Thoughts...

[abpk2903]

I am disgusted today. May no act of ours bring shame has turned into how many people acted shamefully. This is the most disgusting story I have heard of when it comes to child abuse. A man started an organization under the smoke screen of protecting at risk children only to use that program to prey on the innocence of young boys. This man used Penn State facilities, stature, and accomplishments (bowl games) to lure in these poor children. The list of people that had knowledge of the incident is getting larger and larger. To this point McQueary (and his father), Paterno, Curley, Schultz, Spanier, University Police report, Second Mile administration, Centre County district attorney's office, some of these victims parents, a janitorial staff at the university, and on and on had knowledge. Yet it has taken nearly 2 decades to bring forth a conviction. Morally there are way more at question than just Paterno. My biggest questions go to McQueary and the janitor with dementia who are the only eye witness accounts to Sanduski physically harming these children. My first reaction in there situations would be one beat him to a living pulp (or try to) and two call every authority I can.

The problem I have to this point is the protesters and media are on Paterno's and Old Main's lawn and the people being lost in the shadows are Sandusky, Curley, and Schultz. I am saddened for these children, I am saddened for those that have helped build and keep the reputation of the university where it was to this point, I feel sorry for a football team that has put in countless hours of work to be successful to this point which is now on the back burner, and finally I am saddened for those that helped make the second mile such an influential charity in PA only to have the founder ruin all the work that was done. I am not sorry for any individuals that had any way of stopping these events and didn't do all in their power to make it stop. What drives people to do things like this just boggles my mind.

I feel betrayed by a university that I have given a life long amount of faith towards doing the right thing and building character, values, and futures to so many lives. As an alum, I feel cheated by administrators that put their agenda over top of what this would mean for so many people.

Now the university that has housed this molestation spree for two decades and allowed this predator to prey on their facilities is trying to pass the buck. They are funding the defense of Curley and Schultz, they are not allowing Paterno (who is not charged with anything) air his side of the story, and they are looking into his exit strategy with the program while sheltering him. Why not let the man address the media? He is the one with a lot of the answers people are looking for without the fear of it being used against him during trial. Where is Spanier? What university rock is he hiding under? By spotlighting Paterno the university is diverting the real criminals in these actions.

The media are becoming the next set of villains in this travesty. They are taking the spotlight off of those charged of wrong doing and placing it on the most vulnerable target. Does Joe have questions to answer in this, yes. Where is he on the list though? I would put Curley, McQueary, the janitor, Schultz, Spainer, the children's parents, the District Attorney's office, and the university police all at a higher obligation than I would Joe. Yet the media crazy for a story has turned this into Joe's wrong doing. Let's not look at what he actually did in the case.


Out of all of this there are three moral questions that I would ask Joe and he may even have the answers if not for the university trying to use him as the media buffer for the pigs that are located in Old Main. First, what were you told by McQuaery and how did you follow up on the investigation? Second, knowing the scandalous past of Sandusky how did you let him attend an 2007 practice with a child? Finally, did you feel you did all you could do with what you knew to stop these horrible events from happening?


WE ARE...ASHAMED AND DISGUSTED

[abpk2903]

More thoughts:

Sorry I started my own thread here I just don't want to flood current topics with how I see this issue playing out. I have spent a lot of time thinking about this problem today and it really is an issue that has me rattled, sickened, and completely frustrated. There are just so many aspects that I am trying to figure out.

What seems to really be bothering me about the issue is look at how many people have known of how this man conducted himself around children. Whether or not they knew completely of the nature of the things he was doing to the children, I do not know. But the point being, McQueary, Paterno, Curley, Schultz, Spainer, Penn State Police, the janitor, his janitorial superiors, the second mile foundation, the DA's office all knew of some wrong doings by this guy. YET NO ONE BLEW THE WHISTLE IN NEARLY 2 DECADES. I am trying to figure out WHY? I feel like this may be page one in a 200 page novel. What was the incentive to keeping him at the facilities and especially continue to bring children around them? What was the issue of telling him, hey you can't even be around here anymore? Especially, how do you see things and hear things like these people heard and at no point demand this guy is arrested?

Penn State had to have a log in this fire. Why were they afraid of him? Why was the DA office afraid of him? Why did the children's parents not demand an arrest?

Was there cash incentives? Or even worse was the University afraid that he may release even a bigger lining secret if they cut all ties with him? There had to be a reason so many people kept this hush hush. Does the university have skeletons in the closet that they knew would be released unless they covered this up?

Another wrinkle in this fire is the situation of the football program in 2002. They experienced some major problems in terms of performance and it was known that Curley and Spainer were considering the ousting of Paterno. Where was Paterno's leverage to cover this up? If this got out on top of the teams performance he would have been out immediately, for sure. So why was this swept under the rug? If Spanier and Curley reported these happenings that would have been all they needed to get rid of Joe and it would not have looked negative at all on their records, after all they would be cutting out all the poison as soon as they heard of it. Hell it would have made them look like hero's in the long run.

Did these guys really think that this would have went away forever? Did they not realize this 10 year old boy would probably someday come forward with what happened to him? How was a cover-up even considered by any of the people involved?

