My name is Louis Lombardi and this is my first post on Legal Insurrection. I am a graduate of Penn State University and my introductory post is on the passing of legendary football coach Joe Paterno. You can get a complete biography of me by clicking on my name in the other contributors section.
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My family attended the women’s gymnastics meet on Penn State’s campus last night. The meet involved Penn State, Cornell, Alabama and Michigan State. During the meet, word spread through the stands that legendary football coach Joe Paterno was gravely ill. Being that the event was at Penn State, I naturally assumed that some sort of announcement would be made to keep Coach Paterno in our thoughts and prayers. What we got was silence; and it made me think, did the child abuse scandal wipe out sixty plus years of good will?
Joe Paterno passed away earlier today at the age of 85 and much of what he built over these many years has been called into question. Has his legacy gone to the great beyond with him?
Joe Paterno was extremely competitive and loved football. He did not just love football for the sake of the game but as a vehicle to prepare men for their future. He used the sport to teach and his success in this area is second to none. No other football program consistently graduated as many of their student athletes as Penn State. With the success of the football program in winning games and graduating students, he took his fame and money and rolled it back into the University. An example of his generosity is the $3 million dollars he donated to expand the school library, an amount of money that equaled over three years of his coaching salary (even after being relieved of his coaching duties, Coach Paterno donated $100,000.00 to the school). In addition to his own donations, he tirelessly raised funds on behalf of the University, bringing in untold millions. Penn State is a world class university and a big portion of the credit goes to Coach Paterno.
Joe Paterno was famous but he did not live an extravagant life style. He lived in the same house for over fifty years and till this day, his address and phone number are listed in the local phone book. Although easily one of the most famous football coaches of all time, he was paid less than most. Money did not drive him, teaching did and he taught through his football program.
Joe Paterno’s legacy is not his football teams’ wins and losses. If that was the case, the scandal that engulfed him and Penn State would surely consume it. Joe was about preparing men for the life that lay ahead and that legacy will live on through his players, who will in turn teach the next generation.
Death cannot erase this legacy, it will go on forever.
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Comments
Nice post. And welcome!
My cousin played for JoePa as a walk-on. Paterno was great at giving kids an opportunity but also demanding excellence.
Welcome to Legal Insurrection, Louis.
Well said. Thank you.
My husband went to Penn State for his graduate degree, and we have long been fans of the Nittany Lions, and Joe Pa. It’s sad to see him go under such a cloud.
It’s nice to read something that gives him credit for the positives in his career. Thanks for posting.
Here is a good story about Joe and what he was like as a person:
http://blog.pennlive.com/davidjones/2012/01/joe_paterno_and_how_i_knew_him.html
Louis, the bottom line is Paterno knew Sandusky was seen raping a child in the bathroom, Paterno did not call the cops, did not beat the hell out of Sandusky, did not fire Sandusky, did not do a damn thing! Now, what can you say that makes Paterno look good after that? I can’t hear you.
What would Paterno have done if the child had been his son, grandson, nephew, blood? Whatever he would have done then, he should have done to Sandusky up to and including shooting the bloody child-raping monster! So, for all his talk about caring, he just didn’t give a damn as long as his own personal world was untouched … unless, like Sandusky, Paterno had a taste for strange, young flesh. That’s where and what he leaves us.
It isnt just that Juba- Joe did the bare minium of when first reported. If that was all, one could almost forgive it. But its really about the next 12-14 years after 1998- where Snadusky was roaming the campus, showing up to Joe’s football program, Joe’s football field with kids in tow. Its about 2002, 2006, 2008….. all the years where Snadusky was using the program as cover for his activities and Joe did….nothing. Thats the more unforgivable part.
This.
One can forgive the shock of maybe not doing the right thing in the first instance. There are many factors that could cause this, including fear of a violent confrontation with an offender, and just plain not knowing what to do in the moment.
But the subsequent 14 years is what I cannot excuse.
