- @
- Followers:
No Tweets Found
CNN POLITICS ON FACEBOOK » | CNN POLITICS ON TWITTER »
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.
On Twitter
On Twitter
@cnnbrk on Twitter
I read the report and am startled to find that so many ADULTS FAILED THESE CHILDREN! Shame on everyone that not only heard rumors but SAW the abuse and inappropriate activities with their own eyes and did not go straight to the police!! Each and every adult that failed these children should be prosecuted in a court of law.
If it is provn that Paterno knew about this, he should be fired. However, if he was kept in the dark and did not know, that he should only resign if he is tiredf of coaching,
Do you truly believe that he was kept in the dark? What about his own inner instincts? Do they not work for him when his personal interests are at stake? Also , being fair to whom? Did Mr. Paterno become the jury for his friend Jerry and decided him to be innocent and therefore did not notify the authorities on these matters , which lie outside his area of expertise? Child protection prevents many future crimes in our society!!
JC and you can still be stupid in this country as well you are a great case for THAT
Everyone needs to lay off of Joe Paterno. What many of you don't realize is the Sandusky was the architect of Penn State's amazing defense. Paterno and Sandusky were good friends for 23 years! Would you call the cops on your best friend? Paterno didn't know the boy and had no idea that Sandusky had molested kids before. Joe did what was legally required of him, then told Sandusky to shower with kids elsewhere. His job is to win football games, not to be Chris Hansen.
Shut up! Yes, I would have beat the crap out of him and called the police. That is what people with morals and honor do. Protect little children from abuse.
Some people just don't get it, do they. I guess that d-fence is much more important then children, especially those molested after Joe looked the other way "FOR YEARS".
I live in Blacksburg and am aware of all the sleaze that gets overlooked, covered for, and made excuses for among the football "community".
But the incredible lack of common sense and compassion Purple Beard demonstrates is a real failing of insight and compassion as a human being. Guess what dude, football DON'T MEAN CRAP when measure against human considerations. And Paterno is just another misguided human being who needs to pay big time for his arrogance and poor judgment. With friends acting like Sandusky, the ONLY thing Paterno can do in the present is to quit in shame as fast as he can. And to pray for his own failed judgment that you seem to understand of not reporting a child molesting criminal to the police.
SPANIER, CURLEY, SCHULTZ, PATERNO, STUDENT WHO REPORTED INCIDENT ONLY TO PATERNO AND JANITOR WHO REPORTED IT TO THE UNIVERSITY ONLY SHOULD ALL BE FIRED
One of the defense attorneys is loudly proclaiming "there was no legal obligation to report this conduct".
Excuse me******there were moral & ethical reasons – these situations involved defensless little kids. After reading the indictment, it looks like a lot of those involved just chose to conveniently forget about it. These were not allegations which should have been investigated in-house.
Were the decisions made to "protect" the football program and the university's name? It sure looks that way and the firings should start at the top.
Anyone that thinks JoePa is the bad guy here is at best slow. He is THE LEAST at fault here. First, deal with the monster that did it. If you want to talk about who didn't report it to the police, where the h@#% is the GA, THE ONE THAT WITNESSED IT?!?!?!. If JoePa had gone to the police saying he heard that someone saw something, what would have occured . . .? JoePa did what he could other than continuing to press the issue. I feel more sorry for those boys than anyone of you could know from first hand experience, but I reFUSE to let people that don't know ANYTHING about this type of issue to slander someone else because it's convenient.
The guy who saw it and didn't call the police is now an assistant coach.
Slow? How about selfish, self-centered, and careless. What else has been shoved under the carpet by his oblevious ways?
To report this kind of abuse to your boss and not seeing it come forward to the legal authorities is not only condoning what Sandusky did, it allowed this sick man to continue abusing children. In a sense Joe P is considered a supporter of Sandusky and what he did because he didn't see this through to the legal system. I'm 64 yrs old and have always enjoyed Penn State football and watching Joe Pa but there comes a time when you must look at this with an open mind and realize what has happened here. Additional children were abused because Joe chose to look the other way know what this man continued to do. And for those who say he told his boss and he has no moral responsibilities, well you should be ashamed of yourself and you don't have any morals either. READ THE INDICTMENT
SOME THINGS ARE WORTH REPEATING. To report this kind of abuse to your boss and not seeing it come forward to the legal authorities is not only condoning what Sandusky did, it allowed this sick man to continue abusing children. In a sense Joe P is considered a supporter of Sandusky and what he did because he didn't see this through to the legal system. I'm 64 yrs old and have always enjoyed Penn State football and watching Joe Pa but there comes a time when you must look at this with an open mind and realize what has happened here. Additional children were abused because Joe chose to look the other way know what this man continued to do. And for those who say he told his boss and he has no moral responsibilities, well you should be ashamed of yourself and you don't have any morals either. READ THE INDICTMENT
Who cares if they cornholed a little kid. PENN STATE FOOTBALL RULES
ALL HAIL LORD JOE PATERNO. He's innocent, because Jesus says so.
What's happening with Mike McQuery?? Anything?
besides being the assistant coach under paterno? nothing.
Say it's so, Joe must go. It's a total failure of integrity and trust. He and his cohorts have no business on the playing field with dedicated players. Big Ten ought to consider this as well.
For everyone who feels there is unfair justice Towards mr. Pattern, please think about what he did as far as allowing criminal behavior to continue. One has to wonder if Paterno himself picked up on any misbehavior from his assistant. Very sad if he is not aware of the signs of child abuse. These type of criminals operate in very predictable ways, the problem is that many adults turn the is heads in the opposite direction. Yes we should not prejudge anyone , but Paterno prejudged his assistant to be INOCENT at the expense of child safety. And this is the big crime!!
It's still the US where you're innocent until provien guilty, f'in dope.
Unbelievable that JoeP is allowed to carry on. In the true spirit of PennState, The Game Must Go On!!! Never mind the humiliation, and traumatisation of those children. Penn S Tate keeps showing their true colors and the students are just fine with that. Hope your children never encounter a selfish Joe Paterno Nor a much more aggresive Jerry!
Protesters for men who didn't have the balls to out a boy rapin' sociopath? What's next?
...and the fact that people are talking about football at ALL in this thread shows how moronic, selfish and callous we've become. Try raping someone in front of me and not only will the cops be called immediately but you're also gonna be getting a beating.