Penn State planning Paternos exit

[volmeister]

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45186257/ns/sports-college_football/

[SmokeyJoe]

What a truly bizarre turn of events, and I'm not talking about
JoePa's ouster.  Smfh. 

[BGHarper]

In the past hour, I listened to my car radio to an interview with someone who is very close to the situation. His Dad was the PSU radio broadcaster for many years, and he is now a local broadcaster himself in State College, PA. Needless to say but he has known Paterno and Sandusky for all his life. He is a very active member in the charitable foundation Sandusky set up for young boys, and said he knows him as well as he knows anyone, or better to say, he thought he knew him as well as anyone. He said he has personally introduced Sandusky to crowds at events over a hundred times through the years.

To hear him talk it became painfully clear how distraught this guy is over this situation. I mean he knows these folks very well, and thought Sandusky was doing great things for these kids, and when the real truth was revealed to him it seemed his whole world has been turned upside down. I think this guy and many people in central Pennsylvania are ready to string Sandusky up to tree limb and administer proper justice. To hear someone that close to the situation talk, you realize how people especially in State College are absolutely stunned by this news.


BG  

[Mike]

hard to say what's worse... the actual molestation charges or the fact that it's been covered up for years

[Black Diamond Vol]

Just noticed that PSU/Nebraska is a noon ESPN game this Saturday.  That might be the most watched noon game of all time.  I'll be ABC wishes they had picked it up and put it in primetime.

[BanditVol]

I wonder how much of this is someone in the admin at PSU just finally got tired of JoePa and didn't want him dying on the sidelines, which he just might one day.

I know these charges sound very serious, but they have been around for literally about 10 years.  And while I am not making light of it, the program that Sandusky was in is one that is simply ripe for exploitation by the wrong type of people.  That is, kids with either a grudge or dishonest attorneys who encourage kids to make stuff up and sue. 

Just sayin.....if these charges suddenly get dropped 6 months down the road, then one can figure it's more about getting rid of JoePa than anything else.

[BigOrange Maniac]

I wonder how much of this is someone in the admin at PSU just finally got tired of JoePa and didn't want him dying on the sidelines, which he just might one day.

I know these charges sound very serious, but they have been around for literally about 10 years.  And while I am not making light of it, the program that Sandusky was in is one that is simply ripe for exploitation by the wrong type of people.  That is, kids with either a grudge or dishonest attorneys who encourage kids to make stuff up and sue. 

Just sayin.....if these charges suddenly get dropped 6 months down the road, then one can figure it's more about getting rid of JoePa than anything else.

I've heard of conspiracy theories but this scenario just isn't plausible IMO. This was a lengthy investigation that went on for at least two years and these charges aren't just presented by the prosecutor, they are indictments handed down by a grand jury.

Btw, I heard on the news this morning that fondling accusations were made against Sandusky in 1998 and the school went as far as eavesdropping on a conversation between him and the mother of one of the victims, in which he admitted it. Now we know why he retired so suddenly. And yet he was allowed to keep an office for years, enabling him to abuse these kids on campus??? There needs to be some SERIOUS housecleaning in Happy Valley.

[arenafanatic]

I think the part that makes it so odd is that they let him stay on campus for so long. Had he been away from the campus and program since he retired I think the story would be a little different.

[Memphisvolunteer]

I wonder how much of this is someone in the admin at PSU just finally got tired of JoePa and didn't want him dying on the sidelines, which he just might one day.

I know these charges sound very serious, but they have been around for literally about 10 years.  And while I am not making light of it, the program that Sandusky was in is one that is simply ripe for exploitation by the wrong type of people.  That is, kids with either a grudge or dishonest attorneys who encourage kids to make stuff up and sue. 

Just sayin.....if these charges suddenly get dropped 6 months down the road, then one can figure it's more about getting rid of JoePa than anything else.

WOW, I can't believe you just said this!  Kids with a grudge...10 year olds?  Seriously??  How about you put yourself in one of the victims shoes and you just read what you posted.

[BGHarper]

Just sayin.....if these charges suddenly get dropped 6 months down the road, then one can figure it's more about getting rid of JoePa than anything else.

A way to just get rid of Paterno?!?!?!

Not in a million years!


BG

[BanditVol]

WOW, I can't believe you just said this!  Kids with a grudge...10 year olds?  Seriously??  How about you put yourself in one of the victims shoes and you just read what you posted.

Relax.  I didn't say I BELIEVED that.  Its just speculation.  But look at what u posted.  10 year old kids. In 1999. So how old are they now?   22?  And what are their prospects?  Do they need money?  If so why not make up some shizzle about sexual abuse and sue the psu ad?   Deep pockets as the saying goes.  So if its all legit why not sue years ago?