I get his legacy and his contribution to football. But, if it comes out that it was reported to him that one of his coaches was molesting children and didn’t take action, then his legacy deserves a heavy layer of tarnish. I hope that is not the case, but the stories are pretty damning.
I would caution about taking early reports too seriously: they’re almost always wrong. Especially when reported by the Make Believe Media.
And in my experience, particularly if that media is ESPN.
I’ve been digesting the story with dismay for a while.
The only sense I can make of it is this: Evil triumphs when good men do nothing. I feel that as a person in position power, by role, his doing nothing bears the greater burden of guilt than a passive bystander.
You’d like to think in their shoes you’d do different. However these were not meek men to be pushed around, so begs the question, where cometh courage? What in the culture prevented the buck from stopping?
It’s easy to be brave from 2000 miles away.
All I can say about him is he now has to meet his maker. If he knew what was happening and did nothing to protect those children all of his other accomplishments mean nothing.
As someone who has been abused this is very hard for me. I know he did great things but the failure to protect children overshadows that for me. I believe in forgiveness and pray that he will rest in peace but I can’t forget those young children who were let down. I know what abuse robs from a person. I know the hard work required to recover.
Well said, Nana, and I am glad you were able to move on, however difficultly, from the abuse you received.
Joe Paterno: “I didn’t know exactly how to handle it and I was afraid to do something that might jeopardize what the university procedure was,” he told The Post in an extensive two-day interview at his home in State College, Pa. “So I backed away and turned it over to some other people, people I thought would have a little more expertise than I did. It didn’t work out that way.”
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7462065/penn-state-nittany-lions-joe-paterno-says-know-how-handle-jerry-sandusky-abuse-report
What Joe Paterno did was punt his responsibilities in order to protect the Penn State name and reputation. Sure, he loved helping young men prpepare for the world and loved them all. But only those who could play football. The young men sexually abused by a member of his coaching staff, well, they were expendable.
Born and raised in Big Ten country and a lifelong advocate for adding Penn State (and Notre Dame), I loved Joe Paterno as much as I did Duffy Daugherty and Bo Schembechler. When Joe Pa got his leg busted on the sidelines a few years ago and kept trying to get back up, I bragged on his toughness.
But Joe Paterno felt like his responsibility ended with passing the buck upstairs when an eye witness account of child sexual abuse was reported to him. When nothing came of the reports, he did nothing further, and likely wiped his brow and said, “Whew! Close call.” Who among us would not have followed up without regard for details of what our legal responsibilities were? Who among us would not have gone as violent as it took to stop what was witnessed in a Penn State athletics shower room? The whole university failed and several men will suffer nightmares and worse pathologies for the rest of their days – all to protect the Penn State brand.
There are violations of public trust so egregious they very much do wipe out a lifetime of good deeds, and Joe Paterno committed just such a violation. Rest in peace, Joe Pa, and may God have mercy on your soul.
It’s easy for people to go all righteous and blame Paterno for not doing more even while they admit he met the letter of the law if not the spirit. Boo hoo – he let them down – he wasn’t perfect – he was an old man and a product from a different time.
People are quick to blame him for not screaming from the roof top about an unsubstantiated allegation he got – not anything he saw but something he was told and even that seems to be a story in flux. He reported it IAW university rules. When did it become his role to do the investigation that the University should have coordinated with the police? It must be comforting to beat your chest and allege that “you would have kicked the abusers ass” – maybe your anger then should be direct toward the assistant who actually saw/heard something.
This was a tragic case for the child and any other children abused by Sandusky. But personally I’m not prepared to beat an old man who didn’t abuse the child and ignore his decades of contribution to the University.
What I wouldn’t have done is work with the alleged abuser while he brought kids to my coaching program and facilities for over a decade and work with the assistant coach who accused him, rightly or wrongly, of rape.
I’d have to figure out which of them was telling the truth, and one or the other would have to go; I’d follow up until that had happened.
Did We Get It Wrong On Joe Paterno?
