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Joe Paterno statue removed in advance of Monday’s NCAA sanctions

Joe Paterno statue removed in advance of Monday’s NCAA sanctions

A statue of former Penn State coach Joe Paterno was taken down Sunday from outside the university’s football stadium. A report from Louis Freeh that detailed the far-reaching coverup of child sex abuse by Jerry Sandusky led the university to remove the statue, announced earlier Sunday morning in a statement:

Throughout Penn State, the two most visible memorials to Coach Paterno are the statue at Beaver Stadium and the Paterno Library. The future of these two landmarks has been the topic of heated debate and many messages have been received in various University offices, including my own. We have heard from numerous segments of the Penn State community and others, many of whom have differing opinions. These are particularly important decisions when considering things that memorialize such a revered figure.

I now believe that, contrary to its original intention, Coach Paterno’s statue has become a source of division and an obstacle to healing in our University and beyond. For that reason, I have decided that it is in the best interest of our university and public safety to remove the statue and store it in a secure location. I believe that, were it to remain, the statue will be a recurring wound to the multitude of individuals across the nation and beyond who have been the victims of child abuse.

The famed statue of Joe Paterno was taken down from outside the Penn State football stadium Sunday, eliminating a key piece of the iconography surrounding the once-sainted football coach accused of burying child sex abuse allegations against a retired assistant.

The NCAA announced they will detail sanctions against the university at 9am eastern on Monday:

A high-ranking NCAA source said, “I’ve never seen anything like it,” according to CBS News, which first reported the sanctions.

ESPN reported that announcement will not be the NCAA’s well known “death penalty,” but it will include deep scholarship cuts and loss of bowl eligibility for many years.

The announcement will be made at 9 a.m. ET Monday in Indianapolis by NCAA president Mark Emmert and Ed Ray, chairman of the NCAA’s executive committee, according to a statement….

The NCAA has handed down the death penalty — which shuts down a program for a year — once, to SMU in 1986. However, a source told ESPN that Monday’s penalties could be more crippling than a death penalty.

University cultures that overemphasize sports in the academic environment are perhaps more susceptible to these warped institutional decisions that set aside the original missions of their schools. Penn State, founded in 1855 as an agricultural school, operates with the mission to educate “students from Pennsylvania, the nation and the world, and improves the well being and health of individuals and communities through integrated programs of teaching, research, and service.”

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Comments

Now remove & preferrably jail those who allowed this pervert to remain

Penn State did the right thing.

A deep, ramifying tragedy that GroupThink so twisted the thinking of so many people there for so long.

It is ESPECIALLY important that people involved with a good institution NEVER become blind to its faults and wrongs. And it is important to remember that is a strong tendency in human nature.

    Milwaukee in reply to Ragspierre. | July 22, 2012 at 1:51 pm

    Did they take it down out of respect for the victims, or because they’re afraid somebody will take it down for them?

      Ragspierre in reply to Milwaukee. | July 22, 2012 at 3:19 pm

      How could I answer that.

      I would suggest you ask them, because they are the only people who can tell you what mix of things they considered.

      Right?

      In any event, still the right thing.

        ThomasD in reply to Ragspierre. | July 22, 2012 at 5:36 pm

        If you don’t have an answer, or at least an opinion, regarding that question then how can you say with any certainty that they ‘did the right thing?’

          Ragspierre in reply to ThomasD. | July 22, 2012 at 5:47 pm

          What am I, the Whistler?

          “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men…???”

          I just observe what people DO. Sometimes, what they SAY, compared to what they DO.

          I guess you have deeper insights.

          Helluva gift.

          ThomasD in reply to ThomasD. | July 22, 2012 at 6:02 pm

          Penn State’s actions, done without explanation, raise more questions than answers. Without answers you were comfortable declaring the removal of the statue ‘the right thing.’

          When offered the possibility of less than stellar motives being behind the move, you punted the question.

          If the University has decided that Paterno no longer warrants a statue they should say so.

          Otherwise the act is ambiguous at best.

          Airbrushing at worst.

        Milwaukee in reply to Ragspierre. | July 22, 2012 at 10:03 pm

        Had Penn State announced that they were taking the statue to a foundry, and were melting it down, then I would sense a spirit of sorrow and remorse over events detained in that report. Since they are just storing it in an “undisclosed location” I suspect they waiting for this to just “blow over”. Perhaps their plans are to some day resurrect that statue, once we get to the “let bygones be bygones” stage. I doubt that’s gonna happen any day soon.

Sandusky is the villain in this tragedy.

