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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.
