O.T. Associated Press Investigation Into Sandusky Is Released. They Knew.....They All Knew
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
December 12th, 2011 at 9:40 AM ^
didn't pursue charges, doesn't that open them up to investigations of corruption bythe FBI? That whole situation and culture is just disgusting. If a retired offenseive coordinator could command so much power, it makes you even sicker to think what could have happened if a man like Joe Pa had been inclined to the evil ways of Sandusky.
December 12th, 2011 at 10:09 AM ^
December 12th, 2011 at 10:10 AM ^
Hopefully. If anyone in a position of real power (police, prosecutor's office) knew, I hope they go all end of Shawshank Redemption on them.
If Paterno knew and used his influence to cover the case up, hopefully there can be some type of civil liability for victims after the reports he heard and ignored.
December 12th, 2011 at 10:23 AM ^
shhhh spoiler alert...
December 12th, 2011 at 10:26 AM ^
A newspaper article is different from a court ruling. Maybe it would read better if I had said "if they can prove..."?
December 12th, 2011 at 10:49 AM ^
I believe he was referring to the end of Shawshank Redemption reference. I still have not seen that movie.
December 12th, 2011 at 10:57 AM ^
Seriously though, brilliant movie. I think IMDB or Rotten Tomato's has it ranked as the second best movie ever, and it lives up to that, IMO.
December 12th, 2011 at 11:07 AM ^
I've seen a lot of movies, and it is easily, hands down my favorite. The last scene is just the perfect ending.
December 12th, 2011 at 12:02 PM ^
It is a great film, but best or near it? Wow!
What about Godfather 1 & 2 and Step Brothers?
December 12th, 2011 at 12:13 PM ^
I'd put it in my top five, but I can never decide which order those five should be in: Shawshank Redemption, Star Wars IV: A New Hope, Requiem for a Dream, Godfather I, The Departed. Honorable mention to Casino and Deer Hunter.
December 12th, 2011 at 12:25 PM ^
Stars Wars over Empire? Suprised at that. I thought Empire was the universal choice of the 6. So I commend your orginality.
Requiem is amazing, but just too dark for me. I saw it and literally felt ill after.Dont know if I could watch it again by choice. Aronofsky is a hell of a director.
No Godfather II though?
I am impressed you can narrow it down, dont know if i could do just 5.
December 12th, 2011 at 12:33 PM ^
Empire Strikes Back scared the shit out of me when I was a little kid, the first time I watched it. I'm still not sure why, but it is what it is at this point. Godfather II is up there, but I liked the first one better, and I agree about Requiem, but when the mood hits I love seeing it.
December 12th, 2011 at 7:22 PM ^
Because you're heroes get their ass kicked for 2 hours, ending with one getting his hand violently chopped off, and the other turned into an ice cube. And, oh, yeah, the most evil son of a bitch in the galaxy (as far as we knew then...and SPOILERS) is YOUR DAD. There's a concept for a little kid.
<br>
<br>I like GF 1 just because I like Brando in the movies a little more than DeNiro. Both great.
December 12th, 2011 at 12:30 PM ^
Don't forget Saving Private Ryan. Also, Bring It On was both an excellent piece of artistry, as well as a cultural phenomenon. Any list would be incomplete without the two of them.
December 12th, 2011 at 12:10 PM ^
(Paraphrasing) I'd like to think the last thing that went through Warden Norton's brain . . .
December 12th, 2011 at 11:45 AM ^
December 12th, 2011 at 9:40 AM ^
That is all that can be really said about this situation. I pray that Michigan never has anything near this bad happen to it, and I hope that the coaches stand up for what is right before anything else. Well lets not think about that. Still is really sad for those kids and the football players who had nothing to do with the choices that the administration made.
December 12th, 2011 at 9:41 AM ^
This reminds me of something out of a sociological horro movie...
December 12th, 2011 at 9:48 AM ^
Agreed, very Michael Crichton-esque.
December 12th, 2011 at 9:48 AM ^
This is going to get really ugly. Over the weekend I was at a conference with some CiC folks (academic arm of the B1G+UChicago). A number of folks told me about 1/3 of the CiC was ready to kick PSU out and that they were busy rallying support for their cause. No one would say which schools were making the push, but it was implied the Presidents are convinced everyone at PSU knew about this and are furious.
One person said apparently most of the B1G Presidents knew about this (hence why no one ever tried to lure Sandusky out of retirement to coach). However PSU had made it sound like they'd retired the guy and were just keeping him on ice until the DA charged him. When the other Presidents found out he still had his keys to the showers and the like, a number of them blew their lid.
It's all hersey but at the conference I didn't hear anyone say anything good about PSU. Basically that letter the CiC sent is not some idle threat, as most of the non PSU folks seem to want a pound of PSU's flesh.