    Juba Doobai! in reply to Jenny. | July 22, 2012 at 7:21 pm

    True. But Paterno and others played an important role in ensuring the villain was not caught and stopped very early on. My grandmother used to say that the upholder (the one supporting the criminal and the crime) is worse than the thief.

Those who knew of his deeds and didn’t stop him are as guilty as he is of the crimes. The assistant coach who witnessed Sandusky violating a child in the shower: Why didn’t he find a folding chair and start beating on Sandusky? Because he knew what would happen to his job, and he didn’t want to risk jeopardizing his career. Any program who would now employ that guy is as cowardly as the Penn State administrators.

Didn’t everybody in the Athletic Department benefit from the success of the football program? Since the administrators who oversaw these crimes also oversaw other athletic programs, it would seem appropriate those programs suffer as well.

Whenever there a tragedy in sports, unlike issues involving guns, drugs, medical care, etc, there is never a call to look at the underlying cause. In this case, it is what sports teaches about competition. Competing is more than important; it is essential! Sports teaches that, but by its very nature it teaches people to blindly compete in THINGS WHICH DO NOT MATTER. All sports consists of a set of arbitrary rules which are then, by fiat, declared as important. If those at Penn State had understood that “it is only a game,” they would have been much less likely to look the other way. Dealing with the harm done is the most urgent matter. A more important one is understanding why it happened. Insisting on better reporting will be the “fix,” but it is a band-aid on the real issue.

    The suggestion that sport DOESN’T MATTER does at first blush seem logical. The real world, however, belies that logic. An activity that in most cases is able to harness and channel the positive activities and interests of over half the US adolescent population without leading to significant loss of life or limb has a certain amount of intrinsic worth, so it does “matter”. Agreed, though, it is still a game. Living is more important than gaming. Penn State is not alone among institutions fielding sports teams to lose sight of life’s true priorities. They will pay the penalty for doing so, and hundreds of other universities should reassess their own athletic cultures before they, too, face a similar fall from grace.

    Ragspierre in reply to Tregonsee. | July 22, 2012 at 6:32 pm

    Ummm…

    Chess.

So… we’re expecting a slap on the wrist by the NCAA? I doubt they’d punish a moneymaker like Penn State.

This should not be left up to the NCAA. Who, under current rules, cannot administer the death penalty. The Board of Trustees can and should suspend, if not outright terminate the football program. Penn State needs to clean it’s own house.

They can request the NCAA allow current players to transfer with no loss of eligibility, and continue to provide scholarships for anyone who chooses to stay and finish out their education at PSU.

If anyone in a position of authority at PSU thinks that whatever the NCAA does will be sufficient to atone for what happened there they are sorely mistaken. They need to accept full responsibility, and that means stepping out from behind the NCAA’s skirts and doing what must be done.

    stevewhitemd in reply to ThomasD. | July 22, 2012 at 2:36 pm

    I agree with Thomas D. If I were the governor of PA, here’s what I would do:

    1) Fire all members of the Board of Trustees who were sitting at the time Mr. Sandusky was arrested. This re-establishes the principle that those in charge of an institution bear and accept responsibility for what happens.

    2) Fire the athletic director.

    3) Terminate the football program. No possible reinstatement for five years. Fire all coaches and staff (since they all KNEW about Mr. Sandusky).

    4) Allow current football players to transfer per NCAA rules, or to finish their education at Penn State.

    5) Withdraw from Division 1 of the NCAA, and petition for membership in Division 2 (full disclosure: I teach at a Division 3 biomedical research university. The lack of Division 1 status hasn’t hurt us). As a consequence of this move, Penn State also withdraws from the Big Ten.

    I realize that last one is a big stretch, but consider this: much of what is wrong with college sports comes from the money. Sports can be, and often is, a great thing, but the moral character of sport is being destroyed by the enormous sums of money. That’s a faustian bargain one accepts as a professional athlete, but the NCAA claims not to be professional. Really? Prove it.

    Today and for a long time to come no one will be talking about the great education one can receive at Penn State, or its first class programs in various fields of study. They will remember Sandusky, child sex abuse, and Paterno. If the governor and trustees want to change that, they’ll have to strike at the root core problem. As Subjag reminds us, heroism isn’t scoring a winning touchdown. It’s standing for and fighting for root core principles. In that regard, Penn State has failed, and their actions are cowardly.

    Drop the hammer on them.

      Browndog in reply to stevewhitemd. | July 22, 2012 at 5:02 pm

      Really?

