O.T. Associated Press Investigation Into Sandusky Is Released. They Knew.....They All Knew

Submitted by mGrowOld on

This morning a very long and comprehensive article by AP reporters into the Sandusky/PSU investigation has been released.  If accurate then it would seem that virtually everyone from JoePa to the campus police to the PSU administration and even the local police were very aware of Sandusky's behavior and had been since 1998 and chose to ignore it in the hopes it would simply go away.  They all placed the reputation of the football program above the safety of children or so it would seem.

 While not excusing his lack of direct action, this does support the argument that the reason McQuery didn't go to the police was because he knew they were already aware of Sandusky and were doing nothing.  The culture of silence to protect the football team's reputation was pervasive and God only knows what will be revealed as this investigation continues.

http://start.toshiba.com/news/read.php?rip_id=%3CD9RIVR7G1%40news.ap.org%3E&ps=1011&page=1

Engin77

December 12th, 2011 at 3:21 PM ^

Penn State football and Joe Paterno have been synonymous for decades. It's no accident that the leading PSU football blog is named "Black Shoe Dialogs" after Joe's constant footwear. In those press conferences you mention, one can see that Joe takes any criticism of the program, whether explicit or inferred, very personally.

StephenRKass

December 12th, 2011 at 10:25 AM ^

It isn't that everyone "knew" exactly what Sandusky was doing. It is that many knew something was wrong, and knew better than to ask too many questions. There was indeed a culture of silence in the AD, the University Admin, PSU, & Happy Valley.

The easy analogy is the towns in Nazi Germany holding concentration camps nearby. The guards and other employees knew directly what was going on. They didn't talk about it much, if at all, but spouses and others had a good idea. They all perpetuated a culture of silence.

I'm afraid the death penalty is quite possibly appropriate. The counter charge will be made that the NCAA is unfairly punishing students and a school who weren't responsible. But to the degree that the administration hid and covered this up, all of Penn State is responsible.

There is one thing in the article that I have been thinking about more, and that is how responsible someone is once they have handed matters over to authorities. Both Paterno and McCreary come to mind. I believe that it was appropriate for JoePa to go. I also believe that Sandusky should have had zero access to the athletic campus, and feel that JoePa could have done something about this.

However, I also believe that it is questionable to say either JoePa or McCreary should have done more. If I report a crime to the police, it isn't my job (or my place, for the most part,) to continue to pester the police about what they do with the crime. Without going into personal detail, I'm beginning to rethink this. In the future, I may go the extra mile (when reporting something inappropriate) and followup until I know what action the governing body has taken. I have had to remove someone from a professional position in the past, and report actions to the adjudicatory body. As I think about this, I might choose to followup to know exactly what action was taken, or why action wasn't taken.

Erik_in_Dayton

December 12th, 2011 at 10:32 AM ^

I think you raise a good point about what one's responsibility is after handing something over to the authorities.  However, Paterno was in a unique position of great power at PSU.  I see this as being like a situation in which the president (any president - I'm not making a partisan point) says, "The FBI did what?  Well, what do you want from me?  It's the FBI."  No, sir, you're the president, and the buck stops with you. 

mGrowOld

December 12th, 2011 at 10:41 AM ^

As i read the story I too thought of the Nazi's and how entire groups of people are able to "look the other way" in horrific situations when everyone around them are looking the other way as well.  Being one of the most vocal protagonists against McQuerry it does begin to help me understand why he didn't act more forecfully - he already knew.

burtcomma

December 12th, 2011 at 10:53 AM ^

for these people to be more than just ordinary men or ordinary people.  They had an opportunity to do the "right thing" and make certain that the "right thing" was done and followed up on by raising a ruckus to the high heavens.  Joe Pa let his university and those who respected him and himself down when he did not rise to this occassion and make sure that this was all followed up and handled appropriately.  If Jerry Sanduskey truly is your friend, the best thing you could have done for him was to get him help and get him away from temptation back in 1998.

Similar to your Nazi analogy, who is my brother's keeper?  I am, and I am responsible to make sure that my brother is properly protected both from himself (reporting Sandusky to put an end to this so he might get treatment) and to protect others from him (at least one of those whom he abused has moved on to abuse others, as I recall from all these stories).  Who will stand up and say No, that is not right, that is not how we do things at PSU?

People are always saying it is not their job, but, my friend, it is our job.  Those of us who are college graduates and went to higher class learning institutions (like Michigan) where our society has invested much time and money and capital must demand more and expect more from ourselves than we do others.  We must set the standard under noblesse oblige.

triangle_M

December 12th, 2011 at 10:56 AM ^

How can this be sorted out in a way that makes sense and doesn't punish the kids?  Really there's the problem, does this warrant the death penalty?  Yes-because its institutional complacency about children who are in an IDLH and a long-term health situation.*  It is also complacency and tacit approval of criminal activity against children.  But is there any way the the players deserve this?  No.  

