<p>If the procedures in place at Penn State in 2002 were followed exactly, this would have been uncovered and stopped then. Period. </p>
<p>We can argue all we want (and we should) about whether Paterno and others should have followed up, but somewhere at a higher level the procedures stopped being followed or someone put a stop to the investigation. Whoever failed to report it or was responsible for it being stopped is most at fault. </p>
<p>Again, I’m not saying others shouldn’t share the blame to varying degrees, but establishing the person most at fault (beyond Sandusky) should be the primary goal at this point.</p>
Also guilty of attempting to go off topic with your rant on child labor in foreign countries and not providing any substantiation for the following statement:
<p>"Corbett, who as governor is on the university’s board of trustees, told “Fox News Sunday” that even though a grand jury determined Paterno did nothing criminal by not taking further action than reporting to his boss that he heard Sandusky had raped a child in the football team’s locker room, that wasn’t good enough.</p>
<p>“As governor, I have a requirement to make sure that we protect the children of Pennsylvania. That’s my focus on this,” he said. “In my opinion, when you don’t follow through, when you don’t continue on to make sure that actions are taken, then I lose confidence in your ability to lead. That would be the case here.”</p>
<p>Corbett added that while being cautious about discussing a case still under investigation, he saw in Paterno – and University President Graham Spanier, who was also fired – “a failure to act.”</p>
<p>“I’ve always have said, your actions speak louder than your words. That should not have been able to continue,” Corbett said. “The actions or the failure to act while maybe not criminal, caused me not to have confidence in the president and in the coach.”"</p>
<p>"It is no coincidence that an alleged sexual assault of a 10-year-old boy in the showers of the school’s football locker room was never reported to police by anyone at Penn State University.</p>
<p>It is no coincidence, because for 46 years it was not really Penn State University, it was Paterno State University. It was a school that sold its soul to football coach Joe Paterno for the sake of riches and recognition, a school that found its identity in his plain uniforms and lived its life by his corny pep talks.</p>
<p>Paterno was allowed to play God, and so his longtime assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was allowed to do whatever he wanted, wherever he wanted, even if it included alleged sexual abuse of eight boys over a 15-year period.</p>
<p>Penn State created Joe Paterno, worshiped Joe Paterno, and stunningly required four long days to finally throw the phony out into the street Wednesday when public furor forced the school’s board of trustees to fire him for not reporting Sandusky to police.</p>
<p>What took them so long? It was the same sick fear of Paterno’s power that created this nightmare in the first place.</p>
<p>Penn State and Paterno got everything they deserved for failing to live up to the words uttered by board vice chairman John Surma, a truth acknowledged 46 years too late.</p>
<p>“‘The university is much larger than its athletic teams,’’ said Surma, as if that was something that actually needed to be said.”</p>
<p>This just screams of someone who knows nothing about Penn State or Joe Paterno. Like when he said Joe didn’t report it to the police. Psh, and he calls himself a journalist.</p>
<p>
Actually, I’d be willing to argue that JoePa helped create Penn State. He came here with his set of ideals and instilled them in thousands of players, students, and fans. There’s a reason we have one of the highest graduation rates for our football players, who Paterno recognizes as student-athletes, not athlete-students.</p>
<p>
I’ve been saying this since those stupid cuts, though I’d rather this not turn into a political discussion.</p>
<p>Actually Paterno did not report it to the police. He reported it to his “superior” (as if anyone was superior to him on campus), and that was that. </p>
<p>He may have done all that for the campus before, but now he will be known as the leader of a group of men responsible for the most horrific sports scandal in history. And that Penn State will now be known as a crime scene, and a hunting ground for a pedophile. It will be long time for that stain to be washed away</p>