Not being a lawyer, I don’t know if this is correct. If it is correct, I hope the trustees who fired Paterno have the decency to resign; fat chance, IMO. If it is correct, I hope the Paterno family nails Penn State with a lawsuit: to clear Paterno’s name, not for money which they could donate to charity.
What happened to the spirit of due process in this country? To the presumption of innocence? ‘Terror’, ‘drugs’, and ‘children’ are not incantations that suspend the Constitution.
Nor am I above reproach though I haven’t followed the matter carefully. At first I thought Paterno was being railroaded; I didn’t change my mind 180 degrees, but the universal condemnation affected me.
RIP.
Rest In Peace, Joe Pa..
My husband and I have been season-ticket holders for about thirty-five years. We both have the utmost respect for Paterno and always will. His firing was handled very badly, and even the attorney for the victims stated that much. The victims did not want Paterno fired. I think that the trustees are more to blame than Paterno. There was an article in my local newspaper about a year or so ago about Sandusky being arrested. It’s the first time I ever read anything like that about him. Am I to believe that the trustees didn’t know anything when it was in the newspaper? And what about the prosecuting attorney who was investigating Sandusky. He’s been missing since 2005. They didn’t know anything about him either, I suppose. The trustees did a grave injustice to Paterno. I agree with Coach Lou Holtz. He thinks that Paterno lost his will to live when he was fired.
May I add a point here.
There is no class action of victims so there might be many more . Even if there were just one more then it is not inclusive.
So this guy cannot speak /act for all victims.
Thanks.
“The trustees did a grave injustice to Paterno.” Not if they know more and/or Paterno was not a hero in their eyes; knew a different side than the public image. There’s a reason, beyond bad publicity they did not stand behind their “Joe”. Just asking, “Why didn’t they stand up for and stand behind Joe Paterno?
Just as some are quick to scream guilty, the others are quick to scream innocent or innocent until proven guilty.
The trustees wanted Paterno to retire a long time ago; this was their opportunity to get rid of him. They showed no respect for him and treated him like he was the pedophile.
***Possible Triggers*** Purely by accident, I became aware a few years ago of some of the effects when boys suffer childhood sexual abuse. I always assumed, since I never heard any follow-up stories, that the children “got over it.” Well, some might but too many don’t.
I now know several men, maybe half a dozen, that suffered this as a child. The men I know are from the 20s to the 60s. While each man is unique, some common effects include, but are not limited to: fear of anyone being physically close to them (within 2 or 3 feet); alcholism and other addictions; doing poorly in school; getting into fights; isolating themselves from others (even though they may be fooling you on this – you think you know them, turns out you don’t); habitual lying (it’s what they had to do as a child to survive); nightmares; excruciating body memories; conflict about their preoccupation with other men, even though they are attracted to women; little self-confidence; hopelessness; multiple personalities; over zealousness in their hobbies or work in an effort to keep themselves so busy they don’t have time to think; self-doubts about their culpability and whether they themselves are to blame for being abused; shame so great, so pervasive, they often don’t tell anyone until they are in their 40s or 50s; inability to maintain normal relationships with the opposite sex even if they desire to do so.
Some of these men report struggling every day of their lives. Many are very successful, but that is due purely to their determination to make the best of what’s been handed to them.
How much money Joe Paterno gave for a library won’t fix one hour of their suffering. But Joe Paterno did do one great thing, even if inadvertently: He showed what will happen if you discover abuse but ignore it, so the next person will have an incentive to report it without delay.
It’ll be so great for a suffering boy if his abuse is discovered, and the person doing the discovering reports it and rescues him. He’ll have a better chance to lead a happier life.
For those interested, MaleSurvivor.Org is a good place for support.
There is an old saying, usually from a military context. One “Ah Sh*t! wipes out any number of attaboys.” Rightly or not, this one act, or more accurately inaction, will always be associate with his name. Even more so since much of his legacy, we are told endlessly, is about doing preparing young men to do the right thing.