      Kinda sounds like “We must destroy Penn State in order to save it”.

        stevewhitemd in reply to Browndog. | July 22, 2012 at 5:30 pm

        I realize I sound harsh. But again, one needs to look at the underlying principles that were violated by Penn State, and then consider what has to be done to atone for that violation.

        The football program is hopelessly corrupted by what the AD, Paterno, and all the assistant coaches did to ignore and excuse Sandusky. How do you fix that? By abolishing the football program. Wait a while and then start over.

        WHY did all these people ignore and excuse? Because of the money. The program depended on winning (at all costs), and the university depended for its visibility and its (so-called) pride on the football program. How do you fix that? By removing Penn State from the money; that is, by moving from Division 1 to Division 2. Penn State then, over time, will be known for being a university and not a football factory. That’s what matters in the end.

        This is a moment when the NCAA, the Big Ten, and the public at large can draw a line. Do it right and every other AD, coach and university president will get the message. They’ll remember it for the next half-century. Let Penn State off the hook and a different message will be delivered.

        What principles will we stand for in the end?

        ThomasD in reply to Browndog. | July 22, 2012 at 5:39 pm

        Penn State Football is not Penn State University. People who confuse the two are very much what allows college football corruption to persist.

        This is not about nuking the school from orbit, this is more like excising a cancer to save the rest of the patient.

          Browndog in reply to ThomasD. | July 22, 2012 at 6:46 pm

          Do you really think I’m confused?

          If I were, I’m responsible for corruption college football?

          Look, I was pretty much going to stay out of this–let the chips fall where they may..

          However, this entire thread seems to have taken on a sort of libtard mentality-

          Instead of addressing the specific issues and specific individuals, it all about BAN.

        WarEagle82 in reply to Browndog. | July 22, 2012 at 5:54 pm

        Penn State University and Penn State football are not the same thing. And to avoid having the less important football program damage the more important university, shutting down the football program just might be the be the best and right thing to do.

        It will be along time before Penn State football and JoPa evoke much besides the horrible legacy they created for themselves by covering up for Sandusky…

      Juba Doobai! in reply to stevewhitemd. | July 22, 2012 at 7:25 pm

      Hmm. Five years? I was thinking ten years, give them time to reconsider their priorities and values.

    stevewhitemd in reply to ThomasD. | July 22, 2012 at 2:51 pm

    Oh and one more thing: regardless of what the NCAA will do tomorrow, what will the Big Ten do?

    Does the Big Ten really want to remain in the company of Penn State?

      ThomasD in reply to stevewhitemd. | July 22, 2012 at 6:38 pm

      Penn State Football is just one part of their sports program. While it would appear the AD was part of the problem, I don’t think it clear that other PSU sports programs should suffer at the hands of the NCAA or the Conference.

      Would it be possible for the Big Ten to boot just the football program, but not the other sports?

        BannedbytheGuardian in reply to ThomasD. | July 22, 2012 at 8:45 pm

        Yes . Why should the girls suffer? This is a male homosexual scandal enabled by some esoteric & tribal male bonding culture.

          Exactly. We are building a society where everything goes in the girls direction when it is favorable, and the men suck it up and suffer when it isn’t. Title IX has be interpreted to mean equal opportunity. If there are 10 men’s teams with 250 possible roster spots, then there must be an equal number of spots for girls. Because football has no girl equivalent, other men’s sports have suffered, such as soccer. Seems girls were benefiting from the successes of the football program, it allowed for more girls teams and scholarship opportunities. Eliminate football, and a bunch of girls sports could be eliminated. This isn’t really a place where the cancer of the scandal in football is going to be tied-off with little damage elsewhere. Loads of things here are rafted together.

          I realize you are striving for a bit of irony, but there are many other men’s sports involved. And the vast majority of those do not involve people who will make sports a career or bring in bucks for the University. They played no part in this horror and it would be wrong to punish them.

          The only apt punishment involving these students would be to allow anyone on scholarship to exercise their conscience. They should be permitted to sit out, while retaining any scholarship benefits through graduation, or transfer without loss of eligibility.

          I know I’d find it difficult to ‘represent’ PSU on the field after all this.

It saddens me that college kids on athletic scholarship who chose Penn State, and even non-athlete students when the university’s reputation sinks, are going to be hurt.

    jimzinsocal in reply to janitor. | July 22, 2012 at 3:45 pm

    I have to agree. As is often the case some of the folks not involved with the “crimes” pay a heavy price. For me a better solution might be to insist the school set up some sort of academic schlorship for students that have suffered some sort of abuse. Something that forces the school to make indirect/direct restitution without punishing current and future students. And that schlorship must be continued virtually forever.
    Penalizing the school…with non participation at money making events etc hurts the school in a way that ultimately will find its way to new students having to pay elevated tuitions. Who wins with that scenario?