December 12th, 2011 at 9:52 AM ^
I have also heard that the concept of PSU being removed from the Big 10 is not as far-fetched as originally thought. The other sleepting giant in the room is the NCAA. The article implies that they have also been watching the events unfold closely and are preparing to take very direct and significant action if the allegations of a wide-spread campus cover up are true.
December 12th, 2011 at 10:23 AM ^
I wonder...
I have to say; I am so unsurprised by all of this. Not because I am terribly smart or well informed about Penn State because I am not. But rather because of the obvious; we all know how close football coaching staffs are; they are guys who, during the season, live and work together 20 hours a day. There can't be any big secrets. And there was never anything to explain Sandusky's abrupt departure from the staff, with no other job, when he had been regarded by many as a possible heir to Paterno.
December 12th, 2011 at 11:52 AM ^
It's possible but I don't think so. They deserve it but don't think the NCAA would do it.
Having said that at a minimum there has to be a complete removal of all football related personnel - including staff - everyone goes - no faces remain. PSU should want that anyway but who knows if they actually get any of this even now.
Also, and this may sound strange, but the building(s) where any of this occurred will have to be removed - razed and carted away. Who the hell would want to walk through them? Can you imagine showing those locker room/shower facilities to a recruit and parents?
And, the statue. Someone should have the good sense and decency to get rid of that before next term begins.
December 12th, 2011 at 11:00 PM ^
About the razing. I've thought that the Carthage treatment would be the only appropriate action PSU could take with regard to the existing football buildings.
From a purely moral perspective, I feel as though that if there were a CFB situation that deserved the death penalty, this is it. I doubt the NCAA will do it because of all the $$$ that PSU can bring in long term.
I do agree with the CiC members who are pushing to get PSU removed from the B1G. The major problem is who do you replace them with? Pitt is a good school with great football history, but very little interaction with the B1G in its prior history.
December 12th, 2011 at 11:03 AM ^
One person said apparently most of the B1G Presidents knew about this (hence why no one ever tried to lure Sandusky out of retirement to coach).
"Knew" is a fuzzy concept in situations like this.
There were a couple of attempts to lure Sandusky out of retirement (Maryland, Virginia) but they were both aborted abruptly with odd-sounding reasons like "we're not sure he's ready to commit fully to coaching" and "he's spending so much time on his charity"--the same reasons PSU gave for his retirement in the first place.
I have the impression that it was known that there was something out there that made him unhireable, and the two times someone didn't know they were quickly informed. That doesn't necessarily mean they knew precisely what that something was; they may have decided not to inquire further.
December 12th, 2011 at 11:13 AM ^
let them. IF THIS IS TRUE, fuck psu. Kick them out of the B1G and give them the death penalty. Take away their wins too.
As a father, I am apalled that "men" allowed this to happen. I've always had tremendous respect for Penn State as an institution, but after this? Fuck them.
December 12th, 2011 at 9:53 AM ^
unbelievable doesn't even begin to cover it.
With the ongoing investigations now by both the NCAA and the B1G, I'm not sure there is any way that PSU is going to escape some severe punishments in reagrds to athletics. I think the "death penalty" is certainly not out of the question. What's really unfortunate ts that, any sort of punishment to the athletic program does nothing to right the wrongs.
December 12th, 2011 at 10:01 AM ^
I initially thought that the NCAA was out of its depth to try to deal with this situation and that it was better left to the DA. I now think that PSU football should get the death penalty. A message needs to be sent that you don't get to have your football team if you're going to behave like this.
December 12th, 2011 at 9:56 AM ^
Well, if PSU is thrown out of the conference, we wouldn't need that championship game.
December 12th, 2011 at 10:00 AM ^
Please don't try to put a silver lining on this. I know, this is a Michigan football site (with sides of basketball and hockey), and almost everything we talk about here can be turned around in terms of how it helps football or recruiting or whatever. However, the wrongdoings in this case far transcend football, and to dampen what has been done by comparing it to how it affects a game is purely wrong against those who have fallen victim to these terrible actions.
December 12th, 2011 at 10:38 AM ^
Totally agree that this case is about kids and a community first. Football is a distant second. But while the criminal proceedings play out, it's still reasonable to also inquire whether NCAA or B1G statutes have been violated, particularly around the area of Institutional Control.
Personally, I don't see PSU Football surviving this "intact." As an Institution, the article fairly points out that they essentially were accessories. While LOIC surely wasn't designed for THIS kind of violation, it still qualifies under the literal interpretation of the rule.
I have to believe a "significant" NCAA action will be forthcoming.
December 12th, 2011 at 10:02 AM ^
The theories I've heard mostly have us booting PSU rather quickly and inviting Missouri in (figuring they'd drop their move to the SEC, al la TCU dropping its move to the Big East). It seems the academics really wanted Missouri as an expansion target. The ADs get more of the Saint Louis market to placate them.