You’d feel differently perhaps if it was you in the shower. Let it be known forever that a boy-rape factory was birthed & operated under the man’s eyes & with his consent. And he turned them away so that he could continue to win games.
Why did he even allow young boys in a college locker room? Alone and unsupervised?
There’s the question that makes you wonder if Paterno was part of the rape factory. How could he have worked with a known pedophile and said nothing? How?
As a kid, I remember hanging around various locker rooms in the hockey scene, and even being in with men for some reason or another. Can’t remember the details, but my dad coached various teams and also was a referee.
Anyhoo, I suffered no molestation, but did here some adult language and stories. I also had some decent male mentors who treated me well. I don’t think every guy in sports is some kind of molester. Most of them are decent men who, if they care about kids at all, like them in a fatherly, friendship, or older brother sense.
Sandusky was a monster, and Paterno tolerated it for a long time.
The least you do to the little ones, you do unto me. That’s the Christian standard. Paterno failed. He groomed men to be football players and not men of honor because when he had the opportunity to take a clear stand against a gross sin done to a child, Paterno did nothing. No mea maxima culpas, no amount of money donated, no amount of championships, will ever erase the reality that Joe Paterno was told that Joe Sandusky had sex with a child and Joe Paterno did nothing to report the rape, to fire Sandusky, to help the child. How Paterno could’ve looked himself in the mirror afterwards is beyond me. I pray, for the sake of his should that he repented and made peace with God over his consent to the rape of a child. Yes, consent.
I don’t care if the legacy dies. Real men protect children – always.
I disagree 100 percent with the sentiment of this post. I have seen firsthand what can be excused by the hero worship of winning sports coaches (and band directors, for that matter).It seems that in the minds of some that egregious and sometimes criminal behavior can be excused or ignored as long as the team or organization is a winning one. I’m sure that if Joe Paterno’s record of wins versus losses had been mediocre that all in his circle of admirers would be standing foursquare behind him. Not really. That was sarcasm.
Here’s the bottom line: Joe Paterno did little or nothing to stop a voracious sexual predator in his midst. His legacy should reflect that fact and should reflect it above all others. In my view the proper response to a sexual predator such as this would involve a group of strong men, an open field, and some baseball bats. That’s if I didn’t know the victims of this horrible crime. Had someone anally raped my own son or the son(s) of someone I know — the outcome wouldn’t be nearly as rosy for the perpetrator.
This kind of slobbering hero worship to the point of excusing Joe Paterno’s inaction in the face of child rape is sickening. He countenanced the most horrible of crimes in his midst in order to keep his little fiefdom from collapsing. For this he deserves nothing but contempt.
I have little to add save the concept of the Grand Jury. This avenue is very handy in bringing light onto hidden crimes & high level cover ups.
It was the Grand Jury system in California that blew apart the doping in American sports.more than the bellicose posturing in the House.
May this one blow apart some influential sacred cows (looking at you Penn politicians ) .
Yup, bring the monsters at Penn State down!
I fail to understand how people can say things like “This shouldn’t tarnish his reputation” or “Well, it wasn’t HIM who was molesting the kids”.
I mean, really? FFS people, when told that one of his most important employees had been caught in flagrante delicto with a PRETEEN BOY, he chose to protect the school instead of protect the kid.
I don’t give a DAMN what the hell the law on the books said (and for the record, the “he followed the letter of the law” argument only works if he KNEW THE LETTER OF THE LAW, and if he did, THAT should worry us, because NO ONE knew, and EVERYONE assumed he should have called the cops). He had an absolute moral duty to contact the police.
Period.
Anyone who was told “a member of Paterno’s staff was boning a 10-year old” and didn’t call the cops should be hauled out of their beds, dragged into the street, and BEATEN.
What would people have forgiven him had he never lost a game? “Oh sure he eats the flesh off of living two-year olds while he sodomizes them, but MAN is he ever an amazing coach…”
May this be Louis’ LAST post.
Apologetic posts trying to protect the reputation of a man who protected a boy-f*cker were not something I ever thought I would see here.
