Joe pa died.

If I was an eye witness to what I have seen reported, I would go to the police, not to my boss.

If somebody told me they were an eye witness to what was reported, I would tell them to go to the police.

_

I do believe Paterno had a moral obligation to do something, and in which he failed. I do not believe he had a greater obligation than others, and he had a lesser obligation than the person who actually saw it.

I think the rapist at the centre of this should be doing something like 25 years inside, and Paterno's family should be allowed to mourn him in peace. I am not at all saying he is blameless. As I said before his actions were those of a weak man and a coward. But his failings are not so unique.

All over the world there are examples of horrible abuse of children and adults. In every case there are people who suspect, neighbours, teachers, friends of friends.... sometimes people act and a lot of times they close their eyes to it because on some gut level they just dont want to believe it happens. I dont know how many kids in the UK or America died as the result of absolutely disgusting abuse in the last 10 years, but I will guarantee that it was may too many, and I would guarantee the majority of times there was someone who knew things were wrong, maybe not to the extent... but people who knew things weren't right.

When people act so, they fail as human beings. But this failure doesnt make them the same as child abusers.

Paterno new that he failed, but he asked for mercy from the media and said (accurately) that he was one of many who failed the kids who were the victims here. Now he is dead, and what mercy he shall find is not in any of our hands at least.
--- merged: Jan 25, 2012 11:18 PM ---

If this is in reference to me, could you quote where you believe I have said or implied that Paterno had "handled himself well" please?

 

Paterno ignored his moral responsibility to protect the interest of the innocents and unintentionally became an accessory to a crime. He overlooked the rumor that Sandusky was a predator, and did nothing to hinder the continuation of the foundation that Sandusky so lovingly attended to. With his power, Paterno could’ve had those doors closed in one day. He was faced with a choice and sadly, made the wrong one. My sadness is directed toward the many children who encountered this mentally ill animal.

Shame on him, too.

At least we can say that Sandusky was sick.

Paterno was just selfish.

It’s football, people. He wasn’t the Christ child.

 

Can't blame Joe Pa for what lingered... If I was the first victim's father or mother that mother fucker would be dead. Don't believe in waiting for the law to handle things.

 

Exposing Sandusky to public humiliation before throwing him in a prison cell with a 300lb gangster named Zeus who will be more than happy to show him a little "eye for an eye" every day for 25 to 30 years is preferable to what I would consider an act of charity in killing him relatively quickly.

Unlike me, you're obviously a fan of charity and compassion in these cases, freetofly.

 

No, just have no patience, if I knew how to aim 30 some years ago, like I do today. Maybe just maybe I would think differently.

 

this is a big issue here in ohio......
but I have no sympathy for him or any of his staff.
Having been a victim of molestation, I feel nothing but comtempt for him and his staff. Having brought that much pain into untold victims lives, in the name of a FOOTBALL team?
I hope God may forgive him.
I am just not good enough of a person to do the same.
May he burn.......

 

I agree with what Borla says in the quoted post, I singling out the above section, and adding my reading of:

Paterno EXPRESSED his regret when found out. So, when, specifically did he actually FEEL this regret or this sense of mishandling things, of making this worst mistake? Borla, you're not necessarily quoting him verbatim, but I get the gist and am just getting my head around what at first sight seems like some statement of contrition on his part. It does sound like he's sorry, but I carefully assess the quality of someone's apology, for I would not wish to mistakenly forgive any more than to mistakenly condemn.

He lived with the knowledge second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, month by month and year by year. This was more than 'one mistake'. This was a lifestyle choice. Maybe not a hoppity skip 'dong dong, young cherry's popped - tra lah - fol-de-boy-bum-blood-de-rol' lifestyle choice, but one which, however uncomfortably or nauseously, was consistently renewed, in the midst of numerous opportunities to recant. It was not the solitary, guilty secret of one thing, many miles and years away. He was continually reaffirming himself as an enabler of child risk.

