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Penn State's Paterno faces pressure to quit over sex abuse case
He's reverently and affectionately called "JoePa." He leads Penn State's storied Nittany Lions, their uniforms a pure white with dignified blue stripes, as they've delighted fans for decades in a stadium called Happy Valley.
Now, Joe Paterno, 46 years as Penn State's head coach - and just a week after notching his 409th victory, the most for any major-college football coach - is facing resounding calls to resign in disgrace.
The calls come after Paterno's longtime assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky, was charged with child sex abuse for alleged incidents dating back to 1994. A graduate assistant informed Paterno of one alleged incident in 2002 that took place in a Penn State locker room shower.
Read the indictment in the case (PDF)
Paterno, who is not facing charges in the case, says he told his superiors in the athletic department about what the graduate assistant saw. Paterno was told that Sandusky was "fondling or doing something of a sexual nature to a young boy," according to a grand jury.
Paterno has said in a statement that he "did what I was supposed to with the one charge brought to my attention."
On Tuesday, a Paterno news conference during which he was expected to face questions about the scandal was canceled.
"Due to the ongoing legal circumstances centered around the recent allegations and charges, we have determined that today's press conference cannot be held and will not be rescheduled," the university said in a statement.
Timeline of Penn State abuse case
With no new answers or explanations Tuesday, the prevailing opinion seems to be that Paterno didn't do close to enough; so little that there are widespread calls for him to resign.
"Remember, Penn State is not your typical college football program," writes Neil Rudel in The Altoona Mirror. "It is a kingdom and there is one king, regardless of whether he supposedly reports to anyone else."
"This was a moral test, one in which Penn State's leadership - led by Paterno because he's the king and all he had to do was tell all involved to turn in Sandusky - deserves an F," Rudel writes.
The moral issue came up again and again in comments Tuesday.
"Paterno did only the minimum the law required. Telling (athletic director Tim) Curley doesn’t absolve Paterno from a moral obligation. He should’ve taken action himself. Failing to do that allowed Sandusky to victimize boys for another seven years," the Newark Star-Ledger writes in an editorial.
The Star-Ledger was echoing a point made by Pennsylvania Attorney General Linda Kelly on Monday.
“Those officials and administrators to whom it was reported did not report the incident to law enforcement or to any child protection agency. Their inaction, likely, allowed a child predator to continue to victimize children for many, many years," Kelly said.
"We don't yet know who is legally guilty. But several prominent employees at the state university are morally guilty. And one of them is Joe Paterno," writes Michael Rosenberg on SI.com.
Rosenberg likens Penn State to the Catholic Church, which has been rocked by sex abuse scandals.
"The allegations were so horrific that they threatened to undermine the reputation of the institution. The people in charge should have brought the allegations to light. But they were more worried about how the institution would look than the values it is supposed to uphold," Rosenberg writes.
New York Daily News columnist Mike Lupica also used the Catholic Church analogy.
"It was not a priest with a boy in the dark rooms of a church this time, it was the church of football at Penn State University," Lupica wrote.
"If the government can make its case against Sandusky — once Paterno's top football sergeant, and so a priest of football at Penn State — then nobody involved should survive this, starting with a coach who came out of Brooklyn Prep nearly 70 years ago to make his name one of the most famous and respected in the history of his sport," according to Lupica.
In the state capital of Harrisburg, The Patriot-News ran a full front-page editorial calling for the end of Paterno's time at Penn State.
The front page of The Patriot-News in Harrisburg on Tuesday.
"As for Joe Paterno, the face of Penn State and the man who has pushed for excellence on the football field and for the entire university, this must be his last season. His contract should not be extended," the editorial said.
Besides Sandusky, two other Penn State officials, athletic director Tim Curley and senior vice president for finance and business Gary Schultz, face charges in the case for failing to report the abuse allegations to criminal authorities.
In a USA Today story, some questioned if they were trying to protect what the paper called "Paterno's saintly reputation."
