Should Joe Paterno retire or step down after Jerry Sandusky alleged molestation???

[The Robert Griffin Experience]

No it's not one report. Jerry was investigated in 1998, which allegedly led to his retirement in 1999. Joepa knew everything that was going on campus. This incident happened in HIS lockerroom.

Okay, I get the picture now, I haven't really followed the story other than bits and pieces I've heard from the media. I assumed that the AD and the other guy were the ones who did the actual coverup, and Paterno just didn't follow up on it.

Yeah, this is most likely a coverup, in the sense that he passed the buck and hoped someone else would take the fall for it.

[sportjunkie07]

is it really much of a suprise that Joe Paterno did not give a press conference today? maybe he realized that this is more important than football and also that he is putting himself in danger legally by speaking about the issue in public.

dude needs to be fired immediately. i dont know what the standards for accessory to child rape are, but it needs to be investigated at the least (and not just for him).

its so sad because i used to look up to him.. its a stark reminder that even people who seem to live honorable, great lives can still lose it all with poor decisions.

I sort of give Paterno a pass, because keep in mind, at the time all he had to go on was the word of a grad assistant, and if someone told me one of my closest colleagues and friends was ****ing a 10 year old boy on his desk, I would have told that person to his face he was on crack. And if the "proper authorties" "investigate" the issue and supposedly "find nothing", then I would have been even more secure in my conviction that the guy who reported it was, indeed, on a lot of crack.

right, but would you then promote the guy (Mcqueary) that was on crack and claiming that he saw Sandusky rape a child in the showers? not unless youre either stupid or covering up a scandal.

not to mention there were child abuse allegations surrounding Sandusky beforehand.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

is it really much of a suprise that Joe Paterno did not give a press conference today? maybe he realized that this is more important than football and also that he is putting himself in danger legally by speaking about the issue in public.

According to Joe's idiot son Scott (who has suddenly become the Paterno family spokesman), Joe wanted to have the presser and he wanted to talk about the case. Spanier shut him down.

This is going to get crazy. I fully expect Joe to get fired and then call an impromptu press conference on his lawn. (It helps that everyone knows where he lives).

[TD_washingtonredskins]

According to Joe's idiot son Scott (who has suddenly become the Paterno family spokesman)' date=' Joe wanted to have the presser and he wanted to talk about the case. Spanier shut him down.

This is going to get crazy. I fully expect Joe to get fired and then call an impromptu press conference on his lawn. (It helps that everyone knows where he lives).[/quote']

Will he or won't he do situps while his agent continually states "next question" to the reporters?

[heyholetsgogrant]

ESPN is reporting a 9th victim.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

By the way, my high school football coach worshipped Sandusky, and they were reasonably close. I called him (my old coach, not Sandusky last night). He is one of those old school guys who is loyal to an extreme fault. He said, "I don't think Jerry is getting out of this." Apparently Sandusky started cutting off a lot of people in his life two or three years ago too. It seems he knew that this was coming.

Once again, I have less than degrees of separation to everything that happens on the planet.

---------- Post added November-8th-2011 at 02:06 PM ----------

Will he or won't he do situps while his agent continually states "next question" to the reporters?

I imagine a lot of angry pointing with a cane.

[Spartacus87]

@Ben_Jones88 Scott Paterno, Joe's son, is working on setting up an off-campus press conference for Paterno to speak at.

[John Lydon]

I really do not get the outrage against Joe Pa. Sure, the guy could have called the cops or whatever, but wheres the outrage against McQueary(sp?)? He could be accused of the same thing. Why did he just go to Paterno and then drop it? Wheres the outrage against the 2 janitors who were afraid for their jobs? If your going to tar and feather on of them it's only fair to nail them all to the wall. Unless of course, American's just love watching celebs and those in power get torn asunder. But that can't be the case.

Paterno did exaclty what he was required to do. last time I checked, there is no law against not going above and beyond the call of Duty (unless you count the last episode of Seinfeld, which was just weird) But I digress. Why is Joe the man who was soley responsible for seeing this through at Penn State? Sounds to me like the man did what he was required to do and I can find no fault in that.

[Heisenberg]

I really do not get the outrage against Joe Pa. Sure, the guy could have called the cops or whatever, but wheres the outrage against McQueary(sp?)? .

Not this crap again (for the 48th time).

Have you read the GJ report? If not, it should answer some of your questions.