That's what I'm getting at.  The timing of this smells really funny.  And assuming someone is guilty because a bunch of former kids say stuff 12 years doen the road is the way the American justice system works right?  Clearly he must be guilty as shizzle.  Someone in the press said so!  Thank God we don't have a pesky Constitution.  Might make things real inconvenient.

[Memphisvolunteer]

Relax.  I didn't say I BELIEVED that.  Its just speculation.  But look at what u posted.  10 year old kids. In 1999. So how old are they now?   22?  And what are their prospects?  Do they need money?  If so why not make up some shizzle about sexual abuse and sue the psu ad?   Deep pockets as the saying goes.  So if its all legit why not sue years ago?

That's what I'm getting at.  The timing of this smells really funny.  And assuming someone is guilty because a bunch of former kids say stuff 12 years doen the road is the way the American justice system works right?  Clearly he must be guilty as shizzle.  Someone in the press said so!  Thank God we don't have a pesky Constitution.  Might make things real inconvenient.

Where do I even start with this.  First of all, these boys that are sexually abused don't come forward when it happens because it usually happens with someone they trust and are told nothing is wrong with it.  They have to live with this each and every day of their lives wonderring what they did to deserve something like this or worse, what's wrong with them and why did it happen to them.  It takes years of theapy to deal with this kind of stuff. 

Secondly, this wasn't just some "kid" that came up and said this out of the blue.  It isn't some he said she said thing.  There is an adult (GA assistant at the time now assistant coach) that witnessed this happening.  There has been an investigation into it and now a Grand Jury has indicted the piece of crap person who did this to innocent kids.  And there has been approximately 20 kids come forward with the same account.

Please put yourself in the shoes of one of the victims or even better, one of the victims family members, and then look at what you just said before you start throwing the constitution into the argument.  These kids did not deserve to have their innocence taken away from them by an authority figure.  Also, the press isn't the only one talking about this.  The Grand Jury, a jury of this piece of crap's peers, has handed down a penalty.

Go read the Grand Jury Report.  It is very sad and will make you sick to your stomach.

[Coupe De VOL]

Yea bandit, you should read the report.  3 different incidents have 3 different witnesses - the psu ga in one case, a few janitors in another, and a parent in another.  Saying Sandusky has one chance in a million of being innocent may be inflating the odds.  Also, almost all o the 8 victims stories have similar themes regarding sandusky's MO.  So similar they would have to have been coached. 

[VinnieVOL]

No one cares (or should care) about this POS's contitutional rights.  Hang him high.

[ReVOLver]

Relax.  I didn't say I BELIEVED that.  Its just speculation.  But look at what u posted.  10 year old kids. In 1999. So how old are they now?   22?  And what are their prospects?  Do they need money?  If so why not make up some shizzle about sexual abuse and sue the psu ad?   Deep pockets as the saying goes.  So if its all legit why not sue years ago?

That's what I'm getting at.  The timing of this smells really funny.  And assuming someone is guilty because a bunch of former kids say stuff 12 years doen the road is the way the American justice system works right?  Clearly he must be guilty as shizzle.  Someone in the press said so!  Thank God we don't have a pesky Constitution.  Might make things real inconvenient.

You obviously haven't read the grand jury report if you think this is about money. It's corroborated by a GA who assisted in covering it up back then and he has everything to LOSE in this situation.

[BanditVol]

You obviously haven't read the grand jury report if you think this is about money. It's corroborated by a GA who assisted in covering it up back then and he has everything to LOSE in this situation.

No I haven't read the grand jury report.  I will later. 

It's still innocent until proven guilty though, last time I checked.  And if he IS guilty...THEN hang him high.  No problems there.

There are many cases of false accusations being made in situations like this as well, that are later proven untrue.  Money is a powerful motivator.  Perfectly legimate to raise the issue.

I will read the grand jury report.

[BanditVol]

And let me add, that when I first posted, I was under the impression that all the accusations were 10-12 years old.  Even from some reading I did this morning, I now know that some are as recent as 2009, and that makes a big difference.

[Memphisvolunteer]

No I haven't read the grand jury report.  I will later. 

It's still innocent until proven guilty though, last time I checked.  And if he IS guilty...THEN hang him high.  No problems there.

There are many cases of false accusations being made in situations like this as well, that are later proven untrue.  Money is a powerful motivator.  Perfectly legimate to raise the issue.

I will read the grand jury report.

Read Rick Riley's article:  http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/7208581/rick-reilly-penn-state-scandal   This might explain to you why people don't come out about it and why your comments were distasteful.

Here are some examples from the article:

"..whatever misjudgment Paterno made will be a single lit match compared to the bonfire these boys will walk in for years to come.  Many of them won't be able to trust. Won't be able to love. Won't be able to feel -- nor trust or love themselves.  Don't feel sorry for Paterno. He's had his life. Feel sorry for these boys, because they may never get one."