"Sainthood is a word not often used in sports of any kind, college or otherwise," Robert Thompson, founding director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University, is quoted as saying. "This story comes out of a program that seemed the epitome of squeaky-clean."
Earlier this year, another Big Ten conference coach who was seen by many as above reproach, Ohio State's Jim Tressel, resigned in disgrace after withholding program violations from the NCAA. Tressel's case was just the latest in a long list that have plagued college football, including cases at the University of Southern California, the University of Miami and several other top programs.
But commentators Tuesday said the Penn State case has taken the slimy side of college football down to a new depth.
"If these allegations are proven true, this scandal is far worse than anything that's happened at other universities. Exploiting dozens and raping young boys could never compare to the minor infractions of boosters buying a car for a player or a player selling his autographed football jersey for a few bucks," Roxanne Jones, a Penn State alumnae and founding editor of ESPN The Magazine, writes for CNN.com.
At age 84, Paterno has been seen as a candidate for retirement for decades. With the sex abuse scandal rocking the campus, The Philadelphia Inquirer says, Paterno's time has come.
"His oft-discussed retirement would be timelier than ever - even though leaving amid this scandal will provide a sad coda to an otherwise stellar career for the man who, until now, served as the reassuring public face of Penn State," The Inquirer said in an editorial Tuesday.
TIME.com's Sean Gregory said it would be tough for any fan to watch Paterno at work on a Saturday afternoon now.
"If these charges are true, how can we ever view him in the same light again? Who cares about all the wins? We’re not talking about a recruiting violation here. We’re talking about an unspeakable violation, to innocent children," Gregory writes. "We don’t see how Joe Paterno can still coach."
The Star-Ledger is starker.
"Given the disgusting nature of these widespread allegations, the insidious connections to Penn State football and Paterno’s lack of judgment when told, it’s time for him to take his 409 victories and Hall of Fame bust and leave. Quickly," the Ledger said.
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Paterno is guilty of letting this continue. Read the indictment, Joe is the biggest figure-head of that school. He knew what was going on. He's morally corrupt and should be ashamed for letting these boys endure this for so long. Disgusting!
.............This is criminal................all those sobs should go to jail..............
Agreed he has done a lot of good for Penn State, but the fact remains that he exercised very poor judgment in reporting this to his boss and then not following up. He knew enough that it was a serious allegation, serious enough to remove the offender from his duties, but ALLOWED the man to continue to use the facilities. THAT is irresponsible. So, shame that he screwed up what would have otherwise have been a stellar career and reputation. There is a lesson here. Do the right thing, call the police, don't just pass the buck and hope the problem goes away.
You can't call the police because you heard someone else's account of a crime. You can encourage the witness to call the police, and I suppose you could follow up. But the indictment is about how the A.D. lied, so why can't the A.D. lie to Paterno and tell him it's being taken care of?
WOW! Who would of thought PSU stood for Pedifile State University. This school is going to have victims coming out of the woodwork to collect $$$$$$$$
This is obviously a serious matter, but you people are writing as if JoePa himself committed the abuse. He learned about one assault second-hand, the perpetrator was not an employee, and JoePa reported it immediately. There is no evidence of repeat behavior or a cover-up on his part, he was cleared by a grand jury, and he's run an impeccable program forever. So because some people think he should have done more in this one case he has to retire in shame? Who are you to judge?
The guy was his assistant coach. He gone.
I have to agree w/Tom. People have to put down the torches & pitchforks for a second and examine the evidence. JP got a second-hand report of something somebody saw once – he himself did not witness it. The crime had occured in the recent past and was not actually happening at the time he got the report (ie, the guy didn't run into his office and say "hey Joe, you gotta take a look at this"). Next, he confronts the accused (who I'm sure denies everything), he kicks it upstairs – they poke around a bit and don't really find anything. As far as they know, whatever might have happened, didn't happen again. What else are they supposed to do? It just alerted the perp to be more discreet – these guys are masters of covering thier tracks. 20/20 hindsight is great but...