[Enter Apotheosis]

John, Paterno is drawing the most fire in discussions of the subject because he is the most visible figure at Penn State and because his role and level of guilt are somewhat controversial. That dosn't mean that he is the sole person getting blamed for everything. You will likely find few people willing to stick up for any of the guys who failed to ensure that this matter was escalated to the proper authorities.

[renaissance]

I really do not get the outrage against Joe Pa. Sure, the guy could have called the cops or whatever, but wheres the outrage against McQueary(sp?)? He could be accused of the same thing. Why did he just go to Paterno and then drop it? Wheres the outrage against the 2 janitors who were afraid for their jobs? If your going to tar and feather on of them it's only fair to nail them all to the wall. Unless of course, American's just love watching celebs and those in power get torn asunder. But that can't be the case.

Paterno did exaclty what he was required to do. last time I checked, there is no law against not going above and beyond the call of Duty (unless you count the last episode of Seinfeld, which was just weird) But I digress. Why is Joe the man who was soley responsible for seeing this through at Penn State? Sounds to me like the man did what he was required to do and I can find no fault in that.

Because he's the figurehead of Penn State football. Just because he isn't top dog in an org chart, doesn't mean he isn't the top dog at that program. And when the figurehead of your program does "just enough" to address kids being sexually abused, then that's a serious problem.

[Hunter44]

How about arrested and charged?

[Spartacus87]

@TheBigLead Jason McIntyre

Wow: Joe Paterno had a team meeting Monday, told the players HE DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT JERRY SANDUSKY, everything came as a surprise to him ... asst coach McQueary was "distraught" and told his players he might be gone before Saturday's game." That's what Kim Jones of Yes (in Happy Valley) just said on WFAN radio

[Heisenberg]

Why does Paterno think that he can tell the players something that is completely disproved by reading the grand jury report?

[Destino]

From what I've read Paterno had a GA tell him what he saw in the showers and he kicked it up the chain of command. I don't see a problem with that. The GA should have gone to the police (and stopped the assault). After that Paterno was told something about a coach not in his employ and turned it over to school authorities one of which oversees campus police (according to what I've read).

Are we really saying Paterno is an evil person because he didn't call the police personally with 2nd hand information? He told the people in charge at the school, one of which was connected to campus police. Why is everyone calling for him to step down, be arrested, etc and no Mike McQueary? Isn't he the one that walked away from a rape, waited until the next day to say anything, and never went to the police?

What am I missing?

[Westbrook36]

I just hope that Paterno dies relatively soon so we don't have people who overlook his involvement with the molestation and instead want to focus on his 60 years as coach.....we'd be subjected to an all-day ESPN special.

Sort of how when Michael Jackson died, most people just casually looked the other way on the indisputable fact that he molested children and instead made excuses for him and celebrated his life.

[John Lydon]

Because he's the figurehead of Penn State football. Just because he isn't top dog in an org chart, doesn't mean he isn't the top dog at that program. And when the figurehead of your program does "just enough" to address kids being sexually abused, then that's a serious problem.

Ok, let’s pretend for a minute that you're Joe. A member of you staff comes in and tells you that he just saw a co worker diddling kids in his office. Judging by your comment above, I'm going to guess that you would feel the correct action would be to call the cops. So you do just that. Only you have no proof, no firsthand info, and basically nothing to offer the authorities. IF, (and this is a big if, because I fully believe Sandusky did it) if Sandusky did nothing wrong, you just opened yourself and your beloved college up to lawsuits and you probably got yourself, and the GA fired, and drug a colleague and friend through the mud for no reason. On the other hand, you could have turned it over to the higher ups at your school and let them conduct a proper (at least you are under the impression it will be) investigation, eliminating your susceptibility to any negative ramifications.

I can see why Joe made the choice he did and I can also say that I probably would have made the same choice. Anyone who says they would have usurped the college chain of command is probably naive or lying. And for those of you who think he should have followed up on the investigation, well, that's just silly. No one is going to discuss a possible child molestation investigation with anyone who does not have a direct need to know. Joe could have asked about it until he was blue in the face (that's not a knock on his age) and he would have been stonewalled all day long. Again, I think Joe did nothing and this is simply a witch hunt to watch a celeb fall from grace and improve viewer ratings for a few news channels.

[Heisenberg]

Destino, I've yet to hear anyone say that Paterno is an "evil" person.

