Submitted by Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
The reports from State College, Pa are shocking. Long-time assistant to iconic coach, Joe Paterno, charged with multiple counts of deviant sexual acts with at least eight minors — most under age 12. University administrators who did nothing despite horrific credible eyewitness accounts of explicit sexual acts in locker rooms and showers. Disadvantaged kids taken advantage of by an authority figure who founded an organization ostensibly to help them, but apparently designed to fulfill his own aberrational desires.
These are the findings of the Grand Jury, and once unassailable Pennsylvania State University stands at a moral crossroads. At the institution’s hip stands legendary football coach, Joe Paterno, who is held out by the football world and the media as a guy who “does it right.” No cheating, no lascivious recruiting, no flashy uniforms a la’ Nike’s Oregon or Under Armour’s Maryland–the guy who made his football team clean the stadium after a game when criminal charges were placed against two of them. In short, a saint in the religion that has become football in Football America.
The center of the storm is former Penn State assistant coach, Jerry
Sandusky, who made football fans everywhere think of the school as “Linebacker U.” An innovative mind who literally wrote the book on linebackers, Sandusky was Paterno’s right-hand man, and his heir apparent in Happy Valley. The problem was Paterno just didn’t ever retire. Now at age 84 and in his 44th season coaching, Paterno is going strong and adding to his record 409 FCS wins. Frustrated by the wait, Sandusky, 67, applied for several head coaching jobs, but, failing in that, retired in 1999 to work full-time with the Second Mile Foundation he created in 1977. Second Mile was designed to give disadvantaged youth “activities and programs for children [and] … to promote self-confidence as well as physical, academic, and personal success.”
Sandusky is alleged by the Grand Jury to have done quite a bit more. In 2002, a Penn State grad student overheard “rhythmic slapping” noises in the locker room showers. After putting away his tennis shoes, the 28-year-old went to investigate. What he saw can only be described as deviancy. According to published reports, the young man saw Sandusky involved in anal intercourse with a child he estimated to be age 10 (Victim #2). He fled the scene shocked and the next day, accompanied by his father, reported the episode to Paterno. Paterno listened intently and then immediately reported it to University AD, Tim Curley. A week and a half later, the grad student met with Curley and University VP for Finance, Gary Shultz. They too listened intently and assured him that steps would be taken. They weren’t. All that happened was that Sandusky’s keys to the locker room were taken away.
Then there’s that report by a University janitor who also caught Sandusky in the showers with another child victim ( Victim #8). He reported it to his supervisor. What happened at ol’ PSU in the face of the most unspeakable of crimes? Nada, zip, zilch… why, nothing at all. No report to the police as required of all educators under Pennsylvania law (In Pennsylvania, the statute requires all individuals who encounter a case of abuse through their professional capacity to make a report). No attempt to find out who the child was or to help him.
There is lots more. The Attorney’s General’s Report, found here (Warning:
it’s graphic), reports fondling, oral sex, and night-time sexual assaults against children “sleeping over” at the Sandusky home and at other places. There’s even lots more about Curley and VP of Finance Shultz. Seems neither man recalls the grad student mentioning anything about anal sex in the shower that night. All these folks remember is something about Sandusky and the naked ten-year-old just “horsing around.” Maybe that’s how they view screwing people over in the world of university finance and university athletics?
The Grand Jury didn’t buy it either and have charged both with perjury in their testimony.
As you probably guessed, the Old Boys have pulled together. No charges of failing to report the act to police against the iconic coach or anyone else at Penn State either — at least not yet. University President, Graham Spanier, issued a statement saying, “I have known and worked daily with Tim and Gary for more than 16 years. I have complete confidence in how they have handled the allegations about a former University employee.” Tim and Gary aren’t issuing statements.
St. Joe’s not talking either according to the Athletic Department, but as a football icon he can’t keep that up forever. I’d like to pose a question here from a fellow coach: “Joe, as a legend in a profession who has as its mantra that ‘we’re in it for the kids,’ why would you ignore the suffering of and brutality against one of those kids whose only flaw seems to be that he’s not old enough to suit up yet?”
I’d like an honest answer to that. And then I’d like another question answered of every man that was involved — whether as a witness, authority figure, supervising coach,or just as a father of kids. Why didn’t you step up and confront that old bastard in the showers and hit him with all your might right square in the nose?
Source: Washington Post
~Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
Gene,
you are right about the hero worship concept.
“Joe Pa is such a revered figure there that he could probably shoot someone in the center of the stadium and not be charged.”
Therein lies the mystery to me.
Mespo,
that is why I am surprised that more “officials” at PSU weren’t not indicted. However, Joe Pa is such a revered figure there that he could probably shoot someone in the center of the stadium and not be charged.
rafflaw:
Pennsylvania law requires anyone aware of child abuse — not just educators and health care professionals as in your state and mine — to report it to CPS or police. That’s what so damn infuriating.
