We have been following the Penn State scandal and the school’s possible culpability in the matter. Now the long-awaited Freeh report has been issued (a copy is below). The report is a damning indictment of the school which is found to have failed to protect the children in order to protect the school from embarrassment. This included “striking lack of empathy for child abuse victims by the most senior leaders of the University.”
Both former president Graham Spanier and former head football coach Joe Paterno are found to have “failed to protect against a child sexual predator harming children for over a decade.” Former university vice president Gary Schultz and ex-athletic director Tim Curley were also found to have failed to protect the children. These officials effectively facilitated the abuse by continuing to give Sandusky the means used for the abuse: “Indeed, that continued access provided Sandusky with the very currency that enabled him to attract his victims. Some coaches, administrators and football program staff members ignored the red flags of Sandusky’s behaviors and no one warned the public about him.” The board of trustees is also mentioned as failing its responsibility in the face of what Freeh found was active concealment of the crimes: “These men concealed Sandusky’s activities from the Board of Trustees, the University community and authorities. They exhibited a striking lack of empathy for Sandusky’s victims by failing to inquire as to their safety and well-being, especially by not attempting to determine the identity of the child who Sandusky assaulted in the Lasch Building in 2001.”
Athletic director Tim Curley is found to have clearly revealed the alleged crimes to former head coach Joe Paterno but “they changed the plan and decided not to make a report to the authorities.” Indeed, while McQueary reported the assault to Paterno on Saturday, February 10, Paterno reported the incident to Curley and Schultz on Sunday, February 11 as Paterno did not “want to interfere with their weekends.”
Cynthia Baldwin, a former Board member and Chair, also is criticized as the school’s first general counsel. The report states that she failed to brief the board until such a briefing was demanded by a trustee and downplayed the significance for the school. She also failed to bring in someone experienced with criminal matters and opposed an independent investigation. Ironically, in the effort to avoid independent review and action, Baldwin contributed to a far worse result for her client.
The report will no doubt assist any lawsuit for negligence against the university. Penn State is a state university but may not be able to use sovereign immunity because it is not a member of the Pennsylvania System of Higher Education.
There is also the question of liability for the Second Mile organization. On March 19, 2001, Curley met with the executive director of the Second Mile and “shared the information we had with him.” The Second Mile leadership simply found the matter to be a “non‐incident” and took no further action.
It is a report that shows a consistent and disturbing series of failures in university and Second Mile officials taking the allegation seriously or taking meaningful action to protect these victims.
This is one of the areas where the threat of liability would be a good thing. There is no evidence of concern for the victims in this matter. What does come out of the report and earlier news account is a football culture that overwhelmed every other concern at the university. This has long been a concern among academics over the degree of reliance and identification of universities with their sports programs. The report describes Penn State as creating a “culture of reverence.”
Freeh notes “Our most saddening and sobering finding is the total disregard for the safety and welfare of Sandusky’s child victims by the most senior leaders at Penn State . . . The most powerful men at Penn State failed to take any steps for 14 years to protect the children who Sandusky victimized.”
Here is the report: freeh.report
Sadly I must agree with Bettykath. This was a broader-based problem than is being let on. The self-serving hypocrisy of letting this loathsome predator continue illustrates that many people who are in positions of authority care more for themselves than their duty. While on some level self interest may be understandable in a given situation, when it comes to something as horrific as child sexual abuse, or indeed child abuse without sex, then the failure to act indicates someone who is essentially inhuman.
I think the Nebraska scandal pamphlet was called “The carefully crafted hoax.”
bettykath,
Is your accusation to be taken literally, that is, boys were given to wealthy donors for sexual purposes? Can you name your source “one who knows”?
And the Freeh report which is limited to only PSU.
Mespo, I really wasn’t all that clear in what I was saying. Yes, it’s about PSU now. And the Freeh report.
BLOUISE, very important point, very good of you to mention it
I have to find those pamphlets I have on that scandal — I once had about 20 of them, red covers, yes, I have to remind myself of the whole thing.
!!!!!!!
yes, one guy went to jail for, what, tax fraud? something similar to that.
Anybody remember the The Franklin Scandal out of Nebraska?
“Save the Ego; victims be dam*ed.” (Woosty)
The real motive behind it all.
“Think how big the fish must be to let PS go down the tubes.” (bettykath)
Well put!
bettykath:
I think I was the one who misinterpreted you. Sorry. It’s all about PSU now. We’ll see in civil discovery if it goes any further.
BFM, yes. Freeh was given free rein to go after Penn State but there are bigger fish being protected. Think how big the fish must be to let PS go down the tubes.
@bettykath “Freeh pulled his punches: on the pimping out of boys to wealthy Second Mile Foundation donors ”
So, it seems that you are saying that all the stuff in the report re ‘follow any leads’ is just window dressing and that the real mission of Freeh was to limit damage by covering up facts and involvement.
If that is the gist of your remarks then it would seem that there is an even bigger story just waiting for exposure by reporters or attorneys filing for damaged parties.
I am assuming prosecutors will not take any action unless their hand is forced by public disclosure.
Very similar to the behavior patterns within the leadership of the Legal community. Save the Lawyer; victims be dam*ed.
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Very similar to the behavior patterns within the leadership of the Financial community. Save the banker; victims be dam*ed.
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Very similar to the behavior patterns within the leadership of the Governance community. Save the politician; governed be dam*ed.
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Very similar to the behavior patterns within the leadership of the Medical community. Save the Doctor; victims be dam*ed.
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Very similar to the behavior patterns within the leadership of the Criminal community. Save the crook; victims be dam*ed.
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Prime motivation behind the behavior patterns within the leadership of the $$$ruled, anti- community community. Save the Ego; victims be dam*ed.
(sorry Blouise, couldn’t resist…)
From someone who knows: Freeh pulled his punches: on the pimping out of boys to wealthy Second Mile Foundation donors and Governor Tom Corbett’s cover-up.
FYI, MSNBC started running an Op-Ed column yesterday titled “NCAA must give death penalty to Penn State”
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/48126484/ns/sports-college_football/
“a football culture that overwhelmed every other concern at the university”
Celebrity worship – – – 1% pissing on the least of us – – – with wannbe defenders
Mythology and the New Feudalism, it just keeps rolling along
Very similar to the behavior patterns within the leadership of the Catholic Church. Save the institution; children be dam*ed.
DEL, pilots have a saying about forgetting to lower the landing gear. There are those who have and those who will.
In this information age, it is harder and harder to keep stuff secret. Tick….tock!
Skimming through Freeh’s report I ponder, “What is the difference between Penn State and the other major sports universities?” What I am left with is, NOTHING…..