Joe Paterno
If you are a college football fan, you know the legend of Joe Paterno, known as JoePa by faithful fans. But fan or not you have most likely heard the name Joe Paterno. Paterno, the legendary coach at Penn State University. The coach with the short stature, a light voice and thick glasses but has coached at the top level for 46 years.
Unfortunately a huge storm hit the news lately about a former coach of his, Jerry Sandusky. Sandusky was arrested and has been charged with 40 criminal counts, accusing him of serial sex abuse of minors.
This all snowballed to end Paterno's career this week, when he announced he would retire at the end of the season. Sandusky's crime is heinous.
There is no excusing what he did.
Whenever something bad happens to someone we like, we say it is "unfortunate" or "they did not deserve this" for them. But when something happens to someone we dislike, we say they deserved it. Well, JoePa truly did not deserve this to tarnish his long career.
JoePa will be forced out because he did what he was supposed to do and relying on them to do what they are supposed to do.
Let's back up and follow the time line of events.
1969: Sandusky starts his coaching career at Penn State as a defensive line coach.
1977: Sandusky founds a foster home dedicated to helping troubled boys, which grows into a charity to help children with absent or dysfunctional families called The Second Mile.
1983: Pen State is selected as College Football's National Champion for the 1982 season by the Associated Press.
1987: The AP voters choose Penn State as the National Champion for the 1986 season.
1994: A boy in the report (Victim 7) meets Sandusky through The Second Mile program at the age of 10.
1994-1996: Another boy meets (Victim 6) Sandusky through The Second Mile when he is around the age of 7 or 8.
1996-1997: Yet another boy (Victim 4) meets Sandusky through The Second Mile at the age of 12 or 13 in his second year of participating in the program.
1996-1998: A boy (Victim 5) is taken to the locker room and showers at Penn State by Sandusky when he is 8-10 years old.
1998: January 1, the victim from 1994-1996 (victim 4), along with Sandusky's wife, as a member of Sandusky's family party for the 1998 Outback Bowl.
1998: Victim 6 is taken into the locker room and showers when he is 11 years old. When he is dropped off at home, his hair is still wet from showering with Sandusky. His mother reports the incident to the University police who investigate.
Detective Ronald Shreffler testifies that he and State College PD Detective Ralston, with the consent of the mother, eavesdrop on two conversations with the mother and Sandusky. Sandusky then proceeds to admit he has showered with other boys and the mother tries to make Sandusky promise to never shower with a boy again, but he does not.
At the end of the second conversation, after Sandusky is told he cannot see her son again, Schreffler testifies that Sandusky says, "I understand. I was wrong. I wish I could get forgiveness. I know I won't get it from you. I wish I were dead."
Jerry Lauro, an investigator with the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, testifies that he and Schreffler interviewed Sandusky and that he admits to showering naked with the mother's son and admits to hugging him in the shower and also admits that is was wrong. The case is then closed after then County DA Ray Gricar decides there will be no criminal charge.
1999: Sandusky retires from Penn State but continues to hold emeritus status.
December 28: Victim 4 is listed, along with Sandusky's wife, as a member of Sandsusky's family for the 1999 Alamo Bowl party.
Summer 2000: A boy (victim 3) meets Sandusky through The Second Mile when he is between 7th and 8th grade.
Fall 2000: A janitor named James Calhoun observes Sandusky in the showers at the Lasch Football Building with a young boy (victim 8), pinned up against the wall (the detail will be left out). He immediately tells the janitorial staff. Fellow employee Petrosky cleans the showers at Lasch and sees Sandusky and the victim who he describes as being between 11 and 13.
Calhoun tells other employees what he saw, including his immediate supervisor Jay Witherite. Witherite tells him whom he should report the incident to but he does not make a report. Victim 8's identity is not known according to the court.
2002: March 1, A Penn State GA enters the locker room at Lasch Football Building and sees a naked boy (victim 2) who he estimates is 10 years old and Sandusky in the showers. (detail left out). The GA tells his father immediately.
March 2, That morning the GA calls Paterno and goes to his home where he reports what he has seen.
March 3, Paterno calls Tim Curley, the Penn State AD, to his home and reports the version of what the GA had said.
Later in the month, the GA is called to a meeting with Curley and Senior VP for Finance and Business Gary Shultz. The GA reports what he saw and both men say they will look into it.
Approximately March 27, the GA hears from Curley and is told that Sandusky's locker room keys have been taken away and that the incident has been reported to The Second Mile. However the GA is never questioned by the University police and no other entity conducts an investigation until the GA testifies in the Grand Jury in December 2010.
2005-2006: A boy (victim 1) meets Sandusky through The Second Mile at age 11 or 12.
2007: During the spring track season, Sandusky begins spending time with victim 1 weekly and having him stay overnight at his residence in College Township, PA.
2008: Spring, Sandusky and victim 1 terminate contact when he is a freshman in a high school in Clinton County. After the boy's mother calls the school to report sexual assault, Sandusky is barred from the school district attended by victim 1 from that day forward and the matter is reported to the authorities as mandated by the law.
