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The report released by Louis Freeh, former FBI Director, last Thursday detailed some shocking events involving Jerry Sandusky, former Penn State Football Assistant Coach and recently convicted child molester. There are shocking events of what Sandusky did and of those that witnessed those said events.
What is more shocking to me however is the fact that the late Joe Paterno (died in January from lung cancer), the face of that entire school, knew of the incidents, as far back as 1998, and still allowed them to happen. Paterno's one clear motivation for covering up what Sandusky had done was that he wanted to "save face" not only for himself and his legacy but also for the university.
It is unfortunate that these events came to light at the end of the Joe Pa's career (a nickname for Paterno). But more unfortunate and just sad is the fact that Paterno believed it was more important to protect his legacy and the face of the school than it was to protect young innocent boys from a known predator (Sandusky). There is actually a documented case in the report where Paterno used his influence to force school officials to not notify the Department of Child Welfare of a know incident involving Sandusky.
Since the incidents came to light, emotions have flown in all directions, many felt sorry for Paterno. But as new information came to light of his involvement, many people's sadness turned into outrage.
Penn State will more than likely face many legal battles ahead but they are very well warranted. And there is a current movement to have Paterno's statue removed from the campus.
This is a case where it would have been a lot easier to come clean in the beginning, instead of hiding it and hoping it would just go away. Joe Paterno could tell you that.
The Jerry Sandusky and Joe Paterno story has been one that I had been following loosely but I understand the basics of what had happen. I also felt bad about what Paterno was being put through at the end of his life while he was battling lung cancer, but I was also upset that they allowed what went on to continue for as long as it did. I don't care who they are trying to cover up for wether it be a school, business, or the president, nobody is above the law.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I really like how your blog is set up and you've definitely picked a wide enough topic to write about. Awesome job!
~ Sage
This whole situation makes me sad... I remember arguing about this with a friend of mine, a future sportscaster (and a highly-opinionated one at that), when the allegations first came into the public light. He was defending the football program, and I was saying that no one is above the law. Now, I realize that my arguments were kind of correct, but still cold-hearted. There's no easy ending for this, but I'm glad you write about it in such a manner that doesn't poke anyone, but rather just lets it speak for itself. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind words guys!
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