What the NCAA should do is allow these kids out of their committments NOW.  Give them an extra year of eligibilty if its needed and ring the death knell for PSU football before more careers are lost and more hardship is created for the next round of recruits.  The inability to react is doing more harm than good at this point.

*To me child sexual abuse is an immediately dangerous to life and health situation.  It may not happen right away but it can be a bomb that just needs the right fuse to ignite, even decades later.

mGrowOld

December 12th, 2011 at 10:58 AM ^

That is an excellent suggestion.  If the NCAA truly wants to make a statement without punishing the innocents then simply waive the current transfer requirements for PSU players.  That way no one can claim they were unduly punished - if the choose to stay that is their choice and they have to accept the consequences of that decision.

Great idea!

SysMark

December 12th, 2011 at 11:00 AM ^

I swear if I hear one more comment about feeling sorry for students being unfairly punished by the NCAA I may blow a gasket.  They chose to attend this institution and it turned out to have an obscenely corrupt football program run by a czar who was above question by anyone, including apparently law enforcement.  Their school is responsible, not the NCAA.  They can still stay and get their education, or transfer.  Same with the players - give them the right to transfer without penalty.

How many of them had the unmitigated gall to run out and riot in protest the night their exalted icon was fired?  Enough already - their beloved football program is actually a cesspool and the whole thing makes me sick.  If you have to feel sorry for someone make it the victims whose lives have been literally destroyed by this monster and the system that enabled him.

bluebyyou

December 12th, 2011 at 10:04 AM ^

Here is a piece from the State College newspaper that states hat the PSU police chief, a neighbor of Sandusky, ordered the case closed in 1998.

http://www.centredaily.com/2011/12/11/3016384/psu-chief-was-sanduskys-neighbor.html

 

The personal connection between the chief and the architect of “Linebacker U” now has lawyers for Sandusky’s alleged victims questioning what role those ties may have played in closing the 1998 investigation, which they argue was a missed opportunity to stop Sandusky from assaulting more children.




 

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

December 12th, 2011 at 10:05 AM ^

Is there very much that's new in there?  Did I miss anything?  We already knew that Penn State gave the guy a ton of privileges after his retirement, let him stay around, people like Curley and Schwarz and the janitors supposedly knew of all the allegations.....the only new thing I saw was the county's refusal to do anything.  I don't get why the county claims that the existence of the charity prevented them from taking any action.  Sounds like a very stretchy rationalization.

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

December 12th, 2011 at 10:17 AM ^

I dunno, I thought it was a lot more concrete than speculation that Sandusky had all these privileges and access that were OK'ed by a lot of people high up in the university hierarchy.  I assumed that was well-known already.  What's new to me is the behind-the-scenes legal stuff on the part of the investigators (county, police), that's where I see what you mean by confirmation of speculation.

Mr Miggle

December 12th, 2011 at 10:27 AM ^

Also new to me how was unusual it was for Sandusky to get some of those privileges in retirement. He was practically the only assistant professor to do so. I imagine the explanation will be that he was rewarded for his length of employment and that academics pretty much never remain assistant profs for 30 years there. 

no joke its hoke

December 12th, 2011 at 10:07 AM ^

If and I say IF they all knew,they all should be shot. If they all knew like what is being implied,then every last person is as responsible as Sandusky. this world has no place for people that abuse children or those that allow it to happen.

ChopBlock

December 12th, 2011 at 10:20 AM ^

the new way sports is, where everything is a media sensation, it can be good sometimes. The Good Ol' Boys Network (still exhibited in such institutions as Penn State), which, in the past, included most teams out there, preferred to handle everything internally and avoid disgracing the program at all costs. So in cases where bad stuff went down, you didn't hear about it. I think there are the same number of scandals in college sports as always, it's just now the perps are being brought to justice.

bluesouth

December 12th, 2011 at 10:32 AM ^

that guy.  In all of this the people that suffer the most are the kids some of whom are adults now.   May God give them peace

I always say that the measure of a country/person/government/institution should be based how they treat the most vulnerable of its contituents, usually children and the aged.  My friends PSU and certainly other governmental/social agencys who knew certainly failed that test.

Normally, I do not subscribe to the notion that the cover up is greater than the crime.  In this case however I make the exception because the silence or the refusal to treat this man like the criminal he is perpetuated more assaults on children.  The other sad part is that Sandusky is still allowed to walk the streets, He is paraded on television in interviews to make a buck for the media outlets. He is innocent until proven gulity by a jury of his peers but that innocence is not license to have an opportunity to be paraded in front of a camera and for media outlets to make a buck.  God this is sickening. 

