Joe Paterno‘s Penn State Legacy ’Is Now Marred’ by Abuse Scandal, Trustee Says
- Posted on July 12, 2012 at 4:26pm by
Madeleine Morgenstern
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The legacy of Penn State Coach Joe Paterno, who died in January, "is now marred" by the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal, the head of the school's board of trustees said. (AP)
Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno’s Penn State University legacy “is now marred” as a result of the school’s sex abuse scandal, the chairwoman of Penn State’s board of trustees said.
Karen Peetz said Thursday the board “accepts full responsibility for the failures that occurred” in protecting children from Jerry Sandusky, following the release of a report that said top school officials “concealed critical facts” about allegations made against the former assistant football coach.
The report, the product of an eight-month university-sanctioned investigation into the scandal, stated Paterno “was an integral part of this active decision to conceal” Sandusky’s abuse, and that is firing last year was justified. Paterno died of lung cancer in January.
“Sixty-one years of excellent service to the university that Joe gave is now marred,” Peetz said.
Of the report’s finding that officials concealed the allegations, she said: “We are horrified, we are saddened…there are not enough superlative words to use.”
She said the board of trustees “will take every action to ensure that an event like this never happens again in our university community” and vowed to “restore trust” in Penn State.
Another trustee, Kenneth Frazier, said, “Our hearts remain heavy and we are deeply ashamed” of the “inexcusable failure on the part of Joe Paterno and others to protect children.”
“You have to measure every human by the good they’ve done, and the bad they’ve done,” he said. “We have to take some time … and distance before we start thinking about how we think about Joe Paterno’s entire life and entire body of work.”
Sandusky is awaiting sentencing after being convicted last month on 45 criminal counts.
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Comments (34)
P-Daddy
Posted on July 13, 2012 at 7:30amTruly sad, and PS will pay heavily over the near future, in litigation and damages.
What has always bothered me is that Mr. Sandusky, heir apparent to a VERY successful college football program, turned it down and walked away to be part of his “program”. Have you heard of other colleges courting him for coaching their football programs? Can’t say as if I have. If that’s true, then why not? Was he, when approached, steadfast in his desire to run his “program” and not be involved in another college football program? Or is it that because stories of Mr. Sanduskys infidelities are more, much more widely known that anyone is willing to admit to and that ALL the colleges didn’t want anything to do with him? Food for thought…..
Report Post »Ron Staiger
Posted on July 13, 2012 at 7:10amIt does not matter what good a person has done during his or her entire lifetime when one’s legacy is punctuated by involvement in child rape or its coverup. Every employee at Penn State who knew about or witnessed the rape of children, including the janitors who said they were afraid of being fired, should be fired. Since it did involve the football program and the protection of its reputation as well as its revenue stream, the NCAA should suspend Penn State from any bowl or championship games for a period of 10 years. A message needs to be sent to every University that has covered up sexual abuse to protect its reputation and fiscal well-being (University coverups of reported rape is more common than you think) that such abject failure to protect its most vulnerable will not be tolerated and a hefty price will be paid. Paterno was coach when I attended Penn State in the 70′s and was a football God to us- now he’s just another coward who went along with the system in avoidance of his human responsiblity which led to the sexual abuse of more children – that is his dispicable legacy now!
Report Post »sueacworth
Posted on July 13, 2012 at 6:58amWell Penn State is done. The only feelings I have for Joe Paterno and Sandusky is that they were two of the sickest people. Paterno already has his justice and Sandusky will get his.Hopefully both will rot in Hell. It is disgusting to know that these two abused all these children and got away with for so long. There will never be enough money for these families to recover from years of sick homosexual treatment. This kind of mind set permeates our schools, harms and denigrates our children. We send these institutions our children to educate and protect and what we get are the likes of these people at Penn State. If Paterno was still alive he would also have been prosecuted. They should wipe his name off of everything. His records means nothing and only stands for evil.
Report Post »helioquois
Posted on July 13, 2012 at 1:12amGetting Sandusky at the earliest point of knowledge concerning his sexual abuse of children would have saved those boys and preserved the reputation of Penn State. What they actually avoided with their inaction would have been the finest hour of Penn State leadership…it would have been worth every iota of publicity and the University could have led the US in developing a process and system to find these deviant predators and punishing them to the fullest extent of the law. That they let these things pass proves they are not men, not leaders…and they deserve the ire of every American. Jail and ostracism for them is too kind. This is hard for me to say because I admired Joe Pa and PSU, but no longer.
Report Post »