It’s amazing that Wm consented to this gross abuse of his blog. Look, Penn Staters, I know you all went to to the uni, but it is better to stand up and cry out your shame than to voice support for a monster who consented to the rape of a child.
What is wrong with you? If you have a different opinion, fine, but to make a comment like this is ridiculous. The last time I checked, this is a free country and we can have our own opinions. You should be ashamed of yourself. If you don’t ever return to this blog, it certainly will not be anyone’s loss.
Whats wrong with him is like alot of folks- we have a moral outrage over the cover or excuses people are making.
Using the refuge “this isa free country and we have a right to our opinions” usually means you can stand on the facts alone.
Faux outrage. When you have your own son, tell me what you think then.
Well considering I have him, I’m telling you. The fact you think its faux outrage speaks volumes about you, and nothing good.
I can’t believe I actually have to point this out, but it is a free country and he also has the right to express his opinion.
Well, than his “legacy” is a complete failure. Because one of his “boys”, a 27 year old man,
ran away with shit streaming down his legs because
he couldn’t find the balls to knock that scurvy bastid off of that innocent boy.
paterno will rot in hell for placing football and his frakking “legacy” above common decency and morals.
The coarse language I don’t condone, but the point is well-taken. The assistant coach that allegedly walked in on the actual abuse said that he made eye contact with both the child and Sandusky, and that when he left, the two of them were separated.
He pointedly did not take the child FROM Sandusky to a safe place. Also, as has been said repeatedly, no one knows the identity of this child. So I’m not sure what kind of leadership Paterno instilled, if this was the best McCurley could do.
As BannedbytheGuardian wrote, possibly McCurley was a victim and thus a liar and this didn’t happen at all, or McCurley was unable to act appropriately due to that.
But there are things we do know for sure: one, that McCurley met with Paterno and at the least, told Paterno that Sandusky was doing something inappropriate with a child in the locker room; second, we know that Paterno continued to see Sandusky around campus. Paterno at the least knew that Sandusky was never prosecuted for molestation. Why wasn’t he at least curious why nothing had happened to Sandusky? It was enough for McCurley to request a special meeting, and in a small town like Happy Valley, I’m sure Paterno with his role in the community would have heard about any prosecution or investigation. Sandusky continued to roam around, and no investigation or prosecution occurred, but this didn’t wave a red flag to Paterno?
I don’t think Paterno “consented.” I just think he didn’t think it through, he was so engrossed in his own priorities.
As for his legacy, who cares? The fact is, the man had a great 85 years. He had a happy life. The life he lived minute to minute was the life he wanted. What more can any of us ask for? We don’t know how many boys he might have saved if he had a little curiosity about why Sandusky was still roaming around campus and no investigation or prosecution was taking place.
I hope McCurley isn’t indicative of all this “leadership” folks talk about that Paterno instilled in his players. If so, they’re incapable of good citizenship. They’re frightened sheep. Pretty shocking, and a good point.
The boy in the shower: he’s probably an emotional mess. Wants to come forward, afraid to come forward, wishes it would all go away so he could quit thinking about it. What a mess.
The legal standard is silence signifies consent.
I refused to follow the goings on in the Penn State scandal, as my sensitvities are such that I cannot stomach the subject matter. When discussing JoePa’s death today with my 80 y/o father today, he was visibly sad. I think he mourned not only the loss of JoePa the man, but the man he once so revered that died during the scandal.
Welcome to LI Louis.
Self-righteous public indignation and condemnation seems to be vogue these days among the prefecture. Why Paterno has become the focus of his case is curious to me considering there is plenty of blame to go around. Time will tell if Sandusky will be his legacy, but I seriously doubt it. RIP Joe.
Write about Sandusky and I will rip him to shreds but that does not absolve Joe Paterno from doing the right thing which was making sure he knew what the truth was and following through.
Reading some of the comments makes me say WOW, so glad to know so many people were there when the grad assistant spoke to Coach Paterno and know exactly what was said.