 If/When all of this is adjudicated PSUs fate should be administratively equal to that of Mr. Sandusky's fate.  This is the opportunity to set precedent, this is the opportunity to say to any other institution that there is no tolerance for such institutional behavior. This is an opportunity to say to other instiutions of higher learning that people will be protected and the villan will be punished. Many other college campus police, adminsitrators ect. are very very affraid right now. Because of how they have handled date rape, and other campus sexual assault cases.  PSU's treatment will say to other colleges and institutions that it is either okay to continue to cover up or it is time to change and truely protect the innocent regardless how it looks to the outside world, reputation be damned.

now_a_hoo

December 12th, 2011 at 10:44 AM ^

Anyone else think that the involvement of senior non-athletic administrators in all of this might really complicate their accreditation? IIRC, Auburn got put on probation for, among other things, the appearance that their president didn't have ultimate authority ofver the athletic department. If the football program's reputation was more important to senior university officials than prevention of violent crimes on campus, and proper federal crime reporting (a big, separate issue), it seems to me they could be in even more trouble than the NCAA or CiC can bring.

Urban Warfare

December 12th, 2011 at 11:42 AM ^

but that's a very good question.  Given the Sandusky affair and the other things in the story about special treatment for the football program--Paterno could dictate policy for student affairs among other things--I think there's a valid argument for probation. 

If they did lose their accreditation, or if it was placed on probation, would that force the B1G's hand in terms of kicking them out?  Given the apparent fight over Nebraska's academic standards, I can't imagine the other schools would be happy to have an unaccredited institution. 

UMgradMSUdad

December 12th, 2011 at 10:45 AM ^

Most involved seem to be in cover-my-ass mode now.  Before they were trying to protect the university and football program, and in doing so, they enabled Sandusky to continue his horrific behavior.Not only was he not prosecuted, but he kept his reputation and keys to the locker room so he could continue raping children unencumbered. When we think of coverups, we usually think of some past crime that remains hidden; here, we have not only that, but a continuation of crimes over and over again.

Gameboy

December 12th, 2011 at 11:03 AM ^

A quote from BSD on this article...

In this article published this morning Sports Illustrated repackages the common knowledge of what has been known for a month and builds it into an indictment of Penn State building thin and circumstantial bits of data into the worst case scenario.

Bury head in sand much?

Tater

December 12th, 2011 at 11:06 AM ^

...the article, not the post.  

The media won't let go of this, and all they are doing by shoving this down America's throats is making the victims, if there are any who actually were abused, live their abuse over and over every day, with pretty much no way to get away from it.  

Nobody wants to believe the worst about a trusted friend or collegue, and abusers don't shout their crimes from the rooftops.  The reason most abusers get away with it for so long is that they are clever at hiding their crimes and intimidating their victims.  

Most people really don't know that their friends are closet criminals until it comes out into the open.  At first, they are surprised.  Then, in retrospect, they see "signs" they should have noticed.  The next step is to "realize" that they were "making excuses" or "enabling" the behavior, when in fact all they were doing was refusing to believe the worst about a freind. 

If it turns out that the alleged crimes actually were committed and that someone helped cover them up, knowing that multiple crimes were committed, I will share in the outrage-fest.  Until then, I don't think it is possible to say anyone really knew anything beyond a reasonable doubt.  Ultimately, a person can't be expected to have retrospect in realtime.  

Erik_in_Dayton

December 12th, 2011 at 11:14 AM ^

Mike McQueary was a PSU QB and then, in 2002, a grad assistant.  He either lied to a grand jury for no apparent reason or went to Paterno and told him what he saw with his own eyes.  Do you know how many child abuse cases have witnesses other than the victim?  Not many.  Here, you have a first-hand account from someone whom Paterno had known for more than five years and whom Paterno trusted to be both a QB and coach of his football team.  No retrospect was needed. 

Bombadil

December 12th, 2011 at 11:14 AM ^

With all the class action lawsuits, fines, crimes, and sactions,  PSU is in risk of facing a class action lawsuit that could financial ruin to the school. PSU could decide to pull a University of Chicago and eliminate the football program all together.

BlueGoM

December 12th, 2011 at 11:17 AM ^

IMO is that the campus police were aware of what was going on.  The cops are supposed to be the people you go to, to stop this sort of thing.

If McQuery didn't go to the cops maybe its because he was told by the upper-ups that "it's being handled."

The cops claim they dont have a record of McQ. going to them; maybe they simply didn't file the report.

Who knows at this point.  But all this stuff is the tip of the iceberg.

I'm still against shutting down the football program.  To my knowledge none of the players there had any knowledge of what was going on, besides maybe McQuery.  Taking away scholarships from current players isn't going to fix anything.

