Joe Paterno in serious condition

[MTR]

Bull. You haven't a clue, do you?
I have a clue. I know the man was told about a young man witnessing a close friend raping a little boy in the shower. I know he didn't tell the police. I know that he was also involved in an earlier investigation of the same allegations.

And what was he going to tell the police? That he has second-hand information about something he didn't witness about a person who was NOT an employee. IOW, nothing substantial. Though many puritans who believe we live in a democracy (which we haven't been since 1789) make sport of finding, even inventing, shortcomings of others. I find it disgusting.

That is just as absurd as thinking everyone in Australia is a criminal as the culture grew from a penal colony.

I know that I love my sports but place not reporting a rape over winning some football games.

Really? Is that what you THINK this is? Do you really have any idea WTF you are talking about?

If the sum total of statements and actions over the course of his life amounts to failure in your eyes, while I admire you for your pursuit of absolute perfection, I cannot support your assertion that all those whose lives were so greatly enhanced by his influence are somehow built on an artificial reality. Allowing a rapist to walk free aboustly cancels everything else out yes.

Again, you are making assumptions based upon what? Maybe you should stick to the playing of softball side of the argument.

I'm also not sure what me being Australian has to do with it. Unless you're saying that Americans are in favour of allowing rapists to walk free? Or that sports are so important in America that morality is ignored? Because seriously you're putting your own country down there.

It has to do with your lack of knowledge of this country and the way the laws are enforced.

If any of you have grandparents or parents of that age, you know it was a different world to them. They did not perceive these issues in the same way as we do. This is not to condone anything that wrong that was done, but to understand that we are all human. I do! And my grandfather was faced with the same situation! (sadly this happens a LOT in sports, all round the world) The person who was accused was someone who was so close to my family that I called him Uncle. My grandfather went to the police.

And told them what?

Sandusky was not an employee and Paterno did exactly what he was supposed to do, reported it up the chain of command to the person who is ultimately responsible for providing Sandusky access to the facilities. He was just following orders!?!?!?!?! You have GOT to be kidding me. Yes he did what he needed to legally. That's why he wasn't charged. But morally? No, he FAILED every little boy that was allowed to be associated with Sandusky.

WTF are you talking about? So far, all you have demonstrated is your ignorance of what happened involving Paterno and due process in this country. Paterno was not part of Second Mile, the organization which Sandusky founded and where the contact with the boys was made.

Shame on any of you who are going to speak ill of this GREAT man on the day he died. Yes, he made a mistake but it does NOT erase all of the GREAT things he did in his 62 years at Penn State University.

If you lived your life and the right thing 99% of the time, how you you want to be remembered? Would you want everyone to discount all of your good work? I think not. I responded when he was still alive. I'm sorry he died, I hope he didn't suffer. I feel for his family.

But the GREAT things he did at Penn State? Included not reporting the rape of a little boy to the police. I will judge him for that.

Keep typing, but you haven't the authority to judge anyone.

I can say with aboustle certantity that if told of someone witnessing a rape I wouldn't be going to my employers and then doing nothing further. I would be going to the police.

And the ignorance continues.

 

[Lozza]

MTR have you read the grand jury testimony of the grad student? (I've gone blank on his name. I judge him much more harshly) Paterno was told. He didn't have to make a judgement. Didn't even need to tell the charity. He did have a moral imperative to report what he was told to the police. Let them decide, that's their job. He failed in that. I will judge him for that.

 

[PA SB Dad]

This is one of the great tragedies of life in which there are only losers, no winners. That a man who had done many great things for his community is remembered for the one thing he did not do is tragic, though JoePa acknowledged as much at the end of his life when he said he wished he'd done more. There is no need to judge here - just mourn the fact that so many lives were destroyed by a man no one thought needed to be stopped. Hopefully the rest of us find the courage to do the right thing if we are ever confronted by evil.

 

[MTR]

MTR have you read the grand jury testimony of the grad student? (I've gone blank on his name. I judge him much more harshly) Paterno was told. He didn't have to make a judgement. Didn't even need to tell the charity. He did have a moral imperative to report what he was told to the police. Let them decide, that's their job. He failed in that. I will judge him for that.

What part of going to the police without evidence don't you get?

Hey, someone told me you molested young boys. Should the police act on that because I said so? I've seen this facist attitude in action and by the time anything gets straightened out, their life is ruined and often there is little to no validity to the claim.

Why is it I have a feeling you are a big Jerry Springer fan?