So glad to know so many people have been in Coach Paterno’s and know exactly how they would react and do. Sadly I have been and was given second hand information of abuse.
I have always loved it when people who have not been in a situation are so quick to condemn others. Coach Paterno depended on others doing their job and was let down as well. The whole set up at Penn State let the children down.
I am not saying Coach Paterno was blameless, but I also realize that I was not there therefore I don’t know what was said to him. I was not there and do not know what he knew or didn’t know. Hindsight is 20/20 and Coach said knowing what he knows now he would have done things differently.
So glad there are so many out there that do not need the benefit of hindsight and seem to have been there and know exactly what was said to Coach Paterno and what he reported and was told.
I agree. Totally. I cannot judge whether the Coach did right or wrong, and more importantly, I cannot tell WHY he did whatever it was he did.
It only takes one Murder to paint a guilty man for life. Same with Rape. For obvious reasons, our society has decided that anybody who HELPS the guilty man is ALSO guilty. Even if that help is from a lack of action when it should have been made.
We do not know yet all of what was done or not, or why. Things are being painted as bad as they can be, and nobody can really know enough to make a decision about guilt or innocence.
If the Coach knew enough to start protecting the school or the kids by banning the old molester from the site, he should have made DANM sure the police knew everything he knew… and not just the Campus police. If he didn’t, he (and his legacy of ‘helping’ boys become men) should rightfully be publicly shamed.
If it is found that he DID do everything he should have, a lot of people on this thread and around the country owe the Coach and his family an apology. I just hope they are willing to send it in writing as publicly as their accusations.
To Louis Lombardi: For a first post you sure dove right into it. As much as I disrespect those who jump to an accusation of guilt, I tell you that it is unseemly to say that a lifetime of good works might absolve the Coach of a heinous lack of action… and until the facts are found, you shouldn’t ask me to believe that; they can’t judge him guilty, and you can’t ask us to judge him innocent. Not yet. Not when the stakes are so high.
~Respectfully, MrMichael
BS! Weak! Lame!
I have two comments, my opinion of Paterno aside:
1: Paterno’s family requested that their privacy be respected. If there was not a public address announcement it may have been because his family requested that private issues regarding his last moments remain private, and not because of any conspiracy to wipe Paterno’s existence off of the Penn State map.
2. Reading this post gave me the same feeling I get when I read a high school student’s essay on your average political science or history topic. Are we really going to be seeing more of this quality on the Legal Insurrection site? I know that retirees have time on their hands but that doesn’t mean they deserve a prominent forum such as this on which to ramble.
Good Lord, man! You are the father of three daughters and a retired police officer and this is the conclusion that you draw? If – if – the allegations of Paterno’s action or inaction are true would you be so forgiving if the child in question was your own?
Get your priorities straight! Legacy be damned. Its a friggin’ game. What occurred in that shower was pure, unadulterated evil – something that can never be undone.
Paterno will never face judgment for his deeds on Earth, yet the judgment that he faces now will be eternal. I just hope for his sake that the accusations are false and that he can rest in peace.
Joe paterno did what he was legally obligated to do, including informing the campus police. He erred in trusting other people to do their jobs.
Coach paterno has produced more leaders than any of you will know. He has impacted lives positively for over forty years. He constantly gave back to the community. He was a loving family man, a good catholic that knew how to bring out the best in people.
It saddens me people are so eager to throw him under the bus so quickly with a very loose grasp on the facts of the case. While it is outrageous and horrific what Sandusky is alleged to have done, to say that Paterno was complacent in child rape to protect the university is just ignorant on so many levels.
Joe Paterno was a good football coach. More importantly he was a great man. I will miss someone who holds his players to a higher standard.
Joe Paternos legacy will live on. Success with honor
Jd
PSU class of 2003
His honor rooted in dishonor stood because he cared to protect the children of no family but his own.
