JoePa Soon to be Out per Pete Thamel
Pete THamel of the New York Times just tweeted that Joe Pa will not coach next season.
PeteThamelNYTPete Thamel
November 8th, 2011 at 12:30 PM ^
Not good. Sad way for a legend to go out. Very poor, irresponsible judgement. WTF was he thinking?
I was hoping he would coach until he croaked right on the sidelines during a game and they buried him right where he fell and kept playing. That is how he should have gone out.
November 8th, 2011 at 12:45 PM ^
Don't call Paterno a legend. During a very crucial time when he was asked to be a LEADER and do what, you know, a LEADER, would do, he passed the buck, and dropped the ball, leaving defenseless children in harm ever since.
Paterno can never ever be considered a legend or leader, because when the time came, he failed. And don't go saying, well, everyone makes mistakes, etc... BULLSHIT....
HE CEASES TO BE A LEGEND OR LEADER, by the time the situation called for it. Wake the fuck up people.
November 8th, 2011 at 12:56 PM ^
he did what he thought was correct
he did not sit on it...he did act
1 bad mistake...a real bad one...but not terrible
he has done so much good, get off your high horse
November 8th, 2011 at 1:07 PM ^
I don't care how much good he has done: Allowing a child rapist to roam the halls of your facility, knowing full well he could be continuing his disgusting actions at any given moment, makes you lose all goodwill in my book.
9-1-1. All he had to fucking do.
I dare you to say this shit to the victims and their families. I'm sure they'll completely understand.
November 8th, 2011 at 3:46 PM ^
he forced him out
AG was supposed to try him, but didn't b/c of lack of evidence in 1998
November 8th, 2011 at 4:01 PM ^
Never have children.
November 8th, 2011 at 4:18 PM ^
he has done so much for so many kids
jerry sandusky is a bad guy
keep the facts straight
I am in no way saying jerry sandusky is anything but a monster
JoePa thought he did the right thing by informing his boss (the police were involved...nothing came of it)
Should JoePa have been more pro-active?...YES
Does this mean he is a monster?...NO
November 8th, 2011 at 4:46 PM ^
Did the bare minimum to cover his ass and then did not use his status at Penn State to protect the victims in this case. If you had a connection to any one of these victims, you would feel differently.
We all do a lot of good things in different walks of life. Not all of us have the reach of a football coach at a major university. Rarely do people get opportunities to truly be courageous, make a difficult decision - even though I don't think it should have been difficult at all - and step up to help others in a moment like this. Joe Paterno failed every single one of those children by not doing more. He had to have seen Sandusky many times in 9 years since 2002 and just lived with the fact that a child rapist was walking free.
Joe Paterno may not be a monster but he is a pathetic excuse for a human being.
November 8th, 2011 at 1:18 PM ^
If it was you or your child that was abused after this sexual predator could have been removed from society, would you still think that his complete FAIL was "not terrible"???
It truely mind boggling. It was defenseless CHILDREN that were sacraficed for the PSU and JoePa brand.
He will rot in hell if there is one.
November 8th, 2011 at 3:36 PM ^
he did what he thought he was supposed to do
in hindsight he didn't
at the time alerting his boss was what he was supposed to do, he didn't follow up with his boss or with the victims family which is bad but not terrible, terrible is actually doing the act
November 8th, 2011 at 4:06 PM ^
You think he would have taken the exact same steps if it was one of his grandkids in the shower with Sandusky?
Probably not - that is the level of expectations set with anything involving children. Do what you would do if it was one of yours who was victimized.
JoePa is POS, plain and simple.
November 8th, 2011 at 4:10 PM ^
nothing came of it
JoePa has a history of not going off half-cocked
he is slow to judgement, it has been over the years one of his best traits, in a shakespearian twist of irony it now leads to his ultimate downfall
in 98 they could not prove anything, so JoePa thought it was weird and sketchy and pushed him out, in hindsight more was going on
November 8th, 2011 at 4:50 PM ^
He was in the weight room last week!
