Isn't Penn State timing odd?

[huskergar]

Is it just me or is it slightly odd that all of the Penn State firestorm, including of course Joe Paterno's firing, comes just weeks after he breaks the all time wins record? How did this all just now happen and come out when everything I've read indicates people have known for quite some time. It might just be me but it seems like they waited.

[redblooded]

No, it's not odd. It's a direct result of indictments by a grand jury.

[ZRod]

No, it's not odd. It's a direct result of indictments by a grand jury.

This. It's not odd just a coincidence. This was an investigation at the state level not the school or town. A grand jury investigation is basically a trial to see if a criminal trial can be held. From my understanding they determine if there is enough evidence present to take the case to trial. So it takes as long as it takes, and this is when they finished with their findings.

[HuskerCarter]

Yea, most of the hearings were held in Dec 2010.

 

Wow, can you imagine how messed up the Big Ten would look if the Jim Tressel and Joe Paterno scandals hit the press at the same time?

[huskergar]

Ah that does make sense. It's crazy how everything falls apart right after he makes history. Scandals seems to be coming everywhere in college football lately, and yes the Big 10 would have done a lot to the Big Ten if those broke at the same time. Say the Tressel and Paterno scandals did hit the press at the same time, and it was before we joined the conference, do you think we still make the move?

[redblooded]

Ah that does make sense. It's crazy how everything falls apart right after he makes history. Scandals seems to be coming everywhere in college football lately, and yes the Big 10 would have done a lot to the Big Ten if those broke at the same time. Say the Tressel and Paterno scandals did hit the press at the same time, and it was before we joined the conference, do you think we still make the move?

 

Yeah, probably, but it'd be a lot less popular.

[ZRod]

 

Ah that does make sense. It's crazy how everything falls apart right after he makes history. Scandals seems to be coming everywhere in college football lately, and yes the Big 10 would have done a lot to the Big Ten if those broke at the same time. Say the Tressel and Paterno scandals did hit the press at the same time, and it was before we joined the conference, do you think we still make the move?

Life is strange that way, happens more often than you think.

 

 

 

I think we would have made the move, but it's hard to tell. I think PSU is more of a black eye to the institution than it is to the B1G, but neither looks all that good because of it.

[HuskerCarter]

We still would have made the move, but i think more Nebraskans would have opposed it.

[Guy Chamberlin]

Speaking of timing:

 

If this epic meltdown of Joe Paterno and Penn State had happened first, would you have had the energy to seek Jim Tressel's outster for not reporting that some of his players got free tattoos?

[da skers]

Speaking of timing:

 

If this epic meltdown of Joe Paterno and Penn State had happened first, would you have had the energy to seek Jim Tressel's outster for not reporting that some of his players got free tattoos?

Apples and oranges. Joe didn't cheat, he didn't even technically break the law and reported it to his Supervisor. Where Joe failed is with humanity. Because he knew and didn't get involved other kids were molested. His mistake was that he didn't want to get involved. I guess I liken it to being a neighbor who see's a guy beat the sh#t out of his wife on the front lawn but doesn't do anything or call for help. Two days later she's missing, and a month later they find her body in a lake somewhere. That neighbor is just as responsible for her death because they could have done something.

 

Hind sight is 20/20 but I would guess that if Joe would have done something in 2002 people would have championed him as a hero for helping those boys and stopping a hideous person. But he didn't. . .because of that. . .if I'm a betting man... I would guess that it will come to light that JoePa had known much much more than he has indicated.

[VectorVictor]

Apples and oranges. Joe didn't cheat, he didn't even technically break the law and reported it to his Supervisor.

 

The Grand Jury indictment indicated that there were was a PA or local law on the books that required educators and coaches to report abuse to the authorities. While he did report it to the AD, it's a very murky area that wouldn't bode well for Joe Pa if they did take him to court, as Joe Pa did not follow-up on this issue and inform the 'proper' authorities for years after it happened.