      WarEagle82 in reply to jimzinsocal. | July 22, 2012 at 5:56 pm

      Do you really believe the “Sandusky Scholarship Fund” would have broad appeal? It is not exactly the sort of thing incoming freshman would likely want to advertise….

        jimzinsocal in reply to WarEagle82. | July 22, 2012 at 6:47 pm

        Obviously not with that name. Why does the notion strike you as unusual? In form its no different than the Nobel Prize. Restitution is restitution.
        I simply dont see the wisdom in indirectly punishing students is all.

          BannedbytheGuardian in reply to jimzinsocal. | July 22, 2012 at 8:38 pm

          Where to begin.

          1- what sort of abuse/

          2- what sort of proof?

          3- According to a commonly held theory (eg Rags on George Zimmerman ) these people become abusers themselves thus they will have to be monitored /interventioned.

          4- Elizabeth Warren will be applying tomorrow..

          WarEagle82 in reply to jimzinsocal. | July 22, 2012 at 9:01 pm

          That is one “confusion dense” post. The Nobel Prize is not “restitution.” Decreased revenues from sports-related income won’t raise tuition. You seem to have no idea how the revenues from college sports events are treated at most colleges and universities.

          Would the “Sandusky Scholarship” be open to kids who were assaulted by government employees on government properties, or would it be open to kids regardless of circumstances? Would there be separate scholarships for young girls who were raped? How about kids who were victims of arson? Or should there be special scholarships for those victimized by drunk drivers?

          Penn State needs to pay any reasonable damages to the kids who file and win civil suits against the university. Penn State does not need to pay “restitution” in perpetuity to kids who aren’t born yet but may be victimized by perverts at some point in the future.

          Talk about punishing the innocent? Why do you want to punish the taxpayers of Pennsylvania forever?

          You really need to think things through a bit…

          jimzinsocal in reply to jimzinsocal. | July 23, 2012 at 9:30 am

          WarEagle. Give it a rest. You are demonstrating, along with a smug attitude, your lack of grasp so far as history and business go. The Nobel Prize is indeed a form of restitution whether you think so or not. You honestly feel Nobel, upon seeing his mistaken obituary wasnt motivated to “make things right” when he was called a merchant of death?
          In any event, I see the school is as part of their sanctions being forced to pay into an endowment…60 million…for abused kids etc.
          Not too far from the schlorship notion I had mentioned in passing.

There are no “silver linings” to be found in this story; nothing to turn to and say, “well, at least one good thing came of this tragedy.” But if there is any consequence worth hoping for, let it be the end of the offensive use of the word “hero” when talking about anything related to sports.

Trying to win a game is not heroism! That’s what these over-paid prima donnas are PAID to do – to win! It’s called a “contractual obligation.” In what upside-down alternate universe did fulfilling a legal responsibility come to be seen as proof of heroic behavior?!

Let’s be honest and use the dictionary definition of “hero.” Here is how dictionary.com defines “hero:”

1. a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.

2. a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal: He was a local hero when he saved the drowning child.

There is no such thing as “heroism” in sports. Yet athletes and coaches have been hailed as “heroes” because they can run fast, catch a ball, hit a long drive, or throw a long pass. Physical abilities have been considered evidence of heroism when, in reality, being a hero has nothing to do with physical prowess.

On the contrary, as the definition above demonstrates, heroism is having the willpower to overcome obstacles and make tough decisions in the face of long odds and despite the consequences one might suffer. The only true test of heroism is doing the right thing, even when it means you will suffer personal consequences.

I know some will say, “but so-and-so overcame a physical disability to win so-and-so championship. That makes him a hero in my book.” What, his winning made him a hero? Or the fact that he overcame a physical disability to even try? If he had lost, would he still have been a hero? Yes! The fact that he used a sport to demonstrate his heroism does not mean that he is a hero BECAUSE of that sport. No, he is a hero because he displayed NOBLE qualities in a sport. He could just have easily written an award-winning book despite dyslexia, or fought for legal justice in an unjust world, or worked for 50 years to cure poverty while living in poverty himself. HE was the HERO, the sport had nothing to do with it.

It must be said, and I am sorry to be the one to say it, but Joe Paterno was never a hero or worthy of admiration. Some thought so, but only because they confused his winning percentage with his character. Yes, he may have worked hard, and was undoubtedly a great coach. But he was never a hero. When faced with the only situation that required him to make a difficult decision and demonstrate noble qualities, one that clearly would have prevented further victims but irreparably tainted his public reputation, he selfishly chose his to protect his reputation.

