone public more kids from the second mile have come forward. This isn't "All so long ago" for them.

The children to whom this happened likely have post traumatic stress disorder. The experiences from all those years ago will flashback with full sights, smells, sounds, tastes, tactile sensations, and they will be reduced to the mental and emotional state of the child they were when these rapes happened.

It isn't "So long ago" to them.

You are all upset that people think that those who didn't stop this should be fired in disgrace pending investigation and trial.

Too bad.

By my evaluation, and that of many here the evidence presented not only warrants an investigation and trial, it warrants an immediate firing.

You think you are being treated harshly.

That people are saying unfair things about you.

Too bad.

You have attempted to insinuate that those who wish people involved in covering for this be fired forthwith also want them to face legal action before a trial. That is generally not so.

Then you accused others of Hyperbole.

Pot, meet kettle.

[PieterCasparzen]

Needless to say, Jerry Sandusky naked in a shower with a young boy at night, should set off the mother of all alarms.

That's the essential element: starting with the witness and going all the way up the hierarchy of authority above that person who was told anything that sounded like there may - MAY - have been a CHILD HARMED - all should have asked questions - kept asking until they clarified or until they still only had a possibility - and with that they should notify law enforcement.

If one hosts a party of a whole boatload of friends of all ages at one's home and then hears something vague about somebody doing something that might have been odd with a child - ONE STOPS EVERYTHING AND GETS TO THE BOTTOM OF IT IMMEDIATELY.

If I think I MAY have witnessed a man beating an old lady in the shadows of my street at night - I WILL CALL THE POLICE.

If I know that the man is one of my friends and I then DO NOT CALL because it's my friend, I start running afoul of laws, since I'm intentionally allowing my friend to commit the crime, cause injury to the woman and I'm preventing the police from intervening or even investigating by not informing them of what my friend did.

In the Penn State case of multiple molestations occuring over a decade, there are many people who are going to run afoul of the law.

The management of the college is responsible for what goes on at the college. I have not a clue of the specifics of PA civil and criminal law, but a lot of Penn State staff is going to get real familiar with certain parts of it over the next few years.

[gusty]

Another reason we are all going to hell in a handbasket, unionized public employees. Thank god in the dreaded private sector we can fire lowlives swiftly and surely.

[chasio649]

Interesting thread. Serial homosexual pedophile, Big Important Man so was covered up by others who knew of his ongoing serial rapes of boys, and to top it all off, Teacher317 making comments as though it’s all hyperbole and no big deal. After all, making a big deal out of it could hurt the sports team or season or something. What has happened! Why is the disgusting rape of little boys no big deal? Hyperbole? I’m sick. Shut down the whole freaking university if need be. Anyone raping little kids should be executed! And anyone who knew about it and did nothing should be imprisoned!

And anyone on FR who thinks child rape no big deal doesn’t belong here.

---

Bravo!

[Hoodat]

but I would drive to State College to show my support for the students in these awful times.

Sadly, the 'awful thing' that has occurred per these students is that Joe Paterno got fired.

[mrsloungitude]

The facts did not just come to light. The investigation into the 2002 incident has been going on for about 2 years. I noticed that you have been referred to the grand jury report multiple times and have not indicated if you have read it or not.
Also, as you have stated you are concerned about the 100’s of people that are being punished or that you are claiming that the people on this thread want punished. I haven't seen that at all.
My opinion is that the only hope that the university has of protecting the innocent student's and faculty and preserving the university itself is to fire all those from the original witness through the athletic department up to top administrators including the president of the university. This appears to be what they have done. There may be more firings and criminal prosecutions based on “due process”

[del4hope]

So sorry to hear about your friend. This is where we are today to a much severe extreme.

Can we know really trust the schools, who are teaching children that this behavior is normal, to go to them privately before going to LE authorities about the perp?

Or will they just pat little Johnny on the head and say DEAL WITH IT, this is life?

Technically, this what happened at PSU!!!!

Lord Jesus, tell us how to reverse this or else come quickly and get us out of this evil world!!!

[little jeremiah]

all to assuage their feelings in an orgy of plitically-correct lashing out.

What in hell are you talking about? Political correctness?? To condemn a serial homosexual child rapist? What the hell is wrong with you? You're condemning people who are righteously OUTRAGED at horrible sex crimes against little boys covered up for YEARS!