As much as it pains me to say this, knowing that Joe Paterno the man feels as poorely about this as anyone, It was under his watch and it was his assistant coach. He needs to step down.
He is a class man, he ran the most honorable football program in America and his entire body of work, his career and his legacy has been taken down by a pervert he employed.
Not so honerable after all was it.
This is EXACTLY what is wrong with college football programs. The head coaches behaving like dictators in their "little" fiefdoms.
Here is a guy who was in a position to do some good and bring some justice to a poor child. But NOOOOOO... he goes on pretending like there is nothing wrong in his kingdom.
...............Some old man is spoucking a little kid in the shower. How do you not call 911.................
I'm sorry but Paterno should be free and clear here. Without having witnessed the actual event I think he did exactly what he should have based on a random report from a 3rd party.
Maybe I missed this in the article but are we talking about an actual child or was this a college age student?
a child. about 10 years old. He should have called the police. period.
Ah in that case yes I can understand the outrage. My initial impression was that they were talking about players or other 18+ year old college students.
10 year old child
Read the full grand jury report. If your thoughts are still the same after reading it...then my prayers go out to you.
College Students??? No Eric, we're talking about 10 year old boys. Eyewitness accounts of an assistant head coach RAPING 10 year old boys in the shower. I'm a huge PSU football fan, but football is meaningless here...we're talking about RAPING kids. This is wrong on every level...and JoePa was informed and did the minimum. I'm sorry, but I can't stand by him or this administration. Shame on you JoePa and the entire university.
I already posted this but bears repeating...This is certainly a sick crime(s) but, people have to put down the torches & pitchforks for a second and examine the evidence. JP got a second-hand report of something somebody saw once – he himself did not witness it. The crime had occured in the recent past and was not actually happening at the time he got the report (ie, the guy didn't run into his office and say "hey Joe, you gotta take a look at this thing going on in the showers"). Next, he confronts the accused who (I'm sure) denies everything, he kicks it upstairs – they poke around a bit and don't really find anything. As far as they know, whatever might have happened, didn't happen again. What else are they supposed to do? It just alerted the perp to be more discreet – these guys are masters of covering thier tracks. 20/20 hindsight is great but...not the reality on the ground.
This is a perfect example of what our worthless media can to. It's a feeding frenzy on anything news worthy that can destroy lives and create controversy for ratings! JOE PA is a hero, a legend, something this country doesn't have anymore.... He is a true LEADER with old school mentality and his records will never be broken and his memory will live on. the lives he touched and changed will never be matched.... Shame on the liberal pigs who are trying to damage his legacy..... burn in hell!!!
You are a moron!
Went on for years. Didn't stop it. Not a hero. Stop with the cuddly nickname. It's gross now.
.................Nobody even cares how many games he won now.....................go to hell Joe
The media and the public are blowing this way out of proportion and twisting the focus away from where it should be-on the guy accused of doing the molesting. That guys hasn't been convicted by the way. How is JoePa to blame for someone else's alleged actions. He did what was required. He's not a cop or a judge. First there needs to be a trial and conviction before witches are burned at the stake. Second, burn the witch that committed the crime not the guy he worked for. Leave JoePa alone. He didn't commit the crime. I hope Paterno stands his ground and stays put. He is not to blame.
Morality and ethics comes down to how you act when no one else is looking. Sandusky displayed his when he thought no one else could catch him, Joe P showed his colors because he did the minimum required when he found out and hoped it would be swept under the rug where no one else would find it. How would you like to be one of the families of these victimized kids? How about if you were one of the hundreds of parents who put your kid in this program and now is wondering if he might be another victim to come forward?
Athletics instills so many good qualities in our youth...like never interfere or even question your former coach if you see him corn holing a 10 year old right before your eyes...
What is frightening is that so many people are concerned with defending Joe and the school. What about the boys who were molested for years. Power of the University corrupted so many, including Joe. He's guilty of not cleaning house and getting this creep arrested. How could Joe, the leader of that school, turn his cheek on those boys. Unbelievable!