Hero? Absolutely not. Joe Paterno was a coward.

The only lesson the sports world must learn from this nightmare is that the word “hero” has no place is professional sports.

    theduchessofkitty in reply to Subjag. | July 22, 2012 at 5:27 pm

    I’m raising from my chair and clapping. BRAVO! You nailed it!

    Our soldiers, sailors and airmen who risk their lives and limbs daily in foreign soil to keep us safe in our beds at night fit the definition of “heroes”.

    The firemen, police officers and others who ran into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon to rescue people whose lives were in danger, knowing that they could surely lose their lives – and many did – definitely fit the definition of “heroes”. The civilians in United Flight 93 who stopped terrorists inside a cockpit from destroying who knows which extremely important American landmark, knowing that they would die in the act, definitely fit the description of “heroes.”

    The police officers at Fort Hood who gunned down that Islamofascist terrorist hiding under the legitimate cover of the uniform and his psychiatric profession, thus stopping an even worse massacre than the one that occurred, fit the definition of “heroes”.

    The men at that movie theater at Aurora who shielded their girlfriends from the bullets coming from that evil “Joker” last Friday at midnight, and dying because of it, are indeed “heroes.”

    People who rescue others from dangerous situations are heroes.

    Playing ball and running faster than everyone else to reach a goal does not fit the description of heroism, but of sports entertainment. Football coaches are not heroes. Joe Paterno knew this.

    He could have become a “hero” if he had ACTED SWIFTLY the moment he found out about Sandusky’s pedophile antics and taken the whole matter ASAP to University officials – and the police. That would have meant lots of humiliation for Penn State, of course. But at least, he and others could have kept their dignity by doing the absolute right thing, and the University would have seen the true meaning of the word “hero”. But Paterno did not.

    Paterno’s family and Penn State will never outlive the definite stain to their reputation.

    Oh, BTW: would it not be a good idea to make life-sized monuments of the heroes of United Flight 93? That would have made the perfect monument to true heroes.

      BRAVO to you and Subjag!

      As for those who clicked ‘Dislike’ on your posts, there are no words I can use to describe the revulsion I feel toward you for your lack of understanding of what a true hero is.

2012 Penn State Nittany Lions Football Schedule
September 1 Ohio U Home – Noon
September 8 Virginia Away – Noon
September 15 Navy Home – 3:30 PM
September 22 Temple Home
September 29 Illinois Away
October 6 Northwestern – Homecoming Game
Home – Noon
October 13 Open
October 20 Iowa Away – 8PM
October 27 Ohio State Home – 6PM
November 3 Purdue Away
November 10 Nebraska Away
November 17 Indiana Home
November 24 Wisconsin Home
Dec. 1 Big Ten Championship Game They won’t be there.. (Site TBA)

“Home” games, should be fine IF Big Ten officiating crews remind the visiting team that one smart ass (no pun intended) remark or provocation and you get an early shower. If it continues, coaching staff gets, early shower, beyond that, forfeiture is possible.

Those “away” games, could be brutal, for PSU. Homers (including officials could, COULD think a tad a razzing, “fun”.

    BannedbytheGuardian in reply to JP. | July 22, 2012 at 9:03 pm

    So the onus is on the visiting teams to be nice & any perceived infraction will be punished ?

    So for you it is the match that must be protected.

    If it were my decision to make it would be considerate of the interests of the other teams. No college football player (he of limited years & intellectual exposure ) should have to shoulder such responsibilities.

    The Penn program should be disbanded . THe Big 9 .

      BannedbytheGuardian in reply to BannedbytheGuardian. | July 22, 2012 at 9:10 pm

      NoI was to hasty. I would not advocate disbandment. Maybe just a scaled down walk in (non scholarship ) program that offers sports training in football. Obviously a team will not be competitive which will be an education in itself on the importance of money in the NCAA league.

      Funny thing about the “Big 10”. They have 12 teams. Eliminate one and it is the “Big 11”, which just doesn’t seem as catchy.

      1. Ohio State
      2. Michigan State
      3. Michigan
      4. Wisconsin
      5. Indiana
      6. Purdue
      7. Northwestern
      8. Iowa
      9. Minnesota
      10. Illinois
      11. Nebraska
      12. Penn State

They should put it in the same cell with Sandusky.

radiofreeca | July 22, 2012 at 3:47 pm

From what I have read, child molesters are unable to stop themselves. They are, to use the term from a famous book, “clockwork oranges” – they have no free will. However, all the people who knew and chose to do nothing, or to actively hide the crime, are guilty of each and every act he committed – they had free will.