Early 2009 an investigation by the PA attorney General begins when Clinton Co. PA teen tells authorities that Sandusky had inappropriately touched him several times over a four year period.
September 2010 Sandusky retires from day-to-day involvement with The Second Mile, saying he wants to spend more time with his family and handle personal matters.
November 5, 2011: Sandusky is arrested and released on $100,000 bail after being arraigned on 40 criminal counts. Two days later on November 7, PA Attorney General Linda Kelly says Paterno is not the target of the investigation into how the school handled the accusations. But she refuses to say the same about University President Graham Spanier. Both Curley and Shultz have both stepped down from their positions and have surrendered on charges that they failed to alert police to complaints against Sandusky.
Child abuse is a very serious crime. But it is also a very serious accusation. Paterno immediately told the AD, his boss, about the information that was made known to him. He did not cover it up and he believed that his superiors would investigate and alert the authorities if it was substantiated.
(Just announced that Paterno was fired effective immediately and President of the University has also been fired.)
Sandusky was no longer part of the football program all the way back to 1999. The year before, the police eavesdropped on a call between a victim's mother and Sandusky where he admitted to wrongdoing with her child. The County DA decided there would be no criminal charge. He should have been banned from any affiliation with the school at that time.
Then in 2000, a janitor observed Sandusky with a child in the shower. He tells other employees but nothing is done. Then in 2002 the GA sees Sandusky and tells Paterno. Paterno tells the AD. The AD talks with the GA and the Senior VP as mentioned before and informed him that they were going to look into it. Paterno also heard this and continued to do his job leading a multi-million dollar football program on the reassurance that his boss, the Athletic Director, would investigate the accusation.
Coach Paterno could have done more, yes. Everyone could do more in their everyday life. Coach Paterno's fall is because it happened to be a former football coach and some incidents occurred in the football facility. It could have been stopped several years before but it wasn't.
One has to look at the situation objectively, no matter how hard it is. The Graduate Assistant went to Paterno with vague references of "touching" or "horsing around" by Sandusky and a youth. He did not know that the Graduate Assistant had witnessed a sodomy or rape. When he reported it to the AD that is what he reported.
When the AD and Senior VP talked with the Graduate Assistant, what did they get out of the conversation? Did they get that it was a rape or sodomy or the graduate assistant continue to mention the same things said to Paterno which made it sound like it was "horsing around."
Does he deserve to be fired? I do not believe so. An outstanding coach with more character than most college football coaches who reported what he knew and did what he was supposed to do but was left out to dry by his Athletic Director's failure to investigate and report findings.
Unfortunately a huge storm hit the news lately about a former coach of his, Jerry Sandusky. Sandusky was arrested and has been charged with 40 criminal counts, accusing him of serial sex abuse of minors.
This all snowballed to end Paterno's career this week, when he announced he would retire at the end of the season. Sandusky's crime is heinous.
There is no excusing what he did.
Whenever something bad happens to someone we like, we say it is "unfortunate" or "they did not deserve this" for them. But when something happens to someone we dislike, we say they deserved it. Well, JoePa truly did not deserve this to tarnish his long career.
JoePa will be forced out because he did what he was supposed to do and relying on them to do what they are supposed to do.
Let's back up and follow the time line of events.
1969: Sandusky starts his coaching career at Penn State as a defensive line coach.
1977: Sandusky founds a foster home dedicated to helping troubled boys, which grows into a charity to help children with absent or dysfunctional families called The Second Mile.
1983: Pen State is selected as College Football's National Champion for the 1982 season by the Associated Press.
1987: The AP voters choose Penn State as the National Champion for the 1986 season.
1994: A boy in the report (Victim 7) meets Sandusky through The Second Mile program at the age of 10.
1994-1996: Another boy meets (Victim 6) Sandusky through The Second Mile when he is around the age of 7 or 8.
1996-1997: Yet another boy (Victim 4) meets Sandusky through The Second Mile at the age of 12 or 13 in his second year of participating in the program.
1996-1998: A boy (Victim 5) is taken to the locker room and showers at Penn State by Sandusky when he is 8-10 years old.
1998: January 1, the victim from 1994-1996 (victim 4), along with Sandusky's wife, as a member of Sandusky's family party for the 1998 Outback Bowl.
1998: Victim 6 is taken into the locker room and showers when he is 11 years old. When he is dropped off at home, his hair is still wet from showering with Sandusky. His mother reports the incident to the University police who investigate.
Detective Ronald Shreffler testifies that he and State College PD Detective Ralston, with the consent of the mother, eavesdrop on two conversations with the mother and Sandusky. Sandusky then proceeds to admit he has showered with other boys and the mother tries to make Sandusky promise to never shower with a boy again, but he does not.
At the end of the second conversation, after Sandusky is told he cannot see her son again, Schreffler testifies that Sandusky says, "I understand. I was wrong. I wish I could get forgiveness. I know I won't get it from you. I wish I were dead."
