I have to admit, for me, it’s like a bad car accident.  I can’t help but to look.  In this case, the more information that comes out about what happened at Penn State since 1998, the more I want to know.  But I think a better analogy than a car accident would be an earthquake.  Except in this case what is happening now some may view as the aftershocks.  My opinion is this is only the tremors before the BIG ONE hits.

I believe that there is still a cover up happening now.  I think there will be more allegations in the near future, and they will be even more disturbing.  I also think that the almighty Joe knew exactly what happened.

SEE NO EVIL

What I don’t get is the Joe Paterno defenders.  I hear comments like, “What about all the good he did” and “He ran a clean program for all those years” and “He is a good man with integrity”.  As far as all the good he may have done in his career … I now have to compare it to someone who lived a pure life, except for the murder they committed.  That may seem a little strong, but from what I have heard, murderers in jail have it easier than pedophiles.  As far as running a clean program… I don’t think so.  There is nothing clean about the last 13 years.  HE KNEW WHAT WENT ON.  As far as he is a good man with integrity… well, look up the definition of integrity.

I’d like to jump ahead to what happened in 2002 (allegedly), but I think it’s important to start with the incident in 1998.  Without going into too many details, which some may not be factual (yet)… Sandusky was showering alongside and inappropriately touching Victim 6.  First I have to wonder about the 5 previous victims.  More importantly, an investigation occurred and Sandusky was advised not to shower with boys any more and evidently he said that he wouldn’t.  Seriously? – that’s it?  Whoever was in charge of that horrific investigation should be thrown in jail alongside Sandusky.

However what’s more important, and no one can convince me otherwise – although they may try… is that Joe Pa was not aware of this investigation.. First of all he had worked alongside Sandusky for 30 years.  There is no way his right hand man gets busted and he is left out of the loop.  Paterno was the big man on campus.  Penn State is what it is because of the football program he built.  He had more pull on that campus and probably in the entire state of Pennsylvania than anyone else.  He not only knew everyone around campus, but he likely knew each police officer by first name.

The most damming of “my” evidence is the sudden retirement of Sandusky.  He gets busted in 1998 and then quietly retires in 1999.  From all accounts, Penn State’s defense was what it was for all of those years because of Sandusky being a good coach.  He is still a young guy who could go coach somewhere else if he wanted to… but instead he goes quietly off into never-neverland.  Paterno doesn’t try to convince him to stay.  Granted he may have… But more likely… Paterno knew of Sandusky’s actions and did not want him tied to the program.

The problem is, they still grant Sandusky access to Penn State’s facilities and don’t take away his keys.  The bigger problem is, knowing his history, they continue to allow him to run a charity involving young boys…  and never alert the authorities.  To me, it almost seems like a Mob family.  Paterno is the Boss and Sandusky is one of his soldiers.  The cops are all on the take and no one goes against the family.  Sandusky is no longer an earner for the family, but due to his years of service, he is still allowed around family functions.  Another angle that has not gotten a lot of play “yet” is the district attorney that investigated Sandusky and went missing in 2005.  Earlier this year he was declared dead.  His body never found.  Perhaps it’s buried in the endzone of a football stadium somewhere.

The Family

The Family

Now in 2002 a grad student, a 28 year old grad student, hears and then sees sounds coming from a shower.  In his sworn testimony he states that he witnesses Sandusky sodomizing a young boy in the shower.  Evidently Sandusky knows he has been seen.  But what does the grad student do… he runs in and saves the boy right?  NOPE… he runs away and calls his Daddy.  I understand that you may be in shock by what you just saw.  I would hope in that moment that I would be able to do what I feel is the right thing.  You have to try and save the kid.  His Dad tells him to get out of there and at this point no one knows if Sandusky’s actions continued with that boy at that time.

So the next day McQueary (the grad student) and his Dad go and tell Papa Joe Paterno what happened.  According to what has been reported… Joe just runs it up the food chain and reports it to his athletic director.  And he has done what is required by PA law.  But yet, he is a man of the highest integrity… and when nothing is done, days, weeks, months later – does he turn Sandusky over to the proper authorities?  McQueary, who may very well be a deserving coach, up until last week was an integral part of the coaching staff.  Was his move up the coaching ladder sped up by him keeping quiet?  … you know, keeping the family business… in the family.

It seems that Penn State has been trying to get in front of this disaster since the beginning of the week.  As soon as they cancelled Paterno’s normally scheduled weekly press conference on Tuesday – you had to know things were spinning out of control faster than anyone could have imagined.  When the crawl first came across the screen of a scandal at Penn State involving Sandusky on Saturday – no one could have imagined the fallout this quickly for Paterno.  The following day when Paterno announced that he would be resigning at the end of the season – I felt there was no way he could be on the sidelines coaching the team this week.  I actually think the majority of people outside of State College felt that way.  I think the people in and around Penn State are in a bubble and don’t realize that peoples lives are forever changed… and Joe Paterno could have stopped it years ago.

So Penn State fires Paterno later that night.  But in my opinion not removing McQueary at the same time is once again putting Penn State in a position that they are not acting quick enough.  Sure, legally the guy did what he was supposed to do.  But since 2002, Sandusky has continued to have access to the locker rooms, football functions and has traveled to bowl games… with kids.  Can you tell me McQueary has never come face to face with him?  Has he not had any knowledge that Sandusky was still spending time around young boys?  Maybe by law he did the right thing 9 years ago… but how can the guy sleep at night?  How can Paterno?

Penn State fired Paterno because they had to.  The court of public opinion was weighing in fast and furious.  And perhaps they know that there are more fires to put out in the not so distant future.  Surely more kids will come forward.  Surely more names of people who knew of the allegations and did nothing will come out.  Surely Penn State will be paying out millions of dollars for years to come.

The man who built up Penn State for the last 46 years, assisted in taking it down.  When they say “We Are Penn State”, what it has meant is Joe Paterno is Penn State.

When I was a kid growing up, I was always taught to think about the consequences of my actions.  Paterno along with all of the others will have to live and die with the consequences of NOT taking action.

As a Dad I think about what if that was my kid.  So before you go defending Paterno… think about if it was your kid, and Joe knew about it and did nothing.  That is the unfortunate fact for all too many innocent victims and their families.  I know what I would do.  What would you?