Yes, the child abuse scandal wipes out sixty plus years of good will. At least for those of us who do not know any man or woman who would have remained silent when they saw nothing being done. Yes, he was told about it and, that we know, never saw anything. However, from the point in time that he was told of suspicions, he was responsible to take action to see that young boys left to themselves was putting them at danger for any molester. If someone walked in on a molestation, then the molester was getting careless and watching and waiting would have made it possible for Coach to walk in on something himself. As I said, I don’t know a man or woman who would have let an allegation rest and who would not have done something once it came to their attention that young boys were being put into vulnerable situations that were prime for a molester to take advantage of the set-up. You don’t spend almost all your adult life in and around men’s locker rooms to not be aware of this.
So, absolutely, sixty years down the drain because of allegations of sexual abuse.
Suppose I could have summed up my thought a bit simpler: Why are preteen boys hanging around a college campus? Their presence alone is a warning sign.
May I answer that without hogging the thread?
The Adoption /foster agency that Sandusky was involved in paid $250 thou per year to host ‘sleepovers at Penn State grounds. Or something weird.
My knowledge of NCAA is minimal but in 2002 I was a sports coach i& schooled by the said state in my legal obligations if notified or witness to child abuse.
If this all as the Grand Jury report reports then the politicians of Pennsylvania have failed their children & citizens. To have that minimal action as the legal obligation is negligent.
I am leaving room for the locker room rape accusation to be false/exaggerated . Unfortunately then I would suspect that the assistant coach himself was a former victim – in that he could not react normally . Refer to Karen’s post.
“The Adoption /foster agency that Sandusky was involved in paid $250 thou per year to host ‘sleepovers at Penn State grounds. Or something weird.” Sounds like the foster boys were pimped.
That one may be just a bit unfair. Lots of colleges host programs for the underprivledged that deal in their sport of choice (in Penn state’s case Football.)
As I watch this whole debacle unfold, I have only a few thoughts. I’ll freely admit that my knowledge of the entire situation is really only what I see reported on the news, and my knowledge of Penn State is pretty much limited to the “This American Life” episode on their being named #1 drinking college, so take it as you will.
Penn State worshiped Football like a god, in that way typically reserved for small town highschools (and Nebraska, I suppose.) In any case, Joe Paterno was the Saint (or more accurately prophet) to this religion of Football. As such, they worshipped him as well. A funny thing happens when a person becomes an idol, their flaws disappear, they are percieved to be perfect. But they never are actually perfect.
When your idol is shattered its a pretty chatotic time, it upends everything you thought you knew, throwing you into the proverbial river sans canoe.
However, Penn state faithful who try to bring their internal struggle into the larger sphere are going to be met with hostility. After all, I didn’t have any high view of Paterno, heck Penn State was hardly a blip on my radar. What Penn State fans are seeing as a tragic happenings to a great man, I (and probably many others) see something on a rough continuum of a stupid decision (possibly by an idiot) to a coverup by a highly flawed individual. Them’s the breaks.
In any case, right now I’m content to wait for the wheels of history to see what finally plays out. My experience is that those in the now have trouble actually determining the causes/consquences/effects/judgement/etc. about events. A 10 year window will provide some perspective. (This is not to say in any way don’t start chaging rules, add protections, prosecute, etc. This is merely talking about “looking back” and “Legacies”). I do however find a political blog a strange place for this early looking back though. IMHO, this is Penn State’s problem to work through, and the rest of the nation’s to learn from, but not much more.
I encourage LI commenters to visit Louis’ blog and read his letter asking to be nominated to the PSU Board of Trustees:
In order to correct a situation, one needs the proper personnel in place to do it. Currently, PSU does not have the right people in place and that must change. A growing scandal that was known about was ignored until the only response was to throw all under the bus to satisfy the barking wolves. A predator was allowed to roam our beloved campus with nary a concern from those in charge. Change is in order….I love my University but I am not beholden to those in power. I will not wilt in the face of a crisis. I will restore “Success with Honor.”
Well done and good luck to you, Louis.
