I get that Joe Paterno has known Jerry Sandusky for over 40 years.  But did he really know him?  According to the grand jury transcript as far back as 1996, Sandusky was inappropriately involved with a young boy in the locker room shower at Penn State university.  The first investigation took place in 1998, while Sandusky was still on the coaching staff at Penn State.  No criminal charge was brought against Sandusky at that time.

In 1999, Sandusky retires from Penn State, but is still allowed access to the campus facilities.  The following year a janitor observes Sandusky sexually assaulting a young boy in the football teams locker room shower. Amazingly no report is filed.  In 2002, then graduate assistant now wide receivers coach Mike McQueary witnesses Sandusky sexually assaulting a young boy in the locker room shower of the Lasch Football Building.

McQueary, according to the transcript, calls his father.  Then he tells head coach Joe Paterno, who in turn tells Athletic Director Tim Curley what McQueary had told him.  Curley calls McQueary in to hear what McQueary had seen.  Also present was vice president Gary Schultz.  Both Curley and Schultz say they will look into it.  Mind you this was in 2002.

The only action taken by Penn State in 2002 was that Sandusky’s locker room keys were taken away and the incident was reported to the Second Mile charity, a group foster home founded by Sandusky in 1977.  Three years later in 2005 Sandusky is involved with yet another young boy and remains in contact with him over a three year period.

Not until 2009 is an investigation finally underway after one of Sandusky’s victims comes forward to report inappropriate touching over a four year period.  Sandusky in 2010 retires from his role in The Second Mile for personal reasons.  Sandusky is finally charged with 40 counts of sexual assault on November 5th of this year.

Now after all the facts have been laid out, I want to say that all of these accusations are alleged against Jerry Sandusky.  He is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Do you see how all of this looks?  I don’t think Paterno really knew this guy.  Plus even with the knowledge of an alleged incident that took place in the locker room of the football team, what does Paterno do?  He gives it to the Athletic Department who in turn doesn’t even report it to the police.  Now Paterno certainly did more than nothing, but you mean to tell me he couldn’t follow up with the Athletic Department?

Of course right at the top of this is the now former Athletic Director Tim Curley and Vice President Gary Schultz.  They are both being charged with perjury in this case.  How do you not give this information to the police?  Next in line is former President Graham Spanier who was gutless in not owning up to the mistakes of this administration and taking some responsibility.  You’re the president of the university for God’s sake.

Next is Joe Paterno.  Now I wouldn’t be piling on him as much if he didn’t have a mini pep rally after he released a statement saying that he would retire at the end of the season.  If you haven’t seen that video, I suggest you do.  I know that he’s 84 years old, but you would think that a man who has that many years under his belt would have known that was not the time nor the place to be holding a pep rally on your front lawn when there are victims of your former assistant whose lives will never be the same.

His quote from that pep rally told me exactly how he feels about the situation.

“The victims or whatever they want to say I think we ought to say a prayer for them.  Tough life when people do certain things to you. Anyway you’ve been great.”

Yeah and you weren’t in those 3 minutes on your lawn Joe.  To me I think that what has happened or alleged to have happened at Penn State is one of the biggest scars on our society as a whole. Former Penn State player and current ESPN analyst Matt Millen brought it up on ESPN earlier in the week.  How can we as a society move forward if we allow someone, anyone to do what was alleged to those children?

For me it’s a no brainer.  You see something happen, whether it be someone stealing something, beating someone up or verbally abusing them.  You yourself can either do something about it or speak up and report it.  It’s as simple as that or so I think it is.

Paterno basically had to go.  When you respond to the board of trustees at Penn State by saying you will retire at the end of the year when they announce they’re going to review your position as the football coach.  You can’t as an institution of Penn State’s stature have Paterno continue to coach and then have him hold a postgame press conference being asked questions about the sexual assault case.  That can’t be allowed to happen.

Paterno should have followed up with the Athletic Department to see what they were doing.  As should current wide receivers coach Mike McQueary.  I can say the same thing about McQueary.  He should have followed up with the Athletic Department and if he wasn’t satisfied with their investigation, go to the police at that point.

Mike McQueary shouldn’t be allowed to coach either.  It’s only fair that with Paterno being let go, McQueary should have the same fate.  Paterno was honest when he said in his statement,

“This is a tragedy.  It is one of the greatest sorrows of my life.  With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.”

The sad part is he didn’t.  How do you let Sandusky continue to be around the facilities for 9 more years after an allegation was brought to your attention?  Now he will have to live with that forever. As will McQueary, Tim Curley, Gary Schultz, Graham Spanier and others who didn’t do enough to stop these alleged assaults before it got out of hand.

Forget about football in this situation.  This is far bigger than any game.  This pulls at us as individuals.  What do you believe in? Whatever that may be will you stand up for what is right?  We have to learn from our mistakes and make sure that nothing like this can ever happen again.  I’ve mentioned it in other posts that there is evil in our world.  We have to confront it if we are to truly be a strong and just society.