"You can't trust anybody afterwards," Kennedy said yesterday from Toronto, where he runs RespectGroupInc.com, an organization that teaches adults how to recognize abuse. "So you tend to live a very lonely life. You mask the horrible way you're feeling with sex and gambling and drugs. You put all these walls up. You keep saying, 'Why didn't I say anything? I must've done something wrong. I let him do it to me.'" Imagine: One reported victim in the Penn State case, now 24, has been living with that kind of hole growing inside him since he made allegations against Sandusky in 1998 -- 13 years ago. Those allegations never led to charges. That's 13 years of not being believed, of knowing his alleged perpetrator was out there, volunteering at high schools and running his grisly camp "tours" of the shower room.

"Imagine: Victim One, according to the Harrisburg (Pa.) Patriot-News, was often taken out of class by Sandusky to be further molested. Just taken out of school by somebody who wasn't his parent, with no questions asked until his mother finally called the principal and asked her to check into it. Later that day, the principal called back in tears. "You need to come down here right now."

"What must those boys feel like, right now, as all this darkness gets played out in front of the camera lights? "Probably second-guessing themselves," Kennedy says. "Coming forward doesn't get these boys any further ahead in life. It isn't easy. But it has to happen." The road these boys are on now is endless and buckled and uphill. Some will hate their parents for not protecting them and hate themselves for hating them. They will hate the pervert for tricking them and hate themselves for being tricked. And just when they think this cruel and long legal process is over, it can start all over again.

"No, this isn't about 84-year-old Joe Paterno not taking more steps that might have stopped it. It's about everybody not taking more steps that might have stopped it. Not parents, not teachers, not uncles, not friends, not counselors."

[Memphisvolunteer]

And let me add, that when I first posted, I was under the impression that all the accusations were 10-12 years old.  Even from some reading I did this morning, I now know that some are as recent as 2009, and that makes a big difference.

Yes, the first victim made the accusations 13 years ago...and no one believed him!  Those accusations never led to charges. Where was the justice for him?  Why did he have to live with this for 13 years before someone believed him?  These are the questions that should be asked....not if they are coming forward now because of money and that the timing seems "fishy".

[BanditVol]

No, this isn't about 84-year-old Joe Paterno not taking more steps that might have stopped it. It's about everybody not taking more steps that might have stopped it. Not parents, not teachers, not uncles, not friends, not counselors."

I did read the Grand Jury report, or most of it.  Sounds pretty damming.  I have been told by an attorney that a Grand Jury report simply repeats allegations without having to have any proof whatsoever. That is, evidence is presented without any regard to whether it's credible or not (though the report does claim it's credible).

I am certainly not a legal expert, but it sounds to me like Sandusky is in deep trouble.  In which case anyone who did not do what they could to expose him at an earlier time is certainly responsible for their lack of action.

I will still say this...the GA is saying he reported anal sex back in 2002, and so by implication the administration including JoePa brushed that part under the rug.

If that's really the case, why didn't the GA go to the police himself?   Not that this lets JoePa or anyone else of the hook, but he could have done more also.

He did do the right thing though, don't get me wrong.  But none of us were present to see exactly what he told JoePa either, were we?

But 6 months from now, this will be on the back page.  Be interesting to see if any of the allegations are quietly dismissed due to lack of credibiltiy of any of the accusers.

Accusations are not proof.  But if it holds up in a court of law, Sandusky will be put away for a long time, hopefully with other convicts that might decide to give him a taste of his own medicine, and anyone and everyone who swept the 2002 incident under the rug will rightfully be tarred and feathered, out of a job and perhaps even in prison.  And all of that will be deserved.

But no one has been convicted of anything yet.  And now I am done with this topic.   

[Volznut]

It's not just one kid. Read the report bandit. There are 8 documented victims. Who knows how many more kids this miserable nasty waste of space abused that was NOT documented.

[BanditVol]

It's not just one kid. Read the report bandit. There are 8 documented victims. Who knows how many more kids this miserable nasty waste of space abused that was NOT documented.

Read my post.  I read the Grand Jury report.

[LouisVOL]

"He did do the right thing though, don't get me wrong.  But none of us were present to see exactly what he told JoePa either, were we?"


Does it matter exactly what he told him.  Paterno says the GA was very distraught and told him he witnessed Sandusky in the shower with a boy he estimated at 10 years old and there was (according to Paterno's statement) inappropriate behavior.  If that alone is not enough to trigger Paterno's moral outrage and immediate action to insure the matter is legally addressed, then I certainly have all the answers I will ever need regarding Joe Paterno.