The SI articles about Jerry Sandusky - 1982 and 1999
I became sick to stomach reading the grand jury document this morning. It's revolting that there are such monsters in our midst and that witnesses would respond with such incompetence. Also, I believe research shows that abusers often have a very long track-record that goes back many years. Also, such abusers typically were once abused themselves.
With what we now know, these past article from SI about Jerry Sandusky and Linebacker U. are all the more horrifying. They couldn't have known about the awful word choice at the time:
Linebackers Are Jerry Sandusky's Business, But Not His Only Business: December 6, 1982:
It hasn't bothered Sandusky that The Second Mile thus far has kept him from leaving Penn State. "Many people have talked to me about hiring him," says Paterno, "but Jerry's been reluctant to talk to them because of all the commitments he has in this area." A couple of head-coaching jobs at the college level have come and gone, as well as inquiries from Oakland and Tampa Bay about interviewing Sandusky to become a pro assistant. "A long time ago Jerry really wanted to be a head coach," says Dottie, "but now there are so many things going that he never mentions it anymore."
"I'm concerned about his future," says Paterno, who spent 16 years as an assistant to Rip Engle at Penn State. "I'm proud of everything that he and Dottie have done, and I certainly wouldn't like to lose him, but I'd hate to see him lose his chance to be a head coach."
"The timing hasn't been right for me or my family," says Sandusky. "It might be someday. We believe the saying, 'It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it.' Dottie and I were disappointed when we couldn't have children, but we took it as a positive thing and it gave us an opportunity to do more."
Sandusky's parents, Art and Evie, ran a recreation center in Washington, Pa., and at heart, E.J. says, Sandusky is "a frustrated playground director." E.J. remembers the kickball games his father organized in the backyard. "Dad would get every single kid involved," says E.J. "We had the largest kickball games in the United States, kickball games with 40 kids."
November 9th, 2011 at 12:25 PM ^
The greatest misfortune of this whole affair is that when the police did get involved (after Paterno made sure to get them involved) ... they didn't investigate or charge Sandusky. The police are the reason why this has been allowed to continue for this long...
November 9th, 2011 at 12:37 PM ^
Can you give more specifics as to how Paterno contacted the cops? Obviously this item is not being covered in most of the reports, so I have to assume he didn't do it timely or did not accurately report the facts. I hate being ignorant, so I'd like to know.
November 9th, 2011 at 1:13 PM ^
A possibility (who knows) is that Joe Pa thought that by telling the guy who was in charge of campus police, he had told the police. Not the AD, but the other guy indicted for Perjury was responsible for all campus police. So the head of the Campus Police knew at some point. I dont know if Joe Pa told him, but he's indicted for perjury.
/not excusing anything, just answering a question, possibly
November 9th, 2011 at 12:42 PM ^
I find this hard to believe after as the whole controversy involving him is that he did not say anything to the proper authorities.
November 9th, 2011 at 12:52 PM ^
In 1998 the cops were involved but it was not joePa that brought them in. In 2002 joepa only tod the AD and did nothing else. The Cops clearly screwed up in 1998, but they claim they didn't have enough. No one ever called the real cops after the 2002 incidents.
November 9th, 2011 at 12:31 PM ^
He had his perfect kingdom set up in Happy Valley. No wonder he never left.
November 9th, 2011 at 12:47 PM ^
are extremely adept at hiding their predatory activities from the larger world, and at projecting completely normal images of themselves to their closest friends and family members. Obviously Sandusky couldn't have gotten as far as he did without the willfully blind incompetence of the PSU officials inside and outside the Athletic Dept., but I would bet there are plenty of average citizens who knew Sandusky who were absolutely shocked.
November 9th, 2011 at 12:43 PM ^
that the D.A. or prosecuting attorney who declined to file charges against Sandusky in 1998—even after Sandusky admitted to being naked with the boy involved—has since died under mysterious circumstances.
It's like an episode of "L&O."
November 9th, 2011 at 1:28 PM ^
the DA you're talking about is presumed dead, but no body has ever been found. He disappeared without a trace one day and although leads of him being elsewhere have come up, they were dead ends. He probably is dead, but maybe not. Interesting article here:
November 9th, 2011 at 12:45 PM ^
For what it's worth the author of the 1999 piece posted a very heart-felt mea-culpa on the article. He obviously feels very bad he didn't notice anything at the time - it's awfully hard for me to find any fault in him.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/jack_mccallum/11/08/sandu…
November 9th, 2011 at 12:54 PM ^
Thanks for posting. His hindsight is certainly 20-20.
November 9th, 2011 at 1:47 PM ^
It always is isn't it? At least can only blame himself for not picking up on something he was only around for a day or two - not over 30 years like some formally revered coaches I know.
November 9th, 2011 at 1:25 PM ^
People are saying terrible things about writers of positive stories about Sandusky when most of these writers were probably around campus for a week or two at best before they wrote their stories. But somehow Paterno who probably knew him better than almost anyone else was "fooled".
November 9th, 2011 at 12:46 PM ^
about this dude Sandusky...
November 9th, 2011 at 12:48 PM ^
then don't read it. Brian's just posted his usual in-depth analyses of various aspects of the Iowa game. Maybe you should go there.
November 9th, 2011 at 1:00 PM ^
i hate to think that the sole purpose of the charity is evil, i am sure they did a lot of good. but i hate the "at-risk" part of the charity. for some reason, that language just seems like is setting up a scenario where is the word of the revered DC of a huge college football program against some poor kid. i can't help t think that there was some nugget of this in the decision at one time.
November 9th, 2011 at 1:00 PM ^
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/story/16049259/key-dates-in-penn-state-sex-abuse-case
After reading this timeline synopsis, the whole lot needs to be crucified. JoePa is lying through his rotten pegs.
November 9th, 2011 at 1:59 PM ^
Most of the most aggregious stuff has been covered, and I think responsible parties have for the most part been called out, but I want to know more about what happened with Victim 8.
Here is a situation where you have a third party witness (Jim Calhoun) who is so distraught over what he saw his co-workers and supervisor are afraid he will have a heart attack. Then, what does his supervisor (Jay Witherite) do? He "told him to whom he should report the incident, if he chose to report it."
WHAT THE FUCK? Is he not reporting it RIGHT NOW to his SUPERVISOR? This whole fucking disgusting mess is a result of EVERYONE IN THE CHAIN OF COMMAND SAYING "I DON'T WANT TO GET INVOLVED, SO I AM GOING TO LEAVE IT TO SOMEONE ELSE TO REPORT"
I know this has been talked about ad nauseum but I am just so fucking disgusted right now.
November 9th, 2011 at 2:10 PM ^
After reading the GJ report and the CBS timeline JoePa and the rest are full of shit.
Are the PSU people seriously going to say with a straight face that they had no idea a prosecutor was looking into allegations in 1998? Not 2002, but 1998! After that they allowed the creep to have sponsored camps, 'tours' of the showers, working out on campus, flying on team planes with children to bowl games, etc.
All of them are complicit in this and JoePa is the worst enabler of them all. He IS Penn State. He IS the football team. He WAS the boss, any other excuse is crap.
November 9th, 2011 at 2:28 PM ^
(NNTJC)
November 9th, 2011 at 4:21 PM ^
I heard rumors of Sanduskys actions years ago, maybe 4-5 yrs ago, i also was reminded of these allegations after reading a article written by the penn st campus newspaper 2 1/2 to 3 yrs ago. Wondering why it took so long to surface.