Under Illinois law teachers and administrators are required by law to report this kind of criminal behavior to the DCFS. Wouldn’t Joe Pa come under that label, if he knew of these crimes and did nothing?
Great article Mark.
As you probably guessed, the Old Boys have pulled together. -mespo
…as they so often do… (…and what Mike S. said, with the exception of the part about loving and watching all major sports.)
Thanks for this posting, mespo.
James in LA,
Don’t get me wrong. I do understand admiring skill and the positive values team sports can to create in kids yet also often fails to create through no fault on the children’s part. I find that the failures are more often than not rooted in the hero worship of non-players; from recruiting violations to excusing or turning a blind eye to bad player behavior both on and off the field. It’s the excessive and nearly divine adoration that’s a mystery to me, not the love of a sport nor the admiration of excellence. To use a war analogy as a distinction, I understand (and share in) admiration of Napoleon as a strategist and tactician but I cannot understand any hero worship of someone who was otherwise a petty despicable tyrant and generally bad human being. I would not suggest throwing out the baby with the bathwater, merely checking to see if that’s the right baby and if that’s really bathwater.
Major college sports have always been rotten at their core. We make icons of Coaches like Paterno but only if they keep winning. Sportscasters and writers must develop hagiographies to keep access and to act as “priests” of this religion of hero worship. It’s all tied in with the false values of pseudo American values so loved by those who would distract the citizenry from their deteriorating freedoms.
I state this as one who loves and watches all major sports. However, the hype, pseudo patriotism and naked commercialism are obvious and obnoxious to me and somewhat limit my enthusiasm. In college sports even the patina of amateurism covers the history of athletics being the province of the elite. Paterno, like many before him has stayed too long at the party.
They all failed to make a report … they broke the law. Paterno’s success as a coach does not put him above the law. Every day that has passed since he first was informed in 2002 is a day he broke the law. Every day that has passed since he was first informed in 2002 is a day he had the opportunity to show remorse and uphold the law. It’s not complicated.
Oh I’m certain none of these”men” were attempting through their silence to protect an alleged pervert. I’m sure the excuse they gave themselves was three fold … we must protect the university, the football program, and the money said football program generates for said university. Well, it worked for 9 years but now it’s not just one alleged pervert but a whole slew of alleged cover-up law breakers and one alleged pervert.
Finally, and of far more importance than any university or football program, there are the children … every single one of them since 2002.
“They worship grown men who are paid to play a child’s game. Why remains a mystery to me.”
Gene, there are whole communities, many poor as dirt, for whom football is their sunrise and sunset. It’s a child’s game as to outcome, but team sports in general can teach positive values. How to win, and get along doing it. For those on the pathway that has not yet led them to university, or even a GeD, in their world, football is the one place they feel they can achieve. It binds together communities. It goes on to pay for most other sports. A lot of young men would otherwise be on the streets without team sports. We can argue about other activities they “could” be doing, but this does nothing to diminish, in many, the love of sports.
I invite us all not to throw baby out with bathwater. Penn State has a serious legal problem. Football, and team sports in general, do not.
If Paterno knew anything, time for retirement and more grand juries. When a young person who has been told they cannot achieve all their lives, and does so on the grid iron, you better believe they are going to worship the people that told them they could do it. This man is worse than a priest because people take their football more seriously than church.
mespo,
In that case, sir, I can only say keep fighting the good fight.
Gene H:
No halo on these guys to me. I know lots of them and most I wouldn’t invite home for dinner. The reason I got into coaching was because I saw a lot of the harm these “gods’ were doing to kids. IMHO the next great scandal will be just how dangerous some of these overgrown jocks can be to impressionable kids through their antics. A few are great; most are duds; and some are down right destructive.
“Why didn’t you step up and confront that old bastard in the showers and hit him with all your might right square in the nose?”
Everyone knows it’s not polite to strike a god, mespo.
A large part of this problem is caused by the undue reverence in this country for those involved in sports. To admire skill is one thing, but many Americans put players and coaches on a pedestal. They worship grown men who are paid to play a child’s game. Why remains a mystery to me.
AY:
Lighter uniforms?
mespo,
Has much really changed….
AY:
At least they Roman Army had the excuse of being farther back in the evolutionary timeline by about two millennium.
Oops. My reading comprehension “fell back,” too.
Training for the Roman Army…..
Nal:
That’s right. Curley and Shultz were the “both” that were charged. Paterno’s off the “legal hook” so far. As far as the “moral hook,” I’ll let the comments onthis thread speak for themselves.
According to the WaPo article, Paterno wasn’t charged.