Is There No PSU Fan Who Gets It?

their Roundtable post, and they had some good points: the 1998 incident was reported to the local police, and the DA did not pursue the case. Other campus police organizations (Notre Dame) failed to report a rape case to local police. etc.

However the point they continue to miss is the highest level of Penn State leadership reviewed the 1998 case, and -- even though it was turned over to police and not pursued -- they elected to give this guy a retirement package, and allow him continued access to PSU facilities, and when he was caught again, they covered it up rather than reported it.

By the way, the campus police aspect of both the PSU and the ND cases need more focus. Cases like this need to be turned over to real police and DAs as soon as they are reported. Clearly there is a conflict of interest otherwise.

of posters who wanted the administration to fight all of this. Yeah, great idea, drag it out and put yourself in the position of defending complete inaction in the presence of a serial pedophile. All while hoping that the salacious details aren't continually discussed in the press and that additional victims don't come forward. Sounds like a plan.

I also read on BSD that even without the above considerations, the president (who did not consult with the Board of Trustees on this due to the pressing time factor) was faced with going along with this or have a 4 year death penalty imposed on the program. He had no choice.

Looks like we got ourselves a reader . . .

Why does the cover-up have anything to do with the balance of power? Had they dropped the hammer when it first happened the NCAA never would have gotten involved, Sandusky would already be in year 15 (or so) of his jail sentence and Joe Pa would still have his legacy. In no way, shape or form would turning in an assistant ruin Joe Pa or PSU - that's what it's all so confusing to me.  There was no reason to cover it up in the first place, in fact if they had reported it as soon as it happened Joe Pa would have been commended for his quick action so I just don't understand why anyone was even concerned about reporting it.

IMHO, that makes the sane ones bad in their own right.  They need to play an active role in trying to purge or reeducate the crazies.  PSU never self imposed sanctions or anything like that.  Instead the sane ones shut up and let the inmates run the aslyum.  Now they reap what they sow.  

With message board talk dominated by dead-enders who want to run their new administration out on a rail, I suspect a lot of reasonable PSU fans are keeping quiet because they don't want to get into a flame war.

The same sort of thing used to happen on a much smaller scale on the UM Rivals board whenever the team lost. The board would always be dominated by people ranting and raving that Carr was an idiot, the team's performance was unacceptable, etc. There was no point in trying to respond to them, because they had no perspective and wouldn't listen to reason. Usually by the Monday after a loss the board would be readable again. I suspect the same thing might happen on PSU boards in time, although it will likely take a lot longer than two days.

<blockquote>That's why they clung to him as a figurehead headcoach after he was clearly long past his crime.</blockquote>

just wow.

You can't say they've had 13 years when no one outside of a handful of people knew squat before, what, a year ago?

Again, how long would it take for you to banish and hate your grandpa (let's assume you have a great relationship with him and have admired him your entire life) if you found out he did was JoePa did?  It's easy to say "I'd never talk to him again" until you're faced with it. There's a reason Psychology is a profession that requires a PhD to really understand it - the mind takes time to adjust to stuff like this and the more you condem PSU fans as being ignorant blow hards and being completely retarded the longer they will hold on to their beliefs.  Berating people for their beliefs (when they are wrong) never works - you have to engage in meaningful conversation with them and be realistic about the situation.  Honestly I'm disappointed at how quickly 99% of the people on this board are quick to judge and hate rather than support and help.

They'll get over it, they'll realize the mistakes and they'll "get it" but not yet and that's 100% normal (no matter how outrageous you think that is it's the truth).

One of the stupider thing about this is that for the past few years the PA sports radio has been "Is Paterno too old?  Does he need to retire?  It is time?".  Half the fanbase thought it was time for the University to make Paterno step down to some kind of honorary post.  Then this happens, he's fired for cause, and it's lock step marching in support of him.  Some of these people were calling in to sports radio to demand he step down back in 2010.  

Presidents at Universities, like CEO's at companies, are paid to be responsible.  Only two choices, either Spanier knew something was going on, in which case he should be fired and abused for obvious reasons, or he did not know what was going on, in which case he is guilty of incompetence because it is his JOB to know what is going on at the University and to find out and root out this type of behavior amongst his employees that work for him.