To me it seems as though there are issues deeper than just the behavior of Sandusky in this. I'm afraid of the days to come. As you all can see I have a lot of questions. The money people have given this university as students, fans, and alumni deserve answers yet no one is talking. Where is our leadership?

[KirkHerbstreit]

I know exactly what you are saying apk. Something just does not smell right. There has to be a reason why these things weren't reported. What was being hidden? Was it the image? Was it something bigger that we don't want to know? You message outlines it perfectly.

I know some of these fans enjoy seeing this happen to Penn State, but as a fan, I would not wish this on anyone. Right now, I feel like I was cheated on, betrayed, left behind. It's not easy to cut ties with a program you have grown to love for almost 30 years. I'm sure some fans could just say well i am cutting my allegiance and finding someone else to root for, but Penn State, for me, was never about Paterno or squeaky clean images. It was about football, tradition, fanbase, friends, family. I will never quit rooting for Penn State but the scars are deep

[Crimson's Ghost]

I've said it earlier. This is just an uncomfortable and uneasy topic. I don't like it, but living in a PSU market, its hard not to keep tabs and opinions on it.


Kirk you said it right, you wouldn't wish this upon anyone....I dont wish this upon you guys. I can't imagine what it would be like to have this going on.....Sure Pitt had their bad publicity last year with some 18-22 year olds making mistakes and being the cover story for SI. That was bad, and many programs have been there with players getting in trouble. This is grown men we are talking about, so much more serious, and much, much worse. I feel for you guys, and even though I strongly dislike Penn State, I feel bad you guys have to go through it.

[WPIAL~Titan]

I am not enjoying this at all. I ache for the victims and their families if even 5% of the Ag's report is true.

I will say that PSU, their leadership, and much of their fan base has had an arrogant air of moral superiority and self righteousness for decades. It starts at the top with the brainwashing...Success with Honor, the Grand Experiment, not leaving college football to the Switzers and Sherrills of the world. All evidence of PSU's self righteousness and moral and ethical superiority complex. All are now mere myths and lies.

I thought Paterno's career would end badly, but never did I imagine such a disgraceful and horrific ending. Paterno and the leadership have let many people down...With all due respect to you abpk2930, I could care less about the betrayal that you and other PSU fans feel right now. You too allowed yourself to be brainwashed and to be part of the cult. Watch the youtube video of the cult outside of Paterno's house and the sick old man's response.

How dare Paterno minimize the victims and what they've been through by saying they have it "tough"?? He doesn't have the first idea about being tough, for if he did, he'd have done the morally right thing when he spoke with McQueary. I wonder if Paterno would have demanded further inquiry and a full investigation if McQueary told Joe that he saw Jerry Sandusky selling a copy of the PSU playbook to a tOSU coach? Paterno had the courage to throw Spanier and Curley out of his house when they asked for his resignation, yet was a coward when he needed to step up to the plate to protect children. Paterno did the minimal amount legally which may allow him to skate criminal charges, but he did ZERO morally and ethically. Please. I would expect so much more from the self-procliamed savior of college football.

Paterno has been, is, and continues to be a complete fraud. He proved it in 1998 and 2002. He proved it by allowing Sandusky to be associated with the program. Children were hurt because reputation, the brand name, an NCAA win record, and unabashed self righteousness were more important than doing the right thing.

I care only about victims and families now, not about the disappointment and feelings of betrayal of their fanbase. The PSU cult had this coming. They are reaping what they have sowed by concocting an image of Paterno and PSU football being larger than life itself. My sympathies lie with the many victims...the children.

[abpk2903]

For Christ's sake WPIAL will you ******* off. Are we allowed to be fans? Show me one other than this scandal were the public had any reason to believe that Penn State didn't do the majority of things the right way. Sorry you don't feel bad for us but Penn State is more than an University to me. It is a family tradition. Hundreds of thousands of hard earned blue collar dollars from my family and I have been donated to tuitioned to that University. We understand you hate Penn State and I'm glad that your life long mission is complete. Sorry that I feel a little betrayed by those I put trust in. Your a jackass.

[WPIAL~Titan]

Upset, angry, even profane. That might describe the presser that Joe has tomorrow, if he's not fired by the board of trustees tonight.

Scandals like Arrowgate, Curtis Enis, Rahsard Casey, Anwar Phillips, Scirotto, beating coeds silly, and the list of several dozen PSU players who were criminals seems insignificant. Was that doing things the Penn State Way too?

It's You're, not your.

[Crimson's Ghost]

Hey guys check it out if you want some talk on the matter....
http://tunein.com/radio/93-7-The-Fan-937-s27728/

Mueller is a PSU grad, but is very upset about what is going on. He's pretty levelheaded, and there has been some reasonable callers so far

[The Ancient Enemy]

It was not reported bc media whores and egomaniacs Curley and Spanier (The latter sitting on many NCAA committees and always trying to show his face) did not want a black mark on their reputations, so they tried to bury the allegations. This has much more to do w/ Curley and Spanier than it does w/ Paterno.