I'm persuaded...

[Yonivore]

...Joe Paterno has been unfairly maligned. I can be included in the group that did so and I regret not informing myself more before passing judgement.

THE CASE AGAINST JOE PATERNO: WEAK TO NON-EXISTENT ON THE CURRENT RECORD (http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2012/07/the-case-against-joe-paterno-weak-to-non-existent-on-the-current-record.php)

I wonder where the Paterno family can go to get JoePa's reputation back...and his 112 wins. Perhaps they should retain the attorney that wrote the damning review of the Freeh report, in the post linked above.

Damnit, duped by the media again.

[Winehole23]

all the bandwaggoning umbrage takers, and I include the NCAA in that cohort, were eager enough to pile on.

[Spurminator]

Paterno was nether as wrong and culpable as his most vocal opponents claim he was, nor was he as innocent as his most ardent supporters claim he was, but as with everything in the national discourse people have chosen their sides and reasonable discussion be damned.

[Yonivore]

Paterno was nether as wrong and culpable as his most vocal opponents claim he was, nor was he as innocent as his most ardent supporters claim he was, but as with everything in the national discourse people have chosen their sides and reasonable discussion be damned.
Actually, I think it's possible he is entirely innocent of any culpability in the matter.

Follow the link and read the attorney's complete destruction of the Freeh report's finding Paterno was culpable. I'm not discounting further evidence coming to light that would implicate Paterno was complicit in a cover up but, according to a fair reading of the report claiming he was, there's zero evidence to support that.

[Blake]

Actually, I think it's possible he is entirely innocent of any culpability in the matter.

Do you think it's possible that Paterno didn't know what Sandusky did or was doing?

[TeyshaBlue]

Do you think it's possible that Paterno didn't know what Sandusky did or was doing?

Paul Merengoff makes a fairly compelling case in the link, tbh.

[Clipper Nation]

Come on now, this is ridiculous.... even JoePa himself admitted he could have and should have done more to stop Sandusky's acts, tbh....

[Yonivore]

Do you think it's possible that Paterno didn't know what Sandusky did or was doing?
I think it's possible Paterno knew Sandusky was accused of molesting children and, in the two cases of record where we're told he had knowledge of the accusations, Paterno acted appropriately.

In the first case in 1998, the allegations were reported to child welfare authorities and police -- and were investigated. The investigations resulted in a finding Sandusky did nothing inappropriate.

In the second case, Paterno, waited a day to report it (because he received the allegation on a weekend). Once he reported it, he claims to have said nothing further because he was led to believe his further involvement could jeopardize the investigation.

Finally, the three e-mails on which Freeh hangs his entire condemnation of Paterno don't even mention him by name and, even if he was the "coach" to which they refer, there's no knowledge of what Paterno did with the information being described in the e-mails.

So, yes, I think it's possible Paterno knew what Sandusky did and that he acted appropriately in response.

[Yonivore]

Come on now, this is ridiculous.... even JoePa himself admitted he could have and should have done more to stop Sandusky's acts, tbh....
Guilt of a magnanimous old man. There are a bunch of people associated with the Penn State football program that could have and should have done more to stop Sandusky's acts, tbh.

Problem is, they relied on investigative authorities that, in declaring Sandusky innocent of allegations, insulated him from much of what those people could and should have done.

[TeyshaBlue]

Do you think it's possible that Paterno didn't know what Sandusky did or was doing?

I think it's possible that the existing narrative is incorrect.

[Blake]

So basically you're dating that JoePa figured that if the police see nothing wrong, then there is nothing wrong.

I guess that settles that. Put the statue back up!

[Clipper Nation]

Guilt of a magnanimous old man. There are a bunch of people associated with the Penn State football program that could have and should have done more to stop Sandusky's acts, tbh.
JoePa included... sorry, but when you have THAT much responsibility and are THAT big in the public eye, you can't just look the other way and hope other people deal with it, tbh.... at the very least, he could have not allowed Sandusky in the football facilities or given him any access to the program the first time he heard about this, tbh....

[Yonivore]

JoePa included... sorry, but when you have THAT much responsibility and are THAT big in the public eye, you can't just look the other way and hope other people deal with it, tbh....at the very least, he could have not allowed Sandusky in the football facilities or given him any access to the program the first time he heard about this, tbh....
What would you have him do? In the 1998 incident the authorities to whom Paterno reported the incident found no wrong-doing. Sandusky retired from Penn State football in 1999 -- probably as a result of pressure to do so in the wake of the unfounded allegations.

In the second allegation, Jo Paterno indicated he was directed not to discuss the allegation because it would jeopardize an investigation.

Joe Paterno wasn't a law enforcement officer or child protective services case worker. He duly reported the allegations as they were reported to him. I'm not sure what else you would have had him do?

Making an employment decision based on unfounded allegations could have harmed his standing at Penn State.