 

 

LB

December 12th, 2011 at 11:22 AM ^

I told people that I'd begin my investigation with the local police department and work from there. I don't claim any knowlege or claim to be prescient, but there did not seem to be any way all of this could have taken place without the local authorities knowing and doing nothing, for whatever reason. It was also the only thing that made sense of McQueary's actions, to my way of thinking. You can't just happen across Happy Valley, you are either lost, or you intended to be there. It is just too small an area, and totally dominated by a once-proud institution for anything else to make sense.

I mentioned the missing DA a couple of times to friends, and was met with the "well, he was investigating drugs" argument. Yeah, like no DAs in Detroit, or New York or Chicago or Laredo have ever investigated drugs. How many are we missing? I'll admit to being cynical, but coincidence is seldom happenstance.

It is so disappointing to see something like this happen inside college football. I know that every coach involved has talked about moral choices, doing the right thing, being accountable, and any number of other life-choices to the players. To know that they failed leaves me feeling near-ill. While I suspected that the administration and community had to have some knowledge, knowing for certain (as it seems) that the academic side of things continued the cover-up is just beyond the pale. I'll admit to being reactionary, but once the facts are in place, I would be happy to see a few University Presidents leading a charge within the Big 10, at the very least in terms of competing with the football program.

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

December 12th, 2011 at 8:17 PM ^

I disagree, kind of - let's say Dranov is telling the truth about what McQueary told him.....but McQueary told the truth to the grand jury when he said he witnessed a graphic sex act.

In other words, he witnessed everything but told other people (Dranov) less.  Now we get to the grand jury and he tells the grand jury what he saw, and their next question is, "What did you do and whom did you tell?"  Yes, there's something to lose if you lie to the grand jury, but now he's got a lot to lose if he tells the truth, too, because no matter what he will never admit to the grand jury that the entire cover-up began with him.  I think that would be mostly on his mind, rather than perjury charges.

At some point, he fucked up.  Either back then, or now, or both.  I don't even know what to think.

Sarasota13

December 12th, 2011 at 12:10 PM ^

The charges are serious and this press release seems to hint that the cover up of these crimes ran deep into the fabric of Penn State and involves Paterno in much more than just a mere meeting with a graduate assistant and a phone call.  And knowing of Sandusky's actions; and thus, his future propensities, Paterno continued to serve as an honorary member of Sandusky's organization.

Paterno's reputation will be eternally soiled.

Lets hope that the Big Ten takes appropriate action to prevent this atrocity from occurring again in the conference.

As the saying goes: Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Apparently, this proved true with Paterno's regime.
 

 

If the Penn State trustees had knowledge of this information and never acted, then the Big 10 may take the drastic action that some are suggesting.

 

MGoSoftball

December 12th, 2011 at 12:52 PM ^

be known as pedophile U.  I spoke with the HR Manager at my company at the Xmas party. She said that the psu degree has lost value in the market place.  She indicated that is was not fair, but it is reality.

There is a perception that this is much bigger than reported.  This HR manager would not "take the chance" and hire someone from that time-frame only to find out that the candidate was involved.

What a flipping mess.  JoePa covered up multiple rapes.  Most of the football program knew about it as well.  Now it appears that most of the B1G knew about it.

 I hope the DOE pulls the plug and knocks all the buildings down.  They can use the proceeds to pay the millions of dollars in counseling for the victims.

God bless the vicitms and may they all receive peace and comfort during the remainder of their lives.

SamirCM

December 12th, 2011 at 4:33 PM ^

I don't really understand the relation between a degree from Penn State and the HR Manager? If she thinking that anyone hired from 1983 till today that went there was involved? Does this include peopple that had nothing to do with football? It is a stretch to castigate a school in which 20K+ people attend at a particular moment when only a relatively few had any involvement, directly or indirectly.

Zone Left

December 12th, 2011 at 1:00 PM ^

Penn State had better give itself a damning internal investigation on this whole thing. If there's even a hint of withheld information, I can see some almost unimaginable sanctions coming from the Big 10 and the CIC. I'm not sure whether or not any of it falls under NCAA regs or not, but I can see the CIC and Big 10 imposing some serious conditions on any continued association.

StephenRKass

December 12th, 2011 at 1:23 PM ^

Reading between the lines, it appears that some people did nothing with Sandusky because they expected the hammer to come down, and didn't want to interfere. I guess I'm curious if it is appropriate for the CiC / Big 10 to impose sanctions now, or to wait until the findings are completed? (Ohio is somewhat similar . . . when and how do you punish, and do you allow people to play or participate while waiting for findings.)

 

WAWOLVERINE

December 12th, 2011 at 7:53 PM ^

Can't help but think of Gordon Gee's "I hope Jim doesn't fire me" comment.  Looks like this was the overriding problem at PSU.  I wonder how many other football powers have this problem?