Oh FGS it is only a university. It is not The Wailing Wall or Mecca amongst the cows.
Plus it is out of our hands Louis.
How can Louis offer to correct the situation when he cannot see that doing nothing to stop it was wrong? How can he praise Paterno and then say he will not do what Paterno did?
I.m sorry, I cannot and will not welcome Louis as a poster to LI. My grandmother used to say the upholder is as bad as the thief. Paterno upheld Sandusky and Louis upholds Paterno. Who will I then next be asked to welcome, NAMBLA?
You sure as heck lit a fire, Wm.
Has LI been hacked with this post? It is so, well, so un-William. Or is it?
It is weird. One day Prof, you are wondering aloud whether to bring more writers on (or maybe I am confused with another blog) and when you answer yourself in the affirmative, this is the best you can come up with? I wouldn’t be surprised if registrants to LI are asking, “How do I unregister; don’t want anything to do with making excuses for the “rape factory” charade and give ear to those in denial, propagating hero status to the Coach. It is too obvious there is no way an “insider” to the locker room did not know it was inappropriate and dangerous for young boys to be there. Hell, it was ‘rent-a’boy’ through the foster care program, it seems.
try again…
Louis’ letter asking to be nominated to the PSU Board of Trustees:
http://obpopulus.wordpress.com/
This writer is not ready for a public voice, least of all at the important LI blog. He thinks outrage was ‘throwing them under the bus’? How about throwing them in prison?
Hanging around here, and I have been reading Professor since he started, is no different than Paterno turning away. Good Bye, discussion mates. Don’t know what kind of game you are playing with this one William, but I think it has backfired. I am embarrassed I referred so many people to the site.
Before you go, please direct us to YOUR blog, so that we can read more of your important musings!
You may or may not agree with Louis ( and I don’t agree with his post), but at least he had the courage to put it out there. It’s easy to rip apart someone else from the comfort and anonymity of your computer screen. It’s much harder to put your (unpopular) opinion out there and actually have the guts to put your name on it. So come on, Canusee, let us see your blog!!
I am directing this to you personally Louis.
You are unbelievably egocentric. It is all about you.
These WAG teams often consist of girls who have themselves had to deal with stories of child sexual abuse . Because they have competed since age 7 across the country you can bet your boots they know of some cases personnally.
No Ncaa team wanted to go to Harrisburg & be thrown into the den of the scandal. I am certain each team received counselling prior.
Yet you want them to have suffered through some sort of announcement & prayer for Joe. They were Guests.
I think they would have been very angry. This is your problem -you deal with it.
I am disappointed you are on LI.
Indiana held an announcement and moment of silence at their (home) basketball game yesterday. I guess they decided to disregard the team of psychiatrists’ advice in their pre-game counseling.
P.S. Penn State’s main campus is not in Harrisburg.
Those who are so “disappointed” in LI and those the Prof has allowed comment space have the same option they have suggested to others who have objected to content – go elsewhere and find another blog.
So it seems that some would have Wm dishonor his values and his blog by giving space to those who support football-loving pedophiles. Some don’t know if what Paterno did was right or wrong. Some blame the media. Some talk about legalities. Some blather on.
Paterno did an excellent job at Penn State, all right. He brought forth a generation without a moral compass and capable of defending the indefensible with the silliest weak tea excuses. What will you all say next? You didn’t know what was really happening at Auschwitz and, besides, the trains ran on time?
For shame! The sickness infecting Penn State is alive and well.
Meantime, we have the silence of the Wm. Don’t leave Canusee. Wm has done what most good professors do, sit back and let the discussion flow without his interjections … unless he’s off somewhere.
Will your next contribution be a puff piece commerating the legendary genius of Michael Jackson!
DocWahala – will be bypassing any other posts by same.
Yes. And then some.
You know, some people value children not having their asses buggered by adults involved in charities they’re being ‘helped’ by, or by sports mentors, or what have you MORE than good coaching and an admirable win-loss record plus some virtuous speeches.