November 10, 2011
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This wasn’t the way it was supposed to end
This wasn’t the way it was supposed to end for Joe Paterno.
I did a video on my thoughts about the firing of Joe Paterno. Feel free to listen to my thoughts and then tell me yours.
This wasn’t the way it was supposed to end for Joe Paterno.
I did a video on my thoughts about the firing of Joe Paterno. Feel free to listen to my thoughts and then tell me yours.
Comments (33)
I agree that Paterno shouldn’t have been fired. I wonder if, by firing him, they avoid paying his pension?
this whole thing is mind boggling… but this is why he had to go asap:
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7214753/joe-paterno-firing-was-only-decision-penn-state-nittany-lions-make
what paterno did was for himself, in his own interests… it wasn’t about the victims – and it had to be – doesn’t matter when
you are born – you’re still living in the present… he was the leader, he had to go – and the quicker, the better for all parties…
it was about the signal to the victims… even paterno admitted he should have done more – but at the time he was fighting to keep his job – there were calls for his head in ’02… add a sexual predator story… it would have been bye bye jo then…
thanks for your post!
difficult… Difficult difficult, and honestly, I don’t have/know all of the facts on this so many my particular thoughts won’t even matter.
But, I sort of agree with my bud @xplorrn up there… Something about showing the example to the victims.
At the same time I see where you’re coming from too.
I have mixed emotions with this. I like Joe Paterno and how he ran such a clean program although that can be questioned because of how a couple of years ago 55 players on his roster had run ins with the police.
Paterno was a mandatory reporter and he did report it. He went to the AD and campus police. I think the outcry is that he allowed Sandusky to return to campus and be associated with the football team.
The more I listen to ESPN, the more i think he was fired by the press and court of public opinion.
I am saddened by this, I feel bad for Joe,they should have let him retire.
You’re using Joe’s professional record and his upbringing as a justification for why he didn’t do enough. If he were a Catholic priest who reported another priest’s acts of pedophilia to his bishop and not directly to the police, you would have no problem condemning the guy.
@QuantumStorm - 1. He witnessed nothing.
2. The assistant who witnessed didn’t get fired and all he did was tell JoePa
3. JoePa told his boss
The assistant who witnessed should have gone to the cops. JoePa passed the rumor on to his boss but never saw nothing. It is not JoePa’s fault at all.
I find it interesting that JoePa has become the media scapegoat.
If it’s as heinous as reported, then anyone who knew anything about it shouldn’t have rested until it was completely uncovered and prosecuted. I support the firing.
@Kristenmomof3 - No one is arguing that JoePa is responsible for the acts of pedophilia. My point is, you’re using his career and upbringing as an excuse to exonerate him, whereas if he were a priest in that same situation you would have no problem skewering him.
@QuantumStorm - I don’t tend to talk about Catholic priests so I think you are assuming things about me.
@Kristenmomof3 - So if it were a priest who was in JoePa’s position, would you advocate his exoneration too?
@QuantumStorm - #1 doesn’t a priest normally run his own parish? and isn’t there only normally 1 per parish? So I can’t see how a priest could be in the same position.
@Kristenmomof3 - There can be more than 1 per parish but it varies, usually depending on the size of the parish in general. Some of the large parishes (eg: 6000+ people, 3000+ familes, etc) will have up to a dozen priests, and then there are the bishophrics too.
@QuantumStorm - ok. Then if there are lets say 50 priests in different levels and priest a comes and tells priest 1 that priest b is abusing boys. Priest 1 should tell priest a who saw it to report it. I have no problem with Priest 1 reporting it to his Superior because Priest 1 hasn’t seen anything and only knows what priest a is saying. If anyone should be held accountable for not doing something it is Priest a who saw Priest b doing it and didn’t do something. Not Priest 1 who only heard hearsay and did pass it on to his boss.
@Kristenmomof3 - Okay, that works. In this case, then, the graduate assistant who reported to JoePa would be the accountable one, right?