However, his judgment was terrible in this case and he will have to pay with his job and legacy for this one. He and the PSU administration decided that their "brand" was more important than doing the right thing.

[Westbrook36]

From what I've read Paterno had a GA tell him what he saw in the showers and he kicked it up the chain of command. I don't see a problem with that. The GA should have gone to the police (and stopped the assault). After that Paterno was told something about a coach not in his employ and turned it over to school authorities one of which oversees campus police (according to what I've read).

Are we really saying Paterno is an evil person because he didn't call the police personally with 2nd hand information? He told the people in charge at the school, one of which was connected to campus police. Why is everyone calling for him to step down, be arrested, etc and no Mike McQueary? Isn't he the one that walked away from a rape, waited until the next day to say anything, and never went to the police?

What am I missing?

You are missing a lot. A kid was raped in his lockerroom, he was notified, and just silently sat still while it was swept under the rug. He knew Sandusky was a child molester in 1998 and made a public announcement that he would not take over for him. He blocked his head coaching move to another university. He did everything he could other than the actions that would have jeopardized his legacy and saved countless other kids from being molested.

In the moment of decision, you only get one chance. He not only swung and missed....he never took the bat off his shoulder.

If that was his 10 year old grandson who got anally raped in his lockerroom, would he have just kicked it up to his "boss"?

[Spartacus87]

From what I've read Paterno had a GA tell him what he saw in the showers and he kicked it up the chain of command. I don't see a problem with that. The GA should have gone to the police (and stopped the assault). After that Paterno was told something about a coach not in his employ and turned it over to school authorities one of which oversees campus police (according to what I've read).

Are we really saying Paterno is an evil person because he didn't call the police personally with 2nd hand information? He told the people in charge at the school, one of which was connected to campus police. Why is everyone calling for him to step down, be arrested, etc and no Mike McQueary? Isn't he the one that walked away from a rape, waited until the next day to say anything, and never went to the police?

What am I missing?

1) I think a lot of people have expressed outrage/disappointment/anger/etc. towards McQueary. Paterno is just receiving a lot more of the attention because, well, he's Joe Paterno, and the head of the program. I can't imagine anyone looking past McQueary, especially since he was elevated to being a coach and recruiting coordinator on the team after the incident (which also reflects very poorly on Joe).

2) The McQueary incident wasn't the first time something like this had come up against Sandusky. And yet Paterno didn't raise any further alarms, or even questions, while Sandusky still brought young boys to Penn State practices, bowl games, football camps, etc., for years after the shower incident.

[Westbrook36]

Destino, I've yet to hear anyone say that Paterno is an "evil" person.

However, his judgment was terrible in this case and he will have to pay with his job and legacy for this one. He and the PSU administration decided that their "brand" was more important than doing the right thing.

I will say it. Paterno is an evil narcissistic ******* who was concerned with his only legacy over saving kids from being molested. It is pretty cut, dry, and damning.

---------- Post added November-8th-2011 at 06:49 PM ----------

Ok, let’s pretend for a minute that you're Joe. A member of you staff comes in and tells you that he just saw a co worker diddling kids in his office. Judging by your comment above, I'm going to guess that you would feel the correct action would be to call the cops. So you do just that. Only you have no proof, no firsthand info, and basically nothing to offer the authorities. IF, (and this is a big if, because I fully believe Sandusky did it) if Sandusky did nothing wrong, you just opened yourself and your beloved college up to lawsuits and you probably got yourself, and the GA fired, and drug a colleague and friend through the mud for no reason. On the other hand, you could have turned it over to the higher ups at your school and let them conduct a proper (at least you are under the impression it will be) investigation, eliminating your susceptibility to any negative ramifications.

I can see why Joe made the choice he did and I can also say that I probably would have made the same choice. Anyone who says they would have usurped the college chain of command is probably naive or lying. And for those of you who think he should have followed up on the investigation, well, that's just silly. No one is going to discuss a possible child molestation investigation with anyone who does not have a direct need to know. Joe could have asked about it until he was blue in the face (that's not a knock on his age) and he would have been stonewalled all day long. Again, I think Joe did nothing and this is simply a witch hunt to watch a celeb fall from grace and improve viewer ratings for a few news channels.

The man who laughed when the university president told him it was time for him to stop coaching would have been stonewalled? Reporting a crime would have opened the college up for a lawsuit? Man, I hope you are never on a jury in any compacity.