The NCAA should REQUIRE that his statue be put back and maintained for as long as any of his victims are still alive, and that the school have a ‘wall of guilt’ in the library listing all people who knew and when they knew – in a timeline. It should be 30 or 40 feet long, at the main entrance. Because shaming school administrators is what will cause other administrators to do something next time.

    Ragspierre in reply to radiofreeca. | July 22, 2012 at 4:00 pm

    ***They are, to use the term from a famous book, “clockwork oranges”***

    Never a subscriber to that line of thinking.

    I figure that many people have a prediction to do some deviant thing or other, and they manage to push it back because they choooooooooooose to be decent.

      BannedbytheGuardian in reply to Ragspierre. | July 22, 2012 at 9:16 pm

      You can’t get out of it Raggsie. You said George Zimmerman was abused as a child & hence something.

      You can always retract it or provide evidence. Until then you are on the suscribers list.

    WarEagle82 in reply to radiofreeca. | July 22, 2012 at 9:31 pm

    From what I have read, child molesters are unable to stop themselves.

    If this is the case, and I don’t think it is true, then child molesters and many other classes of convicts would have to be executed or locked up for life without parole.

    There may be a small number of sociopaths and psychotics who can’t “control themselves” but people largely do evil because the want to, have opportunity, and think they can get away with it…

TrooperJohnSmith | July 22, 2012 at 4:55 pm

It will have to be worse than what was given to SMU. However, I think everyone agrees that the so-called ‘Death Penalty’ even went too far in that case, punishing forward way beyond its intent. USC, if anyone, should have gone the way of SMU, and since it did not, most assume that the D-P is pretty much dead, except in extreme cases.

This is an extreme case.

From out here in Flyover Country, Penn State has always looked like something of a perennial darling to the New York / northeastern media. One old Ft. Worth sportswriter, for whom I once toiled in the galleys, called them the New York college football writers’ always-rans. I recall all the years when PSU was highly ranked, early, and always seemed to disappoint. Sadly, with rare exceptions, it always seemed, and still seems, like top-flight college football is always played somewhere west of State College PA.

It will be sad to see a once-great program brought low by hubris.

bob aka either orr | July 22, 2012 at 5:14 pm

This reeks of Stalinism. We have one e-mail, not written by Paterno, but by an accused perjurer, implicating Paterno in the coverup. We have a university president, who had the final call, opting for the coverup… which is especially galling since his academic background is in family therapy.
Answer me this — why wouldn’t a man who was the defensive coordinator for two national championship teams get a head coaching job? Did Paterno or someone else at PSU put out warning signs (which aren’t easy to put out, given the way the law is today) about Sandusky? We don’t know. Did Paterno want Sandusky’s campus privileges (as a retired tenured employee) revoked after the 2001 incident? I’ve been told Spanier vetoed that, pulling only his access to the football building. Did the PSU board do repeated seven-figure business with Sandusky’s Second Mile organization? Yes… and some of those board members are still around and not getting slammed. And don’t forget the hypocritical Gov. Corbett, who slow-walked the investigation for two years while collecting hundreds of thousands in campaign contributions from Second Mile supporters and affiliates.
If more comes out implicating Paterno, then remove the statue permanently. If not, or if the e-mail turns out to be a lie, then I’d say apologies are in order — at the very least.
One last thought… Freeh’s history is giving his employers the report they wanted — Ruby Ridge and Waco are prime examples of how he protects those who deliver his paychecks.

I beleive it is only fair that the Paterno Family Statement be posted as well:
“Tearing down the statue of Joe Paterno does not serve the victims of Jerry Sandusky’s horrible crimes or help heal the Penn State Community. We believe the only way to help the victims is to uncover the full truth. The Freeh report, though it has been accepted by the media as the definitive conclusion on the Sandusky scandal, is the equivalent of an indictment — a charging document written by a prosecutor — and an incomplete and unofficial one at that.

“To those who truly want to know the truth about Sandusky, it should matter that Joe Paterno has never had a hearing; that his legal counsel has never been able to interview key witnesses, all of whom are represented by lawyers and therefore unavailable; that there has never been an opportunity to review critical evidence which has not been made public; that selective evidence and the opinion of Mr Freeh is treated as the equivalent of a fair trial. Despite this obviously flawed and one-sided presentation, the University believes it must acquiesce and accept that Joe Paterno has been given a fair and complete hearing. We think the better course would have been for the University to take a strong stand in support of due process so that the complete truth can be uncovered.

