The Sex Abuse Scandal at PSU

[SoCalDukeFan]

I am the first to admit that I really don't know how I would have reacted if I were McQuery.

But he was a strong 28 year old athlete. Apparently he saw an older man raping a boy in the shower. Rather than try to stop it, rather than call the police, he called his Dad.

The next day he is talking to JoePa. Does he tell JoePa I saw a rape and called my Daddy? Or does he make it seem less serious?

I can come up with scenarios whereby JoePa should be thrown in jail and the key thrown away. I can come up with others whereby he acted properly.

BTW in 1998 it was known to the DA etc that Sandusky was taking showers with boys and no charges were brought.

I will wait until the whole story comes out.

SoCal

[JamminJoe]

I'm not sure you guys are really putting yourself in the situation that Mcquery was in. This is a really horrible example, but...Let's say you're a life-long Duke fan, and after many many years you are able to finally make a trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium to watch a game. The game is the next day but the night before, you are able to visit the grounds and you find an open door into Cameron. So you wander and and you are just in awe of everything, Coach K court, the locker rooms,...Okay, I'm really not able to go further with this story, but you can see where I'm going with this. It would be a shocking scene which would totally blow away your whole perception of reality. Are you telling me you would be able to call the police right then and there? Of course you would know that the Duke program and the man who built it would just be totally destroyed by this, by your blowing the whistle and informing the police.

This is the scene that Mcquery and those janitors 2 years previous encountered. It would not be an easy situation to handle, and I would say the majority of Duke fans, of posters on this board, would be running away that night, too scared and confused to do a thing.

[DukieInKansas]

I'm not sure you guys are really putting yourself in the situation that Mcquery was in. This is a really horrible example, but...Let's say you're a life-long Duke fan, and after many many years you are able to finally make a trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium to watch a game. The game is the next day but the night before, you are able to visit the grounds and you find an open door into Cameron. So you wander and and you are just in awe of everything, Coach K court, the locker rooms,...Okay, I'm really not able to go further with this story, but you can see where I'm going with this. It would be a shocking scene which would totally blow away your whole perception of reality. Are you telling me you would be able to call the police right then and there? Of course you would know that the Duke program and the man who built it would just be totally destroyed by this, by your blowing the whistle and informing the police.

This is the scene that Mcquery and those janitors 2 years previous encountered. It would not be an easy situation to handle, and I would say the majority of Duke fans, of posters on this board, would be running away that night, too scared and confused to do a thing.

None of us can really put ourselves in any of the shoes as PSU. I would certainly hope that I would put the welfare of any child above my personal feelings for an individual or program but I can't say with 100% certainty that I would. I hope none of us ever have to face the choices they faced. The options are always so much clearer in hindsight.

[sagegrouse]

I am the first to admit that I really don't know how I would have reacted if I were McQuery.

But he was a strong 28 year old athlete. Apparently he saw an older man raping a boy in the shower. Rather than try to stop it, rather than call the police, he called his Dad.

The next day he is talking to JoePa. Does he tell JoePa I saw a rape and called my Daddy? Or does he make it seem less serious?

I can come up with scenarios whereby JoePa should be thrown in jail and the key thrown away. I can come up with others whereby he acted properly.

BTW in 1998 it was known to the DA etc that Sandusky was taking showers with boys and no charges were brought.

I will wait until the whole story comes out.

SoCal

I'm not sure you guys are really putting yourself in the situation that Mcquery was in. This is a really horrible example, but...Let's say you're a life-long Duke fan, and after many many years you are able to finally make a trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium to watch a game. The game is the next day but the night before, you are able to visit the grounds and you find an open door into Cameron. So you wander and and you are just in awe of everything, Coach K court, the locker rooms,...Okay, I'm really not able to go further with this story, but you can see where I'm going with this. It would be a shocking scene which would totally blow away your whole perception of reality. Are you telling me you would be able to call the police right then and there? Of course you would know that the Duke program and the man who built it would just be totally destroyed by this, by your blowing the whistle and informing the police.

This is the scene that Mcquery and those janitors 2 years previous encountered. It would not be an easy situation to handle, and I would say the majority of Duke fans, of posters on this board, would be running away that night, too scared and confused to do a thing.

None of us can really put ourselves in any of the shoes as PSU. I would certainly hope that I would put the welfare of any child above my personal feelings for an individual or program but I can't say with 100% certainty that I would. I hope none of us ever have to face the choices they faced. The options are always so much clearer in hindsight.