 

That's a chance for every day that Joe Pa could have went to the AD and said 'what came out of that boy in the shower situation', and if he wasn't given a straight answer, he goes to Spanier, and then the cops.

 

The only reason that Joe Pa is likely escaping prosecution here is because he cooperated with authorities and the Prosecuting Attorneys, and because the easy kills/low hanging fruit are Sandusky and those they accused of perjury. Plus, if this situiation is a media circus now, imagine what it would be if Joe Pa were charged with perjury or another charge implicating his complicity in this matter, intentional or otherwise.

 

No, this is more than hindsight--this is willful neglect, and any reasonable, rational person that hears reports of a 10 year old boy being sodomized in a locker room shower you're responsible for would follow-up and ensure that the *proper* authorities (read: police, not AD or Chancellor) were notified.

[DelK]

Apples and oranges. Joe didn't cheat, he didn't even technically break the law and reported it to his Supervisor.

 

The Grand Jury indictment indicated that there were was a PA or local law on the books that required educators and coaches to report abuse to the authorities. While he did report it to the AD, it's a very murky area that wouldn't bode well for Joe Pa if they did take him to court, as Joe Pa did not follow-up on this issue and inform the 'proper' authorities for years after it happened.

 

That's a chance for every day that Joe Pa could have went to the AD and said 'what came out of that boy in the shower situation', and if he wasn't given a straight answer, he goes to Spanier, and then the cops.

 

The only reason that Joe Pa is likely escaping prosecution here is because he cooperated with authorities and the Prosecuting Attorneys, and because the easy kills/low hanging fruit are Sandusky and those they accused of perjury. Plus, if this situiation is a media circus now, imagine what it would be if Joe Pa were charged with perjury or another charge implicating his complicity in this matter, intentional or otherwise.

 

No, this is more than hindsight--this is willful neglect, and any reasonable, rational person that hears reports of a 10 year old boy being sodomized in a locker room shower you're responsible for would follow-up and ensure that the *proper* authorities (read: police, not AD or Chancellor) were notified.

 

What he said. Good words and good thinking. It's tough getting my mind around how the coach didn't wake up in the middle of some night after McQueary (sp?) told him what he saw and talk to the sherrif, the county attorney, campus police, or city police first thing in the morning (or even in the middle of the night).

DADGUMMIT one less person that I can look up to. Two down this year.

[Guy Chamberlin]

Just saying free tattoos now sounds whimsically innocent compared to enabling a pedophile.

 

And if Jim Tressel's transgressions were to come to light next week, he's still get in trouble, but hold on to his job.

[ladyhawke]

Question: If all of this was going on with so many boys, why didn't some of them step up before now? If this had been going on since 1994, surely some of them would've said something before now. I, too, think it's weird that it's all coming into play now. I can see that the grand jury investigations take a long time but the timing seems weird, almost like a set up-like they wanted JoePa out and wanted him out now. It all seems so sinister to me. I am glad that it's out though. I just cannot for the life of me understand why that Grad student didn't take Sandusky out when he saw him harming that little boy. Sandusky would've been a soprano if I would've caught him doing that to a little boy-the janitor too! What were they thinking??

[ZRod]

Question: If all of this was going on with so many boys, why didn't some of them step up before now? If this had been going on since 1994, surely some of them would've said something before now. I, too, think it's weird that it's all coming into play now. I can see that the grand jury investigations take a long time but the timing seems weird, almost like a set up-like they wanted JoePa out and wanted him out now. It all seems so sinister to me. I am glad that it's out though. I just cannot for the life of me understand why that Grad student didn't take Sandusky out when he saw him harming that little boy. Sandusky would've been a soprano if I would've caught him doing that to a little boy-the janitor too! What were they thinking??

The whole situation could be a complete course in psychology and sociology. I would guess when they were younger they didn't come forward out of fear or ignorance. Don't forget these were mostly disadvantaged kids so they may have been weary of what could happen to them if they told anybody what happened. And when they were older they either could have been too ashamed to speak out, or like one said in their testimony they couldn't remember too many details because they probably tried to block it out or forget about it.