“It is not the University’s responsibility to defend or protect Joe Paterno. But they at least should have acknowledged that important legal cases are still pending and that the record on Joe Paterno, the Board and other key players is far from complete.”

    Nor is there adequate acknowledgment of the obvious interest conflict of board members, who made or failed to make critical decisions throughout this sad process, still acting as decision makers and controlling the official “narrative”.

    scfanjl in reply to rich. | July 22, 2012 at 8:03 pm

    Thank you for posting this. Seems to me many are reacting and wanting action before this has fully played out in its proper place, the courts. Freeh is not a member of our legal process, and to treat his report as the final word is no different than the media in the Zimmerman case. The fact that this involves children shouldn’t much us rash.

    Milwaukee in reply to rich. | July 22, 2012 at 8:38 pm

    Jerry Sandusky had the investigation which was in 1998, and he retired in 1999. Wikipedia notes that he had an “interesting” retirement package, and was allowed wide access to Penn State athletic facilities. He is considered one of the best assistant coaches to never be a head coach. My suspicion is that he never attempted a head coach because of what was revealed in the 1998 investigation. Paterno followed that investigation closely.

    Once a person dies it is too late for repentance, remorse, or change. Coach Paterno shaped his reputation while he was alive, and now has to live with the consequences. The family may advocate all they want to redeem his reputation, but they, like us, can only guess at what Coach was thinking when he decided on certain actions, or inactions. After all, a decision to do nothing, is a decision.

I assume Penn State will also return the 4 million dollars the Paterno family donated over the years. To do otherwise would be hypocritical.

    WarEagle82 in reply to katiejane. | July 22, 2012 at 9:09 pm

    When JoPa writes a letter asking for his money back, I am sure Penn State will return the funds. I suggest they write him a check and slip it under his headstone.

I am not arguing for or against but I know that any sanctions are going to badly hurt the good and decent people of State College. We had a meeting of our Republican district officers today and our Chair said that they estimate that just the football program brings in about 160,000,000 a year to the businesses of central PA gas, food , lodging etc ….God help them if the Penn State is barred from all sports or even just football

    Jenny in reply to Aggie95. | July 22, 2012 at 8:07 pm

    The scorched earth solutions being suggested do little to bring justice to anyone, but harm scores of innocent people who had nothing to do with the abuse of Sandusky victims.

      WarEagle82 in reply to Jenny. | July 23, 2012 at 12:04 am

      So the alternative is to do nothing?

      There is a big stinking pile of corruption on the campus of Penn State.

      It won’t go away by ignoring the smell…

Under what NCAA rule are these sanctions to be applied?

I think the lawbreakers should be prosecuted as appropriate. I don’t think we should be making up new laws, rules, or procedures to feed a sense of public vengeance.

And in general with violations, shouldn’t penalties follow the perpetrators instead of just the school? Often the offending athletes and coaches just go somewhere else, while the innocent who remain at the scene of the crime pay the entire price.

    Milwaukee in reply to Estragon. | July 22, 2012 at 8:40 pm

    A good bet would be that we have not seen all of the criminal or civil legal actions regarding Sandusky and Penn State. Why would the NCAA need to do something now, when criminal action is still a possibility against members of the administration?

    WarEagle82 in reply to Estragon. | July 22, 2012 at 9:06 pm

    In general, I agree that NCAA penalties need to cover schools and the individuals to violate NCAA rules. All too many times, the schools get hammered and the coaches and ADs simply walk away with millions in their pockets and take another position a year or two later.

    I suspect the problem is that the NCAA has no effective ability to punish private citizens violating NCAA rules and that is the reason they haven’t done so.

    But in this case, the NCAA can’t do anything to Sandusky or Paterno. Neither is likely to be looking for a coaching slot any time soon.

      Milwaukee in reply to WarEagle82. | July 22, 2012 at 9:52 pm

      I think Jerry Tarkanian helped on out this when he left Long Beach for UNLV. Long Beach was left with the punishment, and he was somewhere else. Seems that NCAA does have a way to punish coaches who violate their regulations, even if the coaches relocate.

        WarEagle82 in reply to Milwaukee. | July 22, 2012 at 10:22 pm

        Tarkanian spent most of his career as a Division I coach in a battle with the NCAA. After he left Long Beach State, its basketball program was slapped with probation for recruiting violations which occurred under his watch.