@QuantumStorm - right. That guy should have done something. He saw it first hand. He should have gone to the cops.
@Kristenmomof3 - Gotcha. Sorry for jumping to conclusions earlier. I don’t know if it’s from past experience or reading something you wrote before but you gave me the impression that you had given inconsistent treatment on similar incidents.
@QuantumStorm - Mike McQueary SAW what was
going on, did nothing, and went home to talk with his dad about it. He
didn’t even talk to Joe until the next day. McQueary was actually THERE,
and did nothing. McQueary was actually THERE and didn’t call the cops.
McQueary waited until the NEXT DAY, after what he SAW in PERSON, he
told Joe Paterno that Sandusky was molesting a boy the day before in the
showers. All Joe had was one guy’s allegation – he didn’t see anything
himself, and the guy had waited overnight before bothering to tell him -
so Joe followed protocol.
@Kristenmomof3 - Did JoePa follow up with the higher-ups as to the status of those allegations?
@QuantumStorm - maybe this will help explain http://abcnews.go.com/US/joe-paternos-firing-penn-state-attorney-general-concern/story?id=14925158#.TrxqEPKHNDQ
He had an eyewitness report of a ten-year old child being raped in the locker room. And he didn’t call the police. I don’t care what else he did. I’m pretty sure that child gets cold comfort from his great coach record. That is all I need to know. He didn’t call the police.
This isn’t Coach Paterno’s fault. He did what he could. He was given day-old, second hand information. Police generally don’t run on such. This is merely the Trustees’ way of getting rid of him. Mike McQueary ought to be the one being axed, not Coach Paterno….
Doing nothing in a situation like this is a conscious choice, and it’s a choice that passively supports the abuse of children. That is not okay under any circumstances, ever. Suspected abuse is enough reason to contact authorities, and the terms surrounding this are actually laid out very neatly. You can read about it here:
http://www.rainn.org/pdf-files-and-other-documents/Public-Policy/Legal-resources/2009-Mandatory-Report/Pennsylvania09C.pdf
(I’ve heard some argue that he’s technically not a mandated reporter and I’d rather avoid that argument. This is clearly an ethical issue, and the reason mandated reporters exist is to make sure these situations are handled ethically. That should be enough).
It’s hard to demonize someone for being unsure of taking the risk in this situation (seemed his career would have suffered either way), but in holding a position of authority, you willingly accept the responsibility to handle manners like these in an ethical and professional way. He didn’t. He was fired. This was a remarkably egregious error, and I’ve yet to see one sound argument for granting him amnesty that isn’t, “But he did good things for football and the university!” He also aided in several young boys being scarred for life. I guess it’s up to you to determine which is more important.
No one involved in this scandal should have a job anymore. If your job involves working with children, directly or indirectly, they are your responsibility. End of story.
By the way, about this only being a rumor? That’s absolutely not his call to make. There’s a reason why these reports are investigated, and there are precautionary measures taken to ensure false claims (if knowingly filed) are responded to in the same manner that any falsified legal claim is.
Sorry for rambling, but this is important to me.
@JandJinJapan - Something you and I agree on
@sixleafclover - Mike McQueary SAW what was going on, did nothing, and went home to talk with his dad about it. He didn’t even talk to Joe until the next day. McQueary was actually THERE, and did nothing. McQueary was actually THERE and didn’t call the cops.
McQueary waited until the NEXT DAY, after what he SAW in PERSON, he told Joe Paterno that Sandusky was molesting a boy the day before in the showers. All Joe had was one guy’s allegation – he didn’t see anything himself, and the guy had waited overnight before bothering to tell him – so Joe followed protocol.
McQueary still has a job. Joe who was retiring at the end of the season doesn’t. (sounds like someone may have been fired to avoid paying pension)
Pennsylvania’s attorney general has voiced “concern” over Penn State University’s firing of legendary football coach Joe Paterno
Nils Hagen-Frederiksen, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania attorney
general’s office, noted that the two officials charged with perjury and
failure to report the abuse are being defended by the university, while
Paterno was fired.