Since it’s obvious you didn’t read a word of anything I wrote on the previous page (or the grand jury report very thoroughly) I’ll repeat what I said: “Everyone knows Tim Curley got indicted for perjury, but do you know the other guy? His name is Gary Schultz, FORMER HEAD OF THE CAMPUS POLICE DEPARTMENT.” To make this very clear, Paterno told both Curley and Schultz. You literally can’t get any more "tell it to the police"y than reporting it to the head of it. So please get your facts straight before you start spewing out lies.</p>
<p>As far as your second paragraph, I can’t help but sadly agree. He’s done so many positive things for this university (for both athletics and academics) but people are too short-sighted to see them and will remember him for his exit, not his positive impacts.</p>
<p>Duke, reporting it to campus police is NOT the same thing as reporting it to outside law enforcement. Campus police were embedded in the same sweep-it-under-the-rug culture that everyone else was, and no surprise – they swept it under the rug. No one in this whole sorry mess had the guts to contact someone outside of the Penn State system. If they had, Sandusky would have been arrested in 2002.</p>
<p>See this is why people inside the Penn State community get angry when people on the outside talk like they know what they’re talking about with regards to Penn State. </p>
<p>The PD on campus is a fully functioning department, with similar capabilities as the State College PD, just with campus jurisdiction. Since the incident occurred on campus, he contacted the correct authorities. If you’re in Philly and see a robbery, do you contact the NYPD? I’m not sure where you get the “Campus police were embedded in the same sweep-it-under-the-rug culture that everyone else was” accusation from, are there any instances of them sweeping anything under the rug before the incident? Is JoePa just supposed to know everything that goes on in State College, because he’s God here?</p>
<p>And like I said earlier, had the DA actually went through with the investigation in 1998, all of this could have been avoided. If he had, Sandusky would have been arrested in 1998.</p>
Sure. Which poster brought up his future as a politician?
I think you may be confusing the environment on the PSU campus with the attitude/opinions of the majority in the rest of the state. Gov Corbett may actually be helped more than hurt by his involvement in this matter. Wait…I forgot that we’re not going to let this turn into a political discussion. Never mind.</p>
<p>According to reports, Schultz was the former VP of Business and Finance for Penn State. Now that may make the campus police under him, but it does not mean talking to him is the same as reporting this to even the campus police. All he had to do was pick up a phone, and he just could not do it.</p>
<p>Here is a relevant quote straight from Joe Paterno himself</p>
<p>“You have to perform at a consistently higher level than others. That’s the mark of a true professional.”</p>
<p>Nobody can honestly say that he followed this advice in this case.</p>
<p>@aglages: I made one comment pertinent to the article I posted and how it (along with the stupid education budget cuts) will not help his re-election campaign. I then said I didn’t want to turn this into a political discussion about the gubernatorial race, because it hardly seems relevant. Thanks for purposely misconstruing my comments and neglecting to post anything worthwhile, your input is appreciated.</p>
<p>@kumitedad: We’ll just have to agree to disagree there.</p>
<p>The governor is being a bit ridiculous “four long days.” I think almost everyone can agree that they didn’t waste time in firing Paterno, they got the facts, discussed it, and fired him.</p>
No need for anyone to purposely misconstrue your comments. They are posted (and were quoted by me) for all to see and evaluate. How mature is it to take a shot at the Governor and then “proclaim” that you don’t want to turn this discussion into a political discussion. Seriously…grow up.</p>
<p>As for your opinion of my posts…your input (like some others at PSU) lacks credibility.</p>
<p>If anyone has any problems with what I posted, or how I posted, anything that doesn’t involved the title of the thread, PM me instead. No need to clog up the thread with name-calling over the Internet.</p>
<p>Honestly…this scandal is terrible but i dont think any blame should be put on Joe Paterno…its not his fault the a-holes didnt report it. He did what he was required to, and if he didnt wanna go any further and get involved himself, its his right not too.</p>
<p>…if a building is on fire and there are people trapped in it…you’ve called 911…but you choose not to jump in there and save them, does that make you a bad person?</p>
<p>Stupid trustees let him go…■■■■.
Didnt think so.</p>
<p>He appears to have done what was required of him legally. Whether or not he had a moral responsibility to do more is what many are having a problem with.</p>