[Btubes18]

From what I've read Paterno had a GA tell him what he saw in the showers and he kicked it up the chain of command. I don't see a problem with that. The GA should have gone to the police (and stopped the assault). After that Paterno was told something about a coach not in his employ and turned it over to school authorities one of which oversees campus police (according to what I've read).

Are we really saying Paterno is an evil person because he didn't call the police personally with 2nd hand information? He told the people in charge at the school, one of which was connected to campus police. Why is everyone calling for him to step down, be arrested, etc and no Mike McQueary? Isn't he the one that walked away from a rape, waited until the next day to say anything, and never went to the police?

What am I missing?

He turned a blind eye to a friend of his. There is no WAY JoPa did not know about the investigation on Jerry in 1998. And then in 2002 he allowed Jerry to get away with this crap. In My opinion he allowed a pedophile to remain on his campus and most likely continue his unbelievable actions. You don't think he is liable at all, and you are ok with him just doing the bare min?...yeah, most humans are not OK with this and Penn State should not portray the image that they allow this type of behavior.

Read the Grand Jury indictment, that should change your opinion.

---------- Post added November-8th-2011 at 01:53 PM ----------

Ok, let’s pretend for a minute that you're Joe. A member of you staff comes in and tells you that he just saw a co worker diddling kids in his office. Judging by your comment above, I'm going to guess that you would feel the correct action would be to call the cops. So you do just that. Only you have no proof, no firsthand info, and basically nothing to offer the authorities. IF, (and this is a big if, because I fully believe Sandusky did it) if Sandusky did nothing wrong, you just opened yourself and your beloved college up to lawsuits and you probably got yourself, and the GA fired, and drug a colleague and friend through the mud for no reason. On the other hand, you could have turned it over to the higher ups at your school and let them conduct a proper (at least you are under the impression it will be) investigation, eliminating your susceptibility to any negative ramifications.

I can see why Joe made the choice he did and I can also say that I probably would have made the same choice. Anyone who says they would have usurped the college chain of command is probably naive or lying. And for those of you who think he should have followed up on the investigation, well, that's just silly. No one is going to discuss a possible child molestation investigation with anyone who does not have a direct need to know. Joe could have asked about it until he was blue in the face (that's not a knock on his age) and he would have been stonewalled all day long. Again, I think Joe did nothing and this is simply a witch hunt to watch a celeb fall from grace and improve viewer ratings for a few news channels.

What would you do, if you saw something like this in YOUR work place?

[elkabong82]

I really do not get the outrage against Joe Pa. Sure, the guy could have called the cops or whatever, but wheres the outrage against McQueary(sp?)? He could be accused of the same thing. Why did he just go to Paterno and then drop it? Wheres the outrage against the 2 janitors who were afraid for their jobs? If your going to tar and feather on of them it's only fair to nail them all to the wall. Unless of course, American's just love watching celebs and those in power get torn asunder. But that can't be the case.

Paterno did exaclty what he was required to do. last time I checked, there is no law against not going above and beyond the call of Duty (unless you count the last episode of Seinfeld, which was just weird) But I digress. Why is Joe the man who was soley responsible for seeing this through at Penn State? Sounds to me like the man did what he was required to do and I can find no fault in that.

Read thru the thread, people are pissed at McQueary as well. If it was your kid, would you be ok with Paterno hearing about it but then doing nothing about it further when no consequence occurred? I'm pissed at McQueary as well for walking away from it and never following up despite witnessing such a horrible act.

As the DAs said, Paterno and McQueary reported it up the chain of command to the head of campus police, satisfying their legal obligation, but washing their hands clean of it despite no consequence and no police action did not satisfy their moral obligation. If I saw or heard about what Sandusky did from someone I had no reason to doubt (the GA was working toward a position on the coaching staff), there's no way I let that go.

[KingGibbs]

I will say it. Paterno is an evil narcissistic ******* who was concerned with his only legacy over saving kids from being molested. It is pretty cut, dry, and damning.

This is probably the one and only time that I can put aside that you are an Eagles fan and say unequivocally that you are 100% correct.

But, as pissed as we are at Paterno we must keep in mind that Sandusky commited these heinous acts and should have his dick put in a meat grinder or at the very least put him in general population.

[Boss_Hogg]

He should step down. This whole scandal is sickening.