The Mess going on at Penn state Thread

[Destino]

It's moronic to support a school and program that knew and did nothing to prevent the rape of children.

"the school" did nothing. Individuals most certainly acted criminall in some cases and cowardly or wrongly in others. Those individuals must be brought to task. It does not make a repeat less likely by punishing the organization that remains. NCAA penalties have shown that. It also diminishes the weight placed on the guilty when the punishments and news organizations focus on a stone lion.

[Kilmer17]

"the school" did nothing. Individuals most certainly acted criminall in some cases and cowardly or wrongly in others. Those individuals must be brought to task. It does not make a repeat less likely by punishing the organization that remains. NCAA penalties have shown that. It also diminishes the weight placed on the guilty when the punishments and news organizations focus on a stone lion.

The emails show that the University officials knew and didnt act. That's an act of the school. Made to protect the school, and more importantly the football team.

[LeesburgSkinFan]

It doesn't appear that the football program is going to suffer at all.

[tshile]

if the PSU students, alum and fans are going to support keeping people in power who allowed this to happen, then I have a real problem subscribing to the idea that you put the well being of children over football/your school. that's just my opinion, and you certainly don't have to agree with it. but if you aren't pushing out the people who allowed this to happen... then you're part of the problem.

now, if you want to claim that you still support the school/football program and want the people who had anything to do with the cover up out, and are willing to actually behave like you care that way (writing a letter, cutting your funding, not attending games, not buying merchandise, etc etc etc until those people are removed; just as an example) then i have complete respect for you and agree that the two can be separated.

but as long as those people are allowed to remain there... i have a real problem with people who support the university. thats just my opinion though.

[Popeman38]

Did the President of the university defer to Joe Paterno, the head football coach? Did the Athletic Director defer to Joe Paterno, the head football coach? In so deferring, did each abdicate his responsibility to protect the interests of the university? In so deferring, did each abdicate his responsibility to protect innocent children from the predator they knowingly employed? In so deferring, did each abdicate his responsibility to protect innocent children from the predator they didn't report to authorities and instead simply banned from campus (don't stop raping, just don't do it here!)?

This was not a football program run amok. This was the leadership of the entire university attempting to protect itself from monetary losses (wanted the football program to keep raking in millions/year) instead of doing the right thing and protecting innocent kids. This is so far beyond the pale that the NCAA can find any number of reasons to shut down the football program. The state of Pennsylvania should step in and immediately terminate the football program.

There was so much blatant disregard for both the law and the safety of innocent children that ANYONE that defends the football program (and to a certain extent the institution) is doing so only through blue and white lenses. Joe Paterno wanted to win football games, and he decided that keeping everything in-house afforded him the greatest chance of doing so without tarnishing his legacy.

I used to ***** about Bobby Bowden "cheating" to win, and how much better it was that Joe Paterno could keep pace without the cheating. Well, the cheating of Bobby Bowden is so dwarfed by what Joe Paterno did (and allowed to continue to happen), that Bobby Bowden looks like a freakin saint. And the thing that bothers me the most (outside of the poor kids ruined by this) is that Joe Paterno died. He doesn't have to watch his empire eviscerated by his ****ty decisions. He got off easy, he deserved the humiliation of a trial and conviction for being the coward he was all these years..

[bcl05]

You can't fault PSU for Sandusky being a rapist. Monsters exist, and he was clearly one of them. There are monsters in every community of 200k+. The problem is how the community responded to him. The people who are the public face of PSU (Paterno and the high-level administrators) protected and enabled him, rather than protect children. Why? Its impossible to say for sure, but the culture of PSU, where football is/was so important and where JoePa was revered as near-infallible seems to be a big part of it. I would be very ashamed to be a part of that community/culture now. 10 years of rapes to protect the image sure speaks to a culture where priorities are tragically misplaced.

[Destino]

The emails show that the University officials knew and didnt act. That's an act of the school. Made to protect the school, and more importantly the football team.

Those involved should be charged with crimes and failing that black listed in their careers. The school itself and it's many professionals and graduates had nothing to do with this ugliness. Those that did should be the focus because I promise you the former school administrators and other culpable employees would rather the stone lion on their TVs as people rage around it, than the front steps of their own homes or pictures of themselves.

