Yea, way over the top. Suddenly he is a one dimensional man treated as if he actually took advantage of kids. He reported to [sic]he's superiors whatever was told to him and they did nothing about it. Sometimes you are a cog in the wheel, sometimes you just don't get involved, sometimes you make a bad decision not to get involved, but seriously despite being a popular coach, something he lived and breathed he did not run Penn State and he's focus was not likely to be the campus cop.
Michiganball, the Grand Jury indictment found that Paterno violated local and state law that required him to follow-up with authorities directly if he didn't hear back from the AD on this.
For example, in Nebraska, State law stipulates that a teacher or coach that reports child abuse or neglect to an AD or Principal/VP should expect written confirmation of what steps that superior took in 24 hours. If that confirmation does not occur, then the teacher or coach is obligated to go to the authorities directly, no exception. I would imagine the Pennsylvania law was similar in nature.
Joe Pa may not have molested those children, but after reporting what he was provided to the AD, he failed in his duty as a coach to follow-up with the AD to ensure that any steps, let alone the proper steps, were taken. Unless something comes out in writing from the AD to Joe Pa that specifically says "I've handled this, don't worry about it any longer" (which there isn't, or the Trustees wouldn't have terminated Joe Pa), then Joe Pa is complicit.
We all have a responsibility to defend those that are defenseless in society, especially 10 year old boys that, per the Grand Jury indictment, were getting sodomized by a 50+ man in a Penn State lockerroom shower. If that was your son or daughter, you'd be more than disappointed in the inaction that Joe Pa took.
Plus, this *isn't* a one-time, momentary lapse in judgement that Joe Pa had. Joe Pa had every opportunity to report this to the authorities or follow-up with the AD on this
every single day since he reported this to the AD. That's a serious lapse in judgement that occurred day in, and day out, for years.
Perhaps maybe I'm just not as jaded or callous as others--but if I were to get knowledge that a 10 year old boy was being sodomized by a 50+ year old man, that's not something I could sit on for days...let alone months or years like Joe Pa did, as I have a conscience, and I have compassion for those that can't protect themselves--I would be following up, and if I wasn't satisfied with the answers, I'd do the right thing and go to the cops.