Did he not wake up in the morning, and, in his car, while waiting at red lights on the way to work, wince and grimace "Heck, I reported it, but nothing seems to have happened ... JEEZE ... I'd LOVE to know what steps were taken ... I mean ... I want those kids to be safe, and I'm sure everyone else does"? I hope he did. He'd arrive at work and park his car, knowing he'd be seeing relevant people, children, running in and out of locker rooms, and knowing that questions were still floating. Second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, month by month and year by year. Millions of opportunities to do Xtreme Regretting.

If his conscience HAD been knocking at his inner door at EACH and EVERY opportunity, then what does his consistent INaction say about him as a person? If he did not a lot of regretting until found out and called to public account, then of what worth is his display of contrition?

At which point did he conclude that his duty went beyond simple 'line-management' report, that there was a situation, and that he was mishandling it? If he concluded this just as he was about to be called to public account, then what worth is his display of contrition? If he had concluded this earlier ... even only a few months earlier, then what does his INaction say about him as a person?

To those who'd like to 'go easy' on him, now that he is dead, I offer the following: he chose what legacy he would leave, what funeral oration his life could generate. He lived with that possibility: those he leaves behind must live with the reality. Also, the people he leaves behind include not only his close family and friends, but the boys whom, through what I call dereliction of his duty of care, he chose to let be raped: all are his beneficiaries, bearers of the many shaped burdens of his eternal peace, therefore, let not his passing rebuild the convenient silence he kept while alive, nor serve as mute template for the future.

 

Professionally, he was amazing for the school, behind closed doors thats up to debate. And its hard to deny the legacy he left behind has marred his professional career for sure.

 

Zen you truly write simply wonderfully, you bring it to life!

 

I still dont see why Joe Paterno is more or less guilty than the other two people he told who didnt report it.

As for the person who witnessed it, I cannot see how he is not far more guilty.

Like I said, Paterno showed himself as weak and flawed. He behaved as a coward. But did not the two men he told who also did nothing? ... maybe people on the internet find dead men easier targerts than lives ones and thats why 99% of the attacks are at him?

 

Paterno made a terrible mistake.

That said, I refuse to piss on his grave.

 

I think he did what he thought was right at the time. When this happened, there wasn't nearly the awareness of child sexual abuse that there is today. Yes, he SHOULD have notified the police, but instead he notified two officers of the university... his VP, and the VP of Finance. One of those people should have had the sense to call the cops.

Paterno's legacy is not in the mistake he made, but in the program he managed, the people he coached whose lives changed (and so many for the better than the worse). He was probably the greatest college coach of all time.

 

You don't bother to read what other people write, do you?

 

Dont I?

If one looked around the available news sources, I wonder how many articles there are criticising Paterno compared to other parties?

 

If you did, you wouldn't have bothered with what's either feigned outrage or ignorance of the expressed opinions in this and the other thread.

And if you bothered to read those news sources you'd see that they almost all universally blame Sandusky first and the Paterno along with several others. I challenge you to find one single article that makes Paterno even the second worst guy in this situation. Good luck with that.

 

http://outkickthecoverage.com/joe-p...n-state-fans-should-boycott-nebraska-game.php

I picked this not for any special reason other than it is the top search on google.

I think you would agree that Paterno bares the brunt of the criticism here.

Like I said, I think his actions were weak and cowardly. But I dont believe he made a conscious decision to allow a rapist to continue being a rapist so as not to disrupt his football season. When faced with a report that he must have found horrific, he buried his head in the sand rather than face the truth.

He was a coward, and in this moment he is weak.

He was not alone, and this should not be his only legacy.

 

Strange Famous, you obviously didn't read the article you posted. The first paragraph talks about all the other people that did wrong and then focuses on Paterno. That's Paterno, in many ways, was the face of the story. He was the powerful man who failed. Everyone else, save Sandusky, was Paterno's underingling, whether the chain of command indicated that or not.

And when you say things like "he was momentarily weak", it makes it sound like you don't know the facts. The fact is that Paterno did the bare minimum required - and that's why he's been pilloried.

 

I don't know why we waste our breath (finger presses?)..we all know the track record of the devil's advocate.

I guess it's just fun to bang our heads against the wall repeatedly.