Punishments directed at organizations are wasted and meaningless unless we are talking about something so drastic that life simply cannot move on until a location is razed and wiped from the face of the earth. I assume that you aren't taking that position here.

[Forehead]

The state of Pennsylvania should step in and immediately terminate the football program.

The state being led by this guy?

http://www.sportsbybrooks.com/gov-bu...inaction-29961

[Skinz4Life12]

You can't fault PSU for Sandusky being a rapist. Monsters exist, and he was clearly one of them. There are monsters in every community of 200k+. The problem is how the community responded to him. The people who are the public face of PSU (Paterno and the high-level administrators) protected and enabled him, rather than protect children. Why? Its impossible to say for sure, but the culture of PSU, where football is/was so important and where JoePa was revered as near-infallible seems to be a big part of it. I would be very ashamed to be a part of that community/culture now. 10 years of rapes to protect the image sure speaks to a culture where priorities are tragically misplaced.

exactly how i feel

[Kilmer17]

Those involved should be charged with crimes and failing that black listed in their careers. The school itself and it's many professionals and graduates had nothing to do with this ugliness. Those that did should be the focus because I promise you the former school administrators and other culpable employees would rather the stone lion on their TVs as people rage around it, than the front steps of their own homes or pictures of themselves.

Punishments directed at organizations are wasted and meaningless unless we are talking about something so drastic that life simply cannot move on until a location is razed and wiped from the face of the earth. I assume that you aren't taking that position here.

Is there ANY involvement that would make you hold the organization responsible?

[Heisenberg]

The state being led by this guy?

http://www.sportsbybrooks.com/gov-bu...inaction-29961

I'm so confused.

I'm pretty sure I never typed that so I'm not sure why it's quoting me.

[Destino]

Is there ANY involvement that would make you hold the organization responsible?

Yes. If Sandusky was openly doing this and the University acted openly in his defense, like taking a position as a school that child rape is ok.

[Forehead]

I'm so confused.

I'm pretty sure I never typed that so I'm not sure why it's quoting me.

I'm not sure either, that was definitely Popeman. Oh well.

---------- Post added July-2nd-2012 at 04:51 PM ----------

Is there ANY involvement that would make you hold the organization responsible?

To add to what Destino said, I'd be perfectly fine with the "death penalty" if football players had been involved in bringing Sandusky victims or had in some way enabled his actions. But the team and players did no such thing, which is why I believe the NCAA has no grounds to penalize them.

[Larry]

To add to what Destino said, I'd be perfectly fine with the "death penalty" if football players had been involved in bringing Sandusky victims or had in some way enabled his actions. But the team and players did no such thing, which is why I believe the NCAA has no grounds to penalize them.

Uh, you mean, the head coach (and, I believe, the athletic director, and at least one assistant coach) don't count as part of the team?

[ixcuincle]

Uh, you mean, the head coach (and, I believe, the athletic director, and at least one assistant coach) don't count as part of the team?

Nope. They aren't the ones on the field, so the NCAA shouldn't in theory have anything to do with this.

Again, pay attention. Historical precedent dictates that the NCAA only get involved when the athletes are involved. When Ohio State players were getting tattoos and smoking pot, and Terrelle Pryor was selling his stuff, the NCAA gets involved. When Cam Newton is alleged to have received payment to go to a school, the NCAA gets involved. When a Miami booster paid off athletes with hookers, parties, and paid for abortions, the NCAA gets involved.

When officials and a coach gather around to talk about a coach that molests boys, this doesn't have to do with student-athletes. Therefore, the NCAA can't get involved.

There is a lot of talk about the NCAA 10.1 Bylaw, but Staples puts it perfectly when he says that the NCAA is overstepping their boundaries by trying to dictate justice. Leave the justice to the FBI and federal authorities. The NCAA need not get involved. Besides, the Staples article indicates Penn State will face another "death penalty" in terms of the lawsuits that are coming. So let those play out. But don't nuke the football program off the face of the earth for this.

---------- Post added July-2nd-2012 at 07:27 PM ----------

From the Staples article

Think of it this way: If Sandusky was a recently retired surgeon, Paterno was the chief of surgery and Curley was the dean of Penn State's College of Medicine, would you be asking the Liaison Committee on Medical Education to make it impossible for Penn State to continue training physicians 11 years after the fact? Of course you wouldn't.