“We have a cooperating witness [Paterno], an individual who testified,
provided truthful testimony,” Hagen-Frederiksen told ABCNews.com, “but
two others who were found by a grand jury to commit perjury whose legal
expenses are being paid for university.
@Kristenmomof3 - I said that no one involved should have a job there anymore and I stand by that – I never once defended McQueary and if you reread my comment, you’ll see that I never would. Someone else refusing to act under even more extreme circumstances doesn’t excuse that Paterno also made the choice not to act, that’s all I’m saying.
I also want to genuinely apologize if my tone is coming off a little harsh or mean. I sort of flip out over this stuff because my work (which is easily the most important thing in my life) involves helping individuals who have survived sexual assault.
@sixleafclover - Here’s what the GJ report
says… Paterno hears allegations from McQuery the day after the
incident. Reports it to PSU AD(his boss) and the head of University
police(the 2 that got indicted for perjury).The Pres of PSU is informed.
The incident is closed as “w/out
merit”. The DA picks it up and decides there is not enough evidence to
prosecute…oh, yeah…then he disappears and has never been seen again.
How many of you 2nd-guessers would continue your holy crusade after
that? Then the illustrious Atty Gen sits on the info for 6-8 years until
he becomes Gov and wants to slash PSU funding by 50%. How many kids
were harmed while Corbett let this blackmail fester? Then RIGHT AFTER
Paterno gets his record-breaking win the hypocritical bastards release
the GJ report and Corbett orders the PSU BoT to fire Paterno. I smell
political corruption at the highest level and Paterno was the
sacrificial lamb.
@Kristenmomof3 - I’m not disagreeing that there’s a lot wrong with this situation because there most certainly is. Everyone involved messed up on some level. I just know protocol and I know this is a very poor example of following it; every single thing I’ve read corroborates this. I NEVER said Paterno should be prosecuted because I don’t believe that at all. I also don’t think he should be the “sacrificial lamb,” so to speak. Everyone needs to be held accountable and that’s very obviously not happening. PR move? Probably. That has nothing to do with what’s actually right and wrong here.
I seriously take offense to the holy crusade remark. I am in no way debating this so I can feel superior; I’m debating it because I feel like it’s an important dialogue to have.
@Kristenmomof3 - re: cooperating witness, he did cooperate. Cooperating with law enforcement will keep him out of legal trouble, not save his job. I’ve read comments from police who commend him for cooperating but still wonder why he didn’t do more.
@sixleafclover - what more should he have done???? The DA decided not to prosecute back then. What more did you want him to do????
@Kristenmomof3 - I actually just went through the grand jury documents to make sure I’m not arguing something that isn’t true, and it very clearly states that the appropriate authorities were not notified. When you have a first-hand account of a child being raped (or when you hear a first-hand account… or a second-hand account… or or or) you don’t hold a conference, you immediately file a formal report with the agency you’re supposed to report it to.
@sixleafclover - but they were. The DA picks it up and decides there is not enough evidence to prosecute…oh, yeah…then he disappears and has never been seen again. This is big news here. They are talking all about the DA who disappeared again. They would maybe bring him up on charges if they round him. His body was never found. His computer was destroyed and his car found parked next to the river. Many believe he just took off.
Food for thought. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/what-joe-paterno-taught-me-its-time-to-stop-keeping-secrets/2011/11/11/gIQAXiVoDN_story.html?hpid=z2&socialreader_check=0&denied=1
he fulfilled the MINIMUM legal obligation, yes. but the maximum would be to tell the legal authorities for them to begin an investigation.
he may not have seen firsthand, but he knew about the act. he should and could have done more, but he chose not to. his reasons had nothing to do with anyone but himself, and that’s what i think is wrong. he was acting selfishly when he could have protected children.
so, i completely support his termination, yes.