 

[Lozza]

What part of going to the police without evidence don't you get?

Hey, someone told me you molested young boys. Should the police act on that because I said so? I've seen this facist attitude in action and by the time anything gets straightened out, their life is ruined and often there is little to no validity to the claim.

Oh I'm sorry. I wasn't aware that a student coming to you and telling you that he'd witnesses him having a shower with an underage boy wasn't enough to go to the police. I guess it's an American thing? (still baffled over how this is a nationality thing. And the people who are using my nationality as why I don't get it seem to be proud Americans, so I'm even more confused)

Why is it I have a feeling you are a big Jerry Springer fan?

Random question for 1000 Alex!

 

[obbay]

Paterno was told. He didn't have to make a judgement. Didn't even need to tell the charity. He did have a moral imperative to report what he was told to the police. Let them decide, that's their job. He failed in that. I will judge him for that.

I am neither a Penn State Alum nor a fan. I heard Joe's side of the story (from Joe) on the news and knowing how things go, I believe Joe did the right thing. He basically was blown away by what he heard, admitted it was beyond his comprehension , he didn't know what to do so he forwarded it upstairs "to people who would know what to do". People whose JOB it was to do something. why am I not hearing their names being dragged through the mud?

Joe did report it to the authority to whom he thought was responsible.

I live in Boston where there was big Priest pedophilia scandal. Parents believed priests and nuns were physically incapable of doing wrong. My wife was physically and mentally abused by the nuns and additionally punished for it when they told her mother that she was a problem. this is the way the world was. with the benefit of hindsight we can see many mistakes, but at the time, we do the best we can.

I believe joe became the (hopefully) last victim of Jerry Sandusky and the Athletic Director who covered for him.

 

[Lozza]

I am neither a Penn State Alum nor a fan. I heard Joe's side of the story (from Joe) on the news and knowing how things go, I believe Joe did the right thing. He basically was blown away by what he heard, admitted it was beyond his comprehension , he didn't know what to do so he forwarded it upstairs "to people who would know what to do". People whose JOB it was to do something. why am I not hearing their names being dragged through the mud?

From what I understand they lost their jobs too. The grad student who witnessed it should have lost his too. (and I hold him much, much more reprehensible then what Joe Paterno didn't do. He SAW him raping a little boy and continued working with him)

The people whose job it is to handle this type of thing is the police. He didn't go to them. And that left a pretty big black mark on his legacy.

 

[undergroundga]

The people whose job it is to handle this type of thing is the police. He didn't go to them. And that left a pretty big black mark on his legacy.

I agree. It definately left a black mark.
Jo Pa is talked about so much because of the great things he did and what he stood for. Another indictment on our society is how much we love to see the people we put on pedestals fall off, even if we have to tear them off. I think it makes us feel better about our own short comings.
The great thing about our society is that we love to see those that fall get up and climb back to the top even more than we love to see them fall. Sadly, Paterno will not get that chance.

 

[Quake Softball]

From what I understand they lost their jobs too. The grad student who witnessed it should have lost his too. (and I hold him much, much more reprehensible then what Joe Paterno didn't do. He SAW him raping a little boy and continued working with him)

The people whose job it is to handle this type of thing is the police. He didn't go to them. And that left a pretty big black mark on his legacy.

You really need to get your facts straight.

Paterno and McQueary (the one who saw it) DID NOT work with Sandusky. Sundusky was not employed by Penn State at the time of the incident. Also, Paterno and McQueary DID go to the police. They went to the AD and the head of campus police. If you are going to bash someone please at least have the common courtesy to get the facts right.

 

[John T]

I do not think this should tarnish Coach Paterno's entire legacy but do think he had more responsiblity to report the incident to police. Teachers and Counselors are Mandatory Reporters and MUST (Part of their jobs) report such incidents to the police. It does not make any difference that it was second hand information all that makes it is inadmissable in court. The information can be the starting point for an investigation and coming from Coach Paterno would have carried a lot of weight with the police. I do not recall him going to the campus police, only to his supervisor and if he did go to the police and they did nothing heads should be rolling there as well.

Do not give me that "He was from a different time" crap. Wrong is wrong and that is just a lame and stupid excuse. Am I perfect, not even close, but to compare this to someone not speaking up about some smaller injustice is silly. I would hope that all on this forum can learn something from this tragic event and be better people/coaches going forward. Maybe that can be part of Coach Paterno's legacy as well, learning from his mistake.