What planet are you from?
If Joe Paterno really wanted to, he could have Sandusky banned from ever setting foot on a PSU campus or satellite campus ever again. He's Joe fucking Paterno. Insead the guy is running camps for kids right under his nose.
And "slow judgement"....What the hell man. I guess slow judgement is now 13 years slow? 9 years slow? Is he still making up his mind on whether or not he should go to the police about a child rapist?
Just give this up.
November 8th, 2011 at 5:08 PM ^
by 2002 there was plenty of evidence including an eye witness. He could have done plenty more and didn't. He certainly didn't push him out considering the guy was working at PSU facilities last week and running camps there as early as 2 years ago. He also had to have known about the investigation, since he testified and all, and still let him have an office/hang out at PSU?
What?
How can anyone defend JoePa at this point. he ABSOULTELY knew and did nothing.
POS.
November 8th, 2011 at 4:56 PM ^
Terrible is KNOWING that a child is in danger and not doing a damn thing to stop it from happening.
How can you possibly think that this is not terrible? More kids were harmed!!
I can tell you with 100% certainty, that if I ever walked in on someone performing these reprehensible acts, and they were never punished, that they would do it again. 100%.
So by not acting and knowing that the person I told did not act, I was sentencing more children to this poor boys fate. And I would be 100% guilty of being an accessory to one of the most heinous crimes one can commit in all of human existence.
That you can't see this is frightening.
November 8th, 2011 at 1:23 PM ^
I can understand how Paterno did what he did, not wanting to believe a secondand allegation against a longtime assistant and (presumably) friend, but he should have at least followed up with the GA and then notified the cops as soon as it was clear that Curley was sitting on it.
November 8th, 2011 at 2:20 PM ^
No. You have to remember why Sandusky was "forced to retire in 1999 (I believe). Even at that point, there was an allegation of child molestation. There is NO OTHER REASON to let go a successful DC at his fifties. JoePa knew it, and knew it all along.
November 8th, 2011 at 2:44 PM ^
While not as horrific, Hoke_Floats logic reminds me of this...
November 8th, 2011 at 3:34 PM ^
hitler?
you are that guy
November 8th, 2011 at 4:57 PM ^
but you are definitely THAT guy.
November 8th, 2011 at 12:56 PM ^
Legends aren't necessarily good.
November 8th, 2011 at 1:15 PM ^
While I agree with your point
You can't take away what he did statwise at penn state. He built a program and is the winningest coach in D1 football. He'll always be remembered though for not doing the right thing and calling the police when this was brought to his attention.
November 8th, 2011 at 9:11 PM ^
"He'll always be remembered though for not doing the right thing and calling the police when this was brought to his attention."
Good. They need to fire his ass, fire his entire staff, forfeit their remaining 3 games this year and not go to a bowl game.
As a starting point.
November 8th, 2011 at 1:20 PM ^
Laugh. Is spending 50 years coaching at the same school, during a time where a coach getting 10 years is amazing, and a coach coaching for 13 years puts him at Legendary status (Lloyd Carr) no longer qualify as a legend?
Joe Paterno is a legend. Deal with it.
November 8th, 2011 at 1:46 PM ^
Paterno's lasting legacy should be this and nothing else, forget all the coaching he did this is bigger than sports and the only time Paterno should be talked about is in this failure, there is no punishment to harsh for paterno after turning a blind eye to what he did.
November 8th, 2011 at 4:27 PM ^
Tell that to all the players that JoePa shaped and helped overcome difficult spells in their own life. Its tragic but this isn't a math equation and we're not dealing with negative and positive columns in a ledger. Everyone is a mixed bag and screws up. Why don't you go after the AG that didn't prosecute while you're at.
November 8th, 2011 at 6:51 PM ^
Robin Hood was a legend. Joe Paterno is a real person who made a lot of good decisons, did a lot of good things, but let's face it - was no saint. And this Sandusky situation puts a huge stain on his legacy whether you like it or not.