The Front Page cited a column by Rob Bracken, the retired sports editor of the local paper, about the incredible amount of secrecy around the football program and -- basically -- everything else at Penn State. This was clearly recognized by McQueary and probably be everyone else.

sagegrouse

[BobbyFan]

I'm not sure you guys are really putting yourself in the situation that Mcquery was in. This is a really horrible example, but...Let's say you're a life-long Duke fan, and after many many years you are able to finally make a trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium to watch a game. The game is the next day but the night before, you are able to visit the grounds and you find an open door into Cameron. So you wander and and you are just in awe of everything, Coach K court, the locker rooms,...Okay, I'm really not able to go further with this story, but you can see where I'm going with this. It would be a shocking scene which would totally blow away your whole perception of reality. Are you telling me you would be able to call the police right then and there? Of course you would know that the Duke program and the man who built it would just be totally destroyed by this, by your blowing the whistle and informing the police.

This is how I feel regarding McQueary's initial reaction; I think the criticisms of his subsequent (non) action are more appropriate. It is so easy to type behind a computer that one would have ran in and pummeled Sandusky, with the benefit of hindsight and not being in the moment, particularly that specific moment it was for McQueary given his relationship with Sandusky.

[roywhite]

This topic actually dropped to page 2 of the DBR threads after last week's frenzied activity.

Inside the Jerry Sandusky investigation - why did it take so long?


Interesting article, again from the original lead reporter Sara Ganim from the Hsbg Patriot-News

Paints investigators, particularly the current Governor of PA, in a bad light for delays and mistakes in handling the case.

[SMO]

This topic actually dropped to page 2 of the DBR threads after last week's frenzied activity.

Inside the Jerry Sandusky investigation - why did it take so long?


Interesting article, again from the original lead reporter Sara Ganim from the Hsbg Patriot-News

Paints investigators, particularly the current Governor of PA, in a bad light for delays and mistakes in handling the case.

You mean a local paper discovered this is more than a Joe Paterno story? I would have suspected the worldwide leader in sports to have uncovered that!

[MulletMan]

The Front Page cited a column by Rob Bracken, the retired sports editor of the local paper, about the incredible amount of secrecy around the football program and -- basically -- everything else at Penn State. This was clearly recognized by McQueary and probably be everyone else.

sagegrouse

I don't find that to be a very insightful editorial at all. In fact, in a number of places there are writers all over this country that have been denied access to Duke who would write that same article and replace Paterno with Krzyzewski and Penn State with Duke. When programs become especially high profile, they need to close ranks and be very careful about who has access, and what information is put out into the public view. Indeed, when you're at the top of the mountain, people like to take shots at you. That seems pretty evident from this past week.

Besides, its all in the eye of the beholder. This guys cites two examples of "pervasive secrecy". One of which is that in a preseason phone call during the 85 or 86 season, when Paterno was asked if there were any players that were injured at this point, he replied with "No... just the usual bumps and bruises." Apparently, at this time, a PSU player was in the hospital after a collision in practice that day had left him paralyzed (he would later make a full recovery). The author of the piece says that Paterno not divulging this information is indicative of horrible secrecy and tight control of information. Is it possible that Paterno simply wanted to contact this player's family before the story broke in a newspaper? I mean, it was 1985 or 86... not like everyone had a cell phone. In fact, most people got news from newspapers at that time... maybe, just maybe, Paterno and PSU wanted to tell the family that their child was terribly injured. Maybe?

Nah... demons don't do nice things.

[CameronBornAndBred]

This topic actually dropped to page 2 of the DBR threads after last week's frenzied activity.

Inside the Jerry Sandusky investigation - why did it take so long?


Interesting article, again from the original lead reporter Sara Ganim from the Hsbg Patriot-News

Paints investigators, particularly the current Governor of PA, in a bad light for delays and mistakes in handling the case.

She was interviewed on NPR this Friday, turns out she is a Penn State grad. The reporter asked if she is a football fan, she said something to the effect of "there is no experience like a Penn State football game", and that she just as affected as others by this scandal. Good to see she can wear her journalist's hat separately than her Nittany Lion cap, I wish the local reporters around the triangle could have done that with the heels.

Here is a cool piece on her.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/gan...dal-2011-11-14

[sagegrouse]

I don't find that to be a very insightful editorial at all. In fact, in a number of places there are writers all over this country that have been denied access to Duke who would write that same article and replace Paterno with Krzyzewski and Penn State with Duke. When programs become especially high profile, they need to close ranks and be very careful about who has access, and what information is put out into the public view. Indeed, when you're at the top of the mountain, people like to take shots at you. That seems pretty evident from this past week.

Besides, its all in the eye of the beholder. This guys cites two examples of "pervasive secrecy". One of which is that in a preseason phone call during the 85 or 86 season, when Paterno was asked if there were any players that were injured at this point, he replied with "No... just the usual bumps and bruises." Apparently, at this time, a PSU player was in the hospital after a collision in practice that day had left him paralyzed (he would later make a full recovery). The author of the piece says that Paterno not divulging this information is indicative of horrible secrecy and tight control of information. Is it possible that Paterno simply wanted to contact this player's family before the story broke in a newspaper? I mean, it was 1985 or 86... not like everyone had a cell phone. In fact, most people got news from newspapers at that time... maybe, just maybe, Paterno and PSU wanted to tell the family that their child was terribly injured. Maybe?

