knapplc Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 Paterno has culpability because Pennsylvania has an automatic-reporter law. Once he was informed something like this happened, he is bound by state law to report it to the police. He was, allegedly, informed by the Grad Asst, and did not go to the police. Not sure what the statute of limitations on this is, but I don't think Paterno is being prosecuted for anything. But he certainly didn't do everything in his power to protect these children. That's where he's (justifiably, in my opinion) taking flak. Didn't this happen after Sandusky was no longer part of the staff though? If that's the case, and Paterno did report it to his higher ups, then he did the right thing. Remember hearsay is inadmissible in court, so Paterno calling the police saying someone told him something happened, isn't exactly going to work. Sandusky being on the staff is irrelevant. JoePa still had reporting obligations simply to protect the welfare of the child. He needed to alert authorities that something happened. From there it's up to the authorities to investigate, but his primary responsibility is only to the child, not to report to the higher-up. Further, Sandusky was on staff for the 1998 incident. So this argument is somewhat invalid. 2 Quote Link to comment
Coqui Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 Paterno has culpability because Pennsylvania has an automatic-reporter law. Once he was informed something like this happened, he is bound by state law to report it to the police. He was, allegedly, informed by the Grad Asst, and did not go to the police. Not sure what the statute of limitations on this is, but I don't think Paterno is being prosecuted for anything. But he certainly didn't do everything in his power to protect these children. That's where he's (justifiably, in my opinion) taking flak. Didn't this happen after Sandusky was no longer part of the staff though? If that's the case, and Paterno did report it to his higher ups, then he did the right thing. Remember hearsay is inadmissible in court, so Paterno calling the police saying someone told him something happened, isn't exactly going to work. Sandusky being on the staff is irrelevant. JoePa still had reporting obligations simply to protect the welfare of the child. He needed to alert authorities that something happened. From there it's up to the authorities to investigate, but his primary responsibility is only to the child, not to report to the higher-up. Further, Sandusky was on staff for the 1998 incident. So this argument is somewhat invalid. Ill admit I havent been fully following the story. Im just giving him the benefit of the doubt. Quote Link to comment
NoKoolAidForME Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 Not funny. You're the 2nd person I've seen try to make light of this situation. Pretty sick if you ask me. I usually find humor in situations. I agree this is not one of them. There are a lot of lives that have been damaged because of this idiot. They say these kind of things beget a cycle. In the years when kids are most impressionable this monster preys on the kids innocence and probably get their silence because he convinces them this is normal. Quote Link to comment
Calla Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 Not sure if this belongs in other teams section, but.... Should Joe Paterno Survive Penn State’s Child Sex Scandal? Paterno, of all people, was never supposed to go out like this. http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/11/08/should-joe-paterno-survive-penn-states-child-sex-scandal/ Long story short, JoePa was told by a witness that something of a sexual nature happened between Sandusky and a 10 year old boy and instead of calling the police, he told his boss. And then let it go at that. This makes me sad. Like the TIME writer, I would never have expected JoePa to not ferociously move to protect a child. This will tarnish him forever. Rightfully. Quote Link to comment
BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 Not funny. You're the 2nd person I've seen try to make light of this situation. Pretty sick if you ask me. I usually find humor in situations. I agree this is not one of them. There are a lot of lives that have been damaged because of this idiot. They say these kind of things beget a cycle. In the years when kids are most impressionable this monster preys on the kids innocence and probably get their silence because he convinces them this is normal. The movie Sleepers is loosely based on a true story and gives some insight how screwed up they can be later Quote Link to comment
NoKoolAidForME Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 There was an episode of Law and Order SVU called Personal Foul. It was the second show of the new season. The case is very similar to this show. He had a kids program and was coach. A special room in the basement. I believe there was even a book with a name similar to the touched book Sandusky wrote. Quote Link to comment
Caven Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 Not sure if this belongs in other teams section, but.... Should Joe Paterno Survive Penn State’s Child Sex Scandal? Paterno, of all people, was never supposed to go out like this. http://newsfeed.time...ld-sex-scandal/ Long story short, JoePa was told by a witness that something of a sexual nature happened between Sandusky and a 10 year old boy and instead of calling the police, he told his boss. And then let it go at that. This makes me sad. Like the TIME writer, I would never have expected JoePa to not ferociously move to protect a child. This will tarnish him forever. Rightfully. Well - he did kind of tell the police. He reported it to the head of the campus police. Now whether or not he should have followed up is a completely separate issue but you can't fault him for not reporting it to the authorities. Quote Link to comment
Husker John Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 Probably a good idea to rename this trophy NOW !!!! Quote Link to comment
knapplc Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 I just posted the same thing in another thread, John. Quote Link to comment
knapplc Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 It's looking entirely possible, in the wake of the cancellation of the JoePa presser, that PSU may be announcing his "retirement" in the next couple of days. Quote Link to comment
Woody Tressel Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 A lot of things can be forgotten and even forgiven - but, child molestation is not one of them. Hell, in prison, the criminals even have standards and don't tolerate child molesters. Quote Link to comment
knapplc Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 Penn State Said to be Planning Paterno's Exit Amid Scandal STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Joe Paterno’s tenure as coach of the Penn State football team will soon be over, perhaps within days or weeks, in the wake of a sex-abuse scandal that has implicated university officials, according to two people briefed on conversations among the university’s top officials. The board of trustees has yet to determine the precise timing of Paterno’s exit, but it is clear that the man who has more victories than any other coach at college football’s top level and who made Penn State a prestigious brand will not survive to coach another season. Discussions about how to manage his departure have begun, according to the two people. Paterno was to have held a news conference Tuesday but the university canceled it less than an hour before it was scheduled to start. Quote Link to comment
74Hunter Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 I know that this is slightly off topic, but it seems that Dr. Tom and JoePa are pretty good friends. I wonder what Tom's views are on this. Quote Link to comment
Husker John Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 Penn State Said to be Planning Paterno's Exit Amid Scandal STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Joe Paterno’s tenure as coach of the Penn State football team will soon be over, perhaps within days or weeks, in the wake of a sex-abuse scandal that has implicated university officials, according to two people briefed on conversations among the university’s top officials. The board of trustees has yet to determine the precise timing of Paterno’s exit, but it is clear that the man who has more victories than any other coach at college football’s top level and who made Penn State a prestigious brand will not survive to coach another season. Discussions about how to manage his departure have begun, according to the two people. Paterno was to have held a news conference Tuesday but the university canceled it less than an hour before it was scheduled to start. This is moving a lot faster than I thought it would.... Quote Link to comment
EbylHusker Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 It has to move fast. PSU is now on damage control and they will try to limit the damage as much as possible, which means jettisoning those coming under criticism ASAP. The faster their response, the less damaging it is to PSU as a whole. Quote Link to comment
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