Also PSU's football program is likely going to be toast for awhile after all the dust settles. So Mizzou may actually be a stronger team. Regardless of what the NCAA does to PSU, their football brand is going to be radioactive (note how they ended the season ranked, have massive fanbase that travels and still just barely avoided the Motor City Bowl).
So we likely keep the championship game. The only change would be a chance to shuffle divisions and get in the same one as tOSU.
December 12th, 2011 at 11:19 AM ^
I don't understand why 'expanding into Missouri' could possibly matter from an academic standpoint. I get that logic - even though it's often overstated - in terms of television markets for football, and even for recruiting.
But why would the Big Ten be interested in taking on a thoroughly mediocre school just because it's in a state that's currently outside the geographic footprint of the conference? Are we that excited to potentialy get more applicants from the state of Missouri?
December 12th, 2011 at 11:50 AM ^
I think he was saying the AD's want to expand into St. Louis, and the academics want the University of Missouri. In terms of research funding (and assuming that the SEC, Pac and ACC members aren't leaving their conferences) Missouri is behind Texas, Cincinnati, Rutgers and USF, but is ahead of everyone else. You can add TAMU and Pitt if targets who haven't made their move quite yet are counted.
I haven't been a fan of adding Mizzou, but if it means taking something the SEC wants, it might be palatable, although I still think Pitt is the best solution, especially if PSU is gone.
December 12th, 2011 at 10:21 AM ^
We are not going to boot out PSU...
December 12th, 2011 at 10:31 AM ^
What makes you so sure of that? If the knowledge of this was actually known throughout the administration, then why would the other Big Ten schools choose to keep PSU around as the issue transcends sports. Academic and administrative standing are as big a qualifying factor to being in the Big Ten as athletic prestige.
December 12th, 2011 at 12:44 PM ^
could be the reason that psu has not contacted any "major" coaches about the vacancy. On XM91 (college football) they hinted that the search committee is waiting for the bomb to exploded. They do not want to hire a coach, coach asks for guaranteed money and the "out" if needed. The committee does not want to take that chance.
December 12th, 2011 at 11:40 AM ^
There will be a time for sorting these sorts of things out. Now is not that time.
December 12th, 2011 at 9:57 AM ^
This makes me feel sick. I truly hope that its not true that the police and others knew about it and did nothing.
December 12th, 2011 at 9:58 AM ^
If everyone knew, then was it really a "culture of silence?"
Also, do people think that JoePa looks less culpable if the police knew but refused to act?
December 12th, 2011 at 10:01 AM ^
No, not less culpable. My assumption will be that it was his influence that caused them to "not act" since he was the godfather figure in all this.
December 12th, 2011 at 10:02 AM ^
Joe Paterno could have got the governor of PA on the phone at 3:00 AM if he needed to. We're not talking about your typical private citizen here.
December 12th, 2011 at 10:08 AM ^
Part of the reason people always loved Joe Pa was because he was humble and didn't throw his considerable weight around. There is a time and a place for it, no doubt, but it sounds like that particular part of his character was too deeply ingrained for him to ever tell anyone what to do like that (aside from his players.)
December 12th, 2011 at 10:15 AM ^
How much and how often Paterno threw his weight around is very much an open question.
December 12th, 2011 at 10:15 AM ^
Sorry, but a moral leader steps up and makes sure that kids aren't being raped...Also, I don't think your picture of him as a man who didn't throw a his weight around is at all accurate. He was the de facto mayor of Happy Valley.
December 12th, 2011 at 10:20 AM ^
Well, I've never been a Penn State follower nor lived in Happy Valley or Pennsylvania. But I've always thought that that de factor mayor status is because of what people would've done for him, not because of what he actively made them do.
December 12th, 2011 at 10:27 AM ^
My impression is that he threw his weight around quite a bit. Joe Paterno did a great deal of good in his life, don't get me wrong, but he also had a tremendous amount of power in Happy Valley...My grandfather went to PSU in the pre-Paterno days. PSU was a largely-unknown agricultural school at the time. Paterno changed that. He didn't just put PSU football on the map - he put the whole school on the map, sometimes by donating a great deal of his own money. He wasn't above cultivating worldy power, though, and wasn't a saint. He had a great deal of control over what happened in Happy Valley when he wanted it, something he often used to protect his team and legacy.
December 12th, 2011 at 1:17 PM ^
I think the record shows that Paterno has always been willing to throw his weight around, albeit in his Joe way. He muscled the administration for years. He demanded that he, and not anyone else, by the arbiter of disciple for scofflaw football players. Joe just seems to be one of those guys who uses the aw-shucks effect to great effect.
December 12th, 2011 at 11:24 AM ^
Paterno was really reluctant to play the bigshot card when he told Graham Spanier that he'd withhold any future donations to the school if he didn't fire Vicky Triponey - the university standards and conduct officer who kept trying to discipline football players. (Link)
Such an unassuming man. What a legend.
December 12th, 2011 at 12:25 PM ^