Nah... demons don't do nice things.

MM--

I linked the column for three reasons:

1. The guy was the sports editor of the local rag for -- like -- forever. I figured he was an authority -- especially because he came out of retirement to write a painful piece on the program he covered every day for decades. He gave two examples of a "controlling secrecy," and I was willing to grant that he could have given 200.

2. I found this quote especially striking --

We all, those of us who observed Joe Paterno and his program over many years, felt that it would end badly for him but none of us could have concocted such a horrific denouement.

"We... all ... felt that it would end badly for him [Paterno]." Wow! I never thought it would end badly for Paterno, except the likelihood that he would die with his boots on. I got the picture from Bracken's statement of Paterno having a death grip on the program and Penn State, so much so that he was unable to plan and execute a graceful exit from the scene.

3. The "controlling secrecy" around the program -- if true -- helps explain a lot about McQueary's reaction (and also that of the three principals) and the caution he displayed in even reporting it to Paterno. And, of course, I know that "explain" his actions is a lot different from "excuse" his actions.

sagegrouse

[roywhite]

Another casualty in the scandal, this one not surprising.

Jack Raykovitz, Second MIle President, Resigns


I don't see how the charity itself will survive. Despite doing some good work over the years, it certainly appears to have been at least partially a way for Sandusky to procure victims; the charity also did not take steps to remove Sandusky until just a few years ago.

[PADukeMom]

This just keeps getting worse.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45286426...me_and_courts/

Let me state this, the JoePa of 2011 is most definately NOT the JoePA of 1991 or even 2001. I don't know Paterno so I can't say 100% but from listening to his weekly press conferences for decades he's just not the same. All I can note from a child who has a parent in their middle 80's things just don't register like they used to. My Mom can tell me the same story 3 times in a 5 minute conversation. From my understanding is he reported this to Shultz who is the head of security.
I do have my doubts that JoePa has really been coaching this team for quite a number of years. I think he was more there as a figurehead & face of Penn State. I really do think the assistants were doing the vast majority of coaching the x's & o's. This is my opinion only. Before this horrible series of events, how could an icon be replaced without alienating the entire Lion Nation?
Wins & losses still don't add up to anything when it comes at the cost of a child.

[Ping Lin]

Coach K weighs in: Paterno a great man in a horrific situation
http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/201...ion/?src=twrhp

Over the past couple of days, my views have changed. I was against the firing of JoePa, but have come around to support it, and everything else. I suppose the situation will be clearer in the next few months.

[stillcrazie]

Does Sandusky have a wife or kids? I have heard nothing about them.

[hood7]

Does Sandusky have a wife or kids? I have heard nothing about them.

He has a wife and six adopted kids (5 boys, one girl). At least a couple of the kids were originally 2nd-Mile kids, I believe.

[roywhite]

Does Sandusky have a wife or kids? I have heard nothing about them.

Sandusky is married; he and his wife have 6 children, all adopted, and also took in foster children.

Here is his wiki biography, which includes recent events.

[stillcrazie]

Sandusky is married; he and his wife have 6 children, all adopted, and also took in foster children.

Here is his wiki biography, which includes recent events.

Thanks - I guess I could've googled it, but I was thinking that normally the media would hound the wife and kids over something like this. I can't think of a word worse than "devastated" but if there were one, his wife would be it.

[rthomas]

“Well, I think, unless you’re there, it’s tough to comment about everything,’’ Krzyzewski said. “I just feel badly for him and whatever he is responsible for, it’ll come out and hopefully it’ll come out from him.

I agree with Coach K 100%.

“I think one thing you have to understand is that Coach Paterno’s 84 years old. I’m not saying that for an excuse or whatever. The cultures that he’s been involved in both football-wise and socially, have been immense changes and how social issues are handled in those generations are quite different.

Not sure about this.

“But as we judge, remember that there’s just a lot there. There’s a lot,lot there. I think he’s a great man and it’s a horrific situation.”

yes, but...

[sagegrouse]

He has a wife and six adopted kids (5 boys, one girl). At least a couple of the kids were originally 2nd-Mile kids, I believe.

One son, I believe, works for the Cleveland Browns. -- sage

[SoCalDukeFan]

Most of all who posted here seem to agree that you don't really know how you would react in the situation you faced it.

Maureen Dowd has her take in the New York Times.

Comment 15 is from someone who claims to be have investigated claims of criminal sexual abuse of children in Pennsylvania for 17 years. Not once has a teacher who witnessed the abuse or hear about it from a child called him. Every time they report it the principal or guidance counselor. He or she writes:

"Not only did Mr. Paterno follow the law as it is written in Pennsylvania, he followed normal protocol as it stands throughout the state of Pennsylvania. For him to be condemned for this is unacceptable.. "

http://community.nytimes.com/comment...ml?sort=oldest

Of course after reporting the apparent crime Paterno and McQuery continued to see Sandusky.

SoCal