[Yonivore]

So basically you're dating that JoePa figured that if the police see nothing wrong, then there is nothing wrong.

I guess that settles that. Put the statue back up!
No, I'm stating the Freeh Report does not disclose any evidence Joe Paterno deserved the condemnation received in the report that led to his statue being torn down.

[mercos]

A college football coach is the biggest figurehead in a program. They get paid millions of dollars to run the program. All of this went on under his watch. I'd say the punishment is warranted.

[Yonivore]

A college football coach is the biggest figurehead in a program. They get paid millions of dollars to run the program. All of this went on under his watch. I'd say the punishment is warranted.
He's dead. And, besides, it's not the statue or his reputation that is the most unfair aspects of the NCAA penalties, it's the 112 losses that will be the legacy of every football player to call themselves a Nittany Lion between 1998 and 2011 -- only one year of which occurred while Sandusky was coaching there.

The Collegiate officials are going to be noodling out the implications of the vacated wins for a pretty fucking long time. I wonder how many asterisks will now appear in the record books.

It seems petty.

[Drachen]

I feel like this article makes a pretty compelling case that he may not have been quite as culpable as the freeh report deems him to be. I still lay some blame on him for not following up. He didn't have to go public, but to make sure that an investigation was underway (police, not good 'ol boy), though I would have preferred that he go directly to the cops (in light of this being the second accusation).

[Yonivore]

I feel like this article makes a pretty compelling case that he may not have been quite as culpable as the freeh report deems him to be. I still lay some blame on him for not following up. He didn't have to go public, but to make sure that an investigation was underway (police, not good 'ol boy), though I would have preferred that he go directly to the cops (in light of this being the second accusation).
And, we'll never know exactly what he did do.

[Drachen]

And, we'll never know exactly what he did do.

I wouldn't say never. One of the two under indictment may roll on the other.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Paul Merengoff makes a fairly compelling case in the link, tbh.

Yeah i wonder how many of the Paterno supporters read the FBI guy's report.

[Yonivore]

I wouldn't say never. One of the two under indictment may roll on the other.
That doesn't mean either one will provide factual information about Joe Paterno's involvement or actions.

[Blake]

And, we'll never know exactly what he did do.

We know what he didn't do

[DMX7]

Taking away the wins was stupid. I agree with that, but he deserves a substantial amount of blame.

[Agloco]

See post below....

[Agloco]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ncaaf--joe-paterno-role-jerry-sandusky-coverup-grows.html

[Wild Cobra Kai]

Do you think it's possible that Paterno didn't know what Sandusky did or was doing?

HE WAS TOLD, on no uncertain terms in 1998 by that Bonner look-a-like coach. To me, that's the most damning part to his legacy. Paterno had NO PROBLEM grabbing the reins of power and de facto running the University when it suited him, like over disciplinary actions to his players, yet he passed the buck on this one like the coward he was.

[Yonivore]

HE WAS TOLD, on no uncertain terms in 1998 by that Bonner look-a-like coach. To me, that's the most damning part to his legacy. Paterno had NO PROBLEM grabbing the reins of power and de facto running the University when it suited him, like over disciplinary actions to his players, yet he passed the buck on this one like the coward he was.
The 1998 allegations were investigated by two different entities and Sandusky was cleared, according to the Freeh report.

[leemajors]

The 1998 allegations were investigated by two different entities and Sandusky was cleared, according to the Freeh report.

Except that he still kept fucking kids.

[Yonivore]

Except that he still kept fucking kids.
We know that now. But, in 1998, two investigative bodies determined he wasn't fucking kids then.

Look, I'm not defending Joe Paterno beyond agreeing with an attorney's assessment of the Freeh report being completely void of any evidence Joe Paterno did anything wrong in the way he handled both reports of Sandusky's misconduct.

In fact, it appears Paterno did precisely the right thing in 1998. After authorities investigated and cleared Sandusky what was he supposed to say? No, you're wrong?

I admit the second instance -- after Sandusky had retired -- is a bit more troublesome but, again, there's nothing in the Freeh report to suggest Joe Paterno knowingly allowed Sandusky to prey on children. Could he have handled it better? Probably.

Now, it appears more information is coming to light. Why this wasn't discovered during the Freeh investigation would be an interesting question to ask but, based on what I knew at the time I opened this thread, I stand by my belief vacating the wins was stupid and that, perhaps, Paterno had been given a raw deal by the NCAA.

[ChumpDumper]

lol a bit more troublesome

Someone saw a kid get raped in his workplace that he ran and he did fuck all about it.

Your hero.

[CitizenDwayne]

Let's face it, Ol' Joe was a saint.

[mingus]

That red headed guy told him he saw Sandusky molesting a kid. The least he could have done was kick him off the team and explain why even if investigations turned up nothing or were not handled the right way. He did nothing. He kept things secret, which was wrong for 11 reasons.