        Just months before the 1976–77 season, the NCAA placed UNLV on two years’ probation for “questionable practices.” Although the alleged violations dated back to 1971—before Tarkanian became coach—the NCAA pressured UNLV into suspending Tarkanian as coach for two years. Tarkanian sued, claiming the suspension violated his right to due process. In September 1977, a Nevada judge issued an injunction which reinstated Tarkanian as coach. The case eventually made it all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States, which ruled in 1988 that the NCAA had the right to discipline its member schools, reversing the 1977 injunction.

        In the decade between the original suspension and the Supreme Court ruling, it was revealed that the NCAA’s enforcement process was stacked heavily in the NCAA’s favor—so heavily, in fact, that it created a perception that there was no due process. The enforcement staff was allowed to build cases on hearsay, and shared few of their findings with the targeted school. The resulting negative publicity led the NCAA to institute a clearer separation between the enforcement staff and the infractions committee, as well as a system for appeals. Also, hearsay evidence was no longer admissible in infractions cases.

        After being fired from the Spurs, Tarkanian sued the NCAA, claiming it had harassed him for over two decades. The harassment, Tarkanian claimed, started when he wrote a newspaper column alleging that the NCAA was more willing to punish less-prominent schools than big-name schools. Although the NCAA did not admit harassing Tarkanian, it settled out of court in 1998, paying him $2.5 million.

        Evidently, the NCAA has attempted to punish coaches but it doesn’t always seem to work effectively. The NCAA paid Tark $2.5 million to settle a legal matter.

        But a quick google search indicates a lot of coaches get suspended for a few games by the NCAA. I can’t find a list of such suspensions though.

        And I don’t recall any coach from a major school getting suspended for an entire season or more recently. Pete Carroll walked away from USC and went to the pros. Not much the NCAA can do in cases like that.

        Like I said, there seems to be no effective ability to sanction the individuals in cases like this…

Richard Aubrey | July 22, 2012 at 8:13 pm

Early on there were suggestions that some group affiliated with PSU was procuring boys for big donors. May or not be related. I don’t believe Freeh found anything of the sort.
However, should this be true, the exposure at PSU will provide a kind of venue for the boys in question to come forward.
And this admin is the one that cleared Mann and his hockey stick.

    BannedbytheGuardian in reply to Richard Aubrey. | July 22, 2012 at 9:45 pm

    I think you might have some mix ups there. I do not recall anything about procurements for BIG Donors specifically.

    Jerry Sandusky sponsored The Second Mile Foundation some of whose kids attended football related activities at PSU. Then it gets murky .

    Milwaukee in reply to Richard Aubrey. | July 22, 2012 at 9:56 pm

    “Early on there were suggestions that some group affiliated with PSU was procuring boys for big donors. May or not be related. I don’t believe Freeh found anything of the sort.”

    What was Freeh asked to look at? Was he asked “What did administrators know about Sandusky violating children on Penn State property, and when did they know it?” If that’s the case, then the issue you remind us of may not have been investigated. Which may mean that it needs more investigation. When and why did that district attorney die? There’s a lot more here that needs explaining.

      WarEagle82 in reply to Milwaukee. | July 22, 2012 at 11:44 pm

      Freeh also found no evidence that Martin Borman, Adolf Hitler and Josef Mengele were performing a transvestite cabaret act in Buenos Aires.

      He also found no additional information about the “grassy knoll,” bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster or dead aliens in Area 51.

      It is amazing what Free overlooked. Has anyone investigated Free and his relationship with Sandusky? After all, his report made no mention of that either…

I agree with Rags…they did the right thing.

And if you want to ask me why I think so, just keep in mind, whatever answer I give, “doing the right thing” is not validated or invalidated by either of our opinions.

As for slamming on Rags… he’s not the one you should be asking why it is right or wrong – in fact, the answer is in the letter.

DocWahala

    BannedbytheGuardian in reply to DocWahala. | July 23, 2012 at 2:48 am

    Although Rags got to be 2nd responder only 4 posts were in reply. If you had read all the posts you would see Rags was not the star attraction nor the villain nor a victim .

    Some posters have been on his subject since the very beginning. In fact I might have even mentioned it before the first specific posts amongst the early Santorum LI “vetting”.

    I still believe Santorum should apologize for giving Sandusky The Congress Angel of Adoption award . It is not as if he did not have deep PA contacts plus being a PSU grad.

      Thanks Banned…. however, when I posted my note, there weren’t 69 replies. Why it got hung up in the net, I don’t know, and I really don’t care.

      So, before anyone says “if you would have read the rest of the posts” might want to rethink that one.

      See you on the flip side, have a nice day.

      DocWahala