Might not be his fault, if he knew nothing, but it sure is his responsibility.  That is what he is and was paid for....

Same for JoePa, as head football coach, he is responsible to know his staff and know that Sandusky was a repeat offending pedophile and to build a culture and climate where those in his staff and organization would know to come out and tell him the truth and put an end to such things.

The Penn State Athletic Department was punished for Curley and Paterno's role in the coverup.  As based on the Freeh Report, which the PSU BOT accepted.  Thus the Athletic Department was punished by the governing body of college sports for their attempt to protect their cash flow, by attempting to coverup a child rape scandal in 1998.  That punishment manifested itself in the form of the football program facing sanctions.  Every possible step has been taken to make it easy for the players to move freely (interconference transfers, not counting against the cap, can leave the program but remain on academic scholarship, etc).  The cash flow of the program, the thing that caused PSU to coverup child rape to protect the program, has been nuked and that is just punishment.  

You can say that the NCAA had no right, that this wasn't fair, but every other member of the B1G voted to support the punishments and the NCAA governing council gave their President the ability to personally nuke you.  So clearly they have the ability and the public mandate to support the punishment.  The NCAA nuked based on Lack of Institutional Control and the other universities supported them on this.    

Regarding the criminal charges, don't worry.  They're coming.  The FBI and DoE move slower, normally 2-3 years for Clery related penalties.  Of course Curley and Schultz will likely have their prejury cases wrap up before then and hopefully the state manages to get Spanier on prejury as well.  Maybe even Harmon will find himself in hot water.

Punishment at its fundamental level is society expending resources to deal with something.  We're all paying part of the FBI's costs regarding their investigation into PSU, just as we all foot part of the tax bill when someone goes to jail.  I don't blame the cops for increasing my tax burden though, I blame the gangs of Detroit for increasing it.  Anyone who suffers due to the punishment of the PSU Athletic Department needs to go blame those who failed to tell McQueary to go to a police station and fill out a report.  They're the reason PSU just become a bottomfeeder.  As for PSU being a bottomfeeder, if that is what it takes to make Athletic Directors understand they need to do things like report child rape, then so be it.  Some players having to transfer and Happy Valley's commercial district shrinking in size (Oh lord they might have to move to Harrisburg, Hershey, or Lancaster and have their store there, the horror!) is an acceptable price to pay for ensuring every other AD in the country is now afraid to coverup serious crimes like child rape.  Curley volunteered PSU to be warning to others the moment he sent that "Lets not tell anyone" email.  

You are right and yet soooooo wrong.  Yes the NCAA stuff was unprecedented in  the types of infractions punished.  However, the cover up of Sandusky's actions represents the largest example of LOIC that we may ever see.

Whether the cover up was Paterno's doing or done primarily by others to protect him and the program; the Program/JoePa's legacy was considered above the victims and the law.  In this context the NCAA is well within their rights. 

The continued vehemence spewed at whomever the PSU fan base deems to blame for the penalties proves that football is way to prominent in the thinking of many associated with the University.  4 years of penance is what the NCAA feels it will take change this culture.

Yes it sucks what is coming for PSU football.  I can't imagine going though it at Michigan and tell myself that "it couldn't happen here" (of which I am a combination of hope and confidence). 

I hope PSU football survives this great "challenge" and comes out the other side stronger and more grounded. 

On a lighter note, don't forget that OSU is your bowl game for the next 4 years.  BEAT OHIO!!!

The coverup allowed PSU to avoid a competitive disadvantage (i.e., get a relative advantage) that they would have incurred had they done the right thing in 2001 and turned Sandusky in. The school would have gotten a black eye and this would have hurt their recruiting for several years.

the NCAA's right to take these actions this strikes at their very core, their very beginnings:

The NCAA was founded in 1906 to protect young people from the dangerous and exploitive athletics practices of the time.

The rugged nature of early-day football, typified by mass formations and gang tackling, resulted in numerous injuries and deaths and prompted many college and universities to discontinue the sport. In many places, college football was run by student groups that often hired players and allowed them to compete as non-students. Common sentiment among the public was that college football should be reformed or abolished.

One hundred and six years later, this is still about making folks understand that those in charge of athletics need to be about protecting the young people.