November 8th, 2011 at 4:05 PM ^
You're right, he's more of a WHY IS WISCONSIN HERE?
November 8th, 2011 at 5:47 PM ^
My wife works with children of varying ages, and the one consistent rule they hammered into her head from day 1 is that if you see something inappropriate, escalate it up the chain of command. While it does sound like Paterno should have known better, he did what he was told to do, following a protocol that other institutions also instruct their employees.
This is a horrible event, one that will shame PSU for a generation. And maybe I want to believe that Joe Paterno, who seems like a genuinely sincere (if clearly befuddled) man, is more a victim of circumstance than complicity, but he isn't the monster here; that's Sandusky. That man deserves to rot, and he will. He deserves to be pillored in the press and his reputation should be tarnished somewhat, but for all the good he seems to have done for the university and its students, I'm not ready to dismiss him as a fool and a slimeball because he did what he thought was right and presumed that the university would follow suit.
November 8th, 2011 at 1:43 PM ^
Yeah and he knew about something going on that was ruining the lives, I repeat ruining the LIVES of dozens young boys; sure he didn't know to what extreme it really was, but he did not go to the police. Instead he went to his superior to wash his hands of it and left it at that. It is good that Paterno is not going to coach anymore.
November 8th, 2011 at 2:01 PM ^
Why do you think he "coaches from the booth"? Because if he were on the sideline he may well have croaked by now.
November 8th, 2011 at 12:23 PM ^
I hope his exit is immediate. It would be shameful for him to coach another game.
November 8th, 2011 at 12:38 PM ^
He hasn't coached a game in a long time
November 8th, 2011 at 12:40 PM ^
True or not he is a figurehead for the team. If they let him continue to be trotted out as the face of the program......... Bad judgment all around. I agree with an earlier poster that this is not the way you want to see any legend bow out.
November 8th, 2011 at 12:49 PM ^
He brought it upon himself. I don't care what way he leaves, by retirement, resignation or termination, but he should not be employed by PSU on Saturday.
November 8th, 2011 at 1:17 PM ^
You speak the sooth. Until the scandal I was convinced they would just stuff JoePa after he died, not tell anyone, and just put him up in the box looking out the window.
November 8th, 2011 at 9:27 PM ^
and use it to make a latex bodysuit in the shape of Joepa for all PSU cheerleaders to wear. Forever and ever.
November 8th, 2011 at 12:24 PM ^
Shouldn't be allowed to coach today!
November 8th, 2011 at 12:25 PM ^
Retiring? Ummm...OK...I'd be pissed if they claimed this as "retiring".
November 8th, 2011 at 12:31 PM ^
My fault. I typed it quickly and then realized I used the wrong word...the article doesn't say retiring, just that he'll be gone. Changed it.
November 8th, 2011 at 12:33 PM ^
No problem.
November 8th, 2011 at 12:27 PM ^
flying around that he was going to be gone after this season well before the news broke.
November 8th, 2011 at 12:42 PM ^
Those rumors have been flying around for the last five years.
November 8th, 2011 at 3:17 PM ^
- His contract is expiring
- His health issues
- His apparent lack of involvement in actually coaching
- He was finally going to pass Eddie Robinson and set a mark that will likely never be trumped
Article from October 31st
November 8th, 2011 at 12:42 PM ^
Rumors about that have been flying around since the mid-00's and probably earlier. It's been clear for some time that Paterno was never going to leave of his own accord and the administration felt he was too powerful to push out. The only way he was ever leaving before dying was if something like this were to happen.
November 8th, 2011 at 12:28 PM ^
Unfortunate for him to go out this way, but I just can't get my head around how no one reported this to the police. The program uber alles. Sad.
November 8th, 2011 at 12:28 PM ^
I'm pretty sure he will be gone.
The question is, who would be his replacement? Any ideas?
I think Al Golden would jump if he was offered the job being it's his alma mater.
November 8th, 2011 at 12:29 PM ^
Greg Schiano!