Jerry Lauro, an investigator with the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, testifies that he and Schreffler interviewed Sandusky and that he admits to showering naked with the mother's son and admits to hugging him in the shower and also admits that is was wrong. The case is then closed after then County DA Ray Gricar decides there will be no criminal charge.
1999: Sandusky retires from Penn State but continues to hold emeritus status.
December 28: Victim 4 is listed, along with Sandusky's wife, as a member of Sandsusky's family for the 1999 Alamo Bowl party.
Summer 2000: A boy (victim 3) meets Sandusky through The Second Mile when he is between 7th and 8th grade.
Fall 2000: A janitor named James Calhoun observes Sandusky in the showers at the Lasch Football Building with a young boy (victim 8), pinned up against the wall (the detail will be left out). He immediately tells the janitorial staff. Fellow employee Petrosky cleans the showers at Lasch and sees Sandusky and the victim who he describes as being between 11 and 13.
Calhoun tells other employees what he saw, including his immediate supervisor Jay Witherite. Witherite tells him whom he should report the incident to but he does not make a report. Victim 8's identity is not known according to the court.
2002: March 1, A Penn State GA enters the locker room at Lasch Football Building and sees a naked boy (victim 2) who he estimates is 10 years old and Sandusky in the showers. (detail left out). The GA tells his father immediately.
March 2, That morning the GA calls Paterno and goes to his home where he reports what he has seen.
March 3, Paterno calls Tim Curley, the Penn State AD, to his home and reports the version of what the GA had said.
Later in the month, the GA is called to a meeting with Curley and Senior VP for Finance and Business Gary Shultz. The GA reports what he saw and both men say they will look into it.
Approximately March 27, the GA hears from Curley and is told that Sandusky's locker room keys have been taken away and that the incident has been reported to The Second Mile. However the GA is never questioned by the University police and no other entity conducts an investigation until the GA testifies in the Grand Jury in December 2010.
2005-2006: A boy (victim 1) meets Sandusky through The Second Mile at age 11 or 12.
2007: During the spring track season, Sandusky begins spending time with victim 1 weekly and having him stay overnight at his residence in College Township, PA.
2008: Spring, Sandusky and victim 1 terminate contact when he is a freshman in a high school in Clinton County. After the boy's mother calls the school to report sexual assault, Sandusky is barred from the school district attended by victim 1 from that day forward and the matter is reported to the authorities as mandated by the law.
Early 2009 an investigation by the PA attorney General begins when Clinton Co. PA teen tells authorities that Sandusky had inappropriately touched him several times over a four year period.
September 2010 Sandusky retires from day-to-day involvement with The Second Mile, saying he wants to spend more time with his family and handle personal matters.
November 5, 2011: Sandusky is arrested and released on $100,000 bail after being arraigned on 40 criminal counts. Two days later on November 7, PA Attorney General Linda Kelly says Paterno is not the target of the investigation into how the school handled the accusations. But she refuses to say the same about University President Graham Spanier. Both Curley and Shultz have both stepped down from their positions and have surrendered on charges that they failed to alert police to complaints against Sandusky.
Child abuse is a very serious crime. But it is also a very serious accusation. Paterno immediately told the AD, his boss, about the information that was made known to him. He did not cover it up and he believed that his superiors would investigate and alert the authorities if it was substantiated.
(Just announced that Paterno was fired effective immediately and President of the University has also been fired.)
Sandusky was no longer part of the football program all the way back to 1999. The year before, the police eavesdropped on a call between a victim's mother and Sandusky where he admitted to wrongdoing with her child. The County DA decided there would be no criminal charge. He should have been banned from any affiliation with the school at that time.
Then in 2000, a janitor observed Sandusky with a child in the shower. He tells other employees but nothing is done. Then in 2002 the GA sees Sandusky and tells Paterno. Paterno tells the AD. The AD talks with the GA and the Senior VP as mentioned before and informed him that they were going to look into it. Paterno also heard this and continued to do his job leading a multi-million dollar football program on the reassurance that his boss, the Athletic Director, would investigate the accusation.
Coach Paterno could have done more, yes. Everyone could do more in their everyday life. Coach Paterno's fall is because it happened to be a former football coach and some incidents occurred in the football facility. It could have been stopped several years before but it wasn't.
One has to look at the situation objectively, no matter how hard it is. The Graduate Assistant went to Paterno with vague references of "touching" or "horsing around" by Sandusky and a youth. He did not know that the Graduate Assistant had witnessed a sodomy or rape. When he reported it to the AD that is what he reported.
When the AD and Senior VP talked with the Graduate Assistant, what did they get out of the conversation? Did they get that it was a rape or sodomy or the graduate assistant continue to mention the same things said to Paterno which made it sound like it was "horsing around."
Does he deserve to be fired? I do not believe so. An outstanding coach with more character than most college football coaches who reported what he knew and did what he was supposed to do but was left out to dry by his Athletic Director's failure to investigate and report findings.
Labels: College Football, Joe Paterno, Penn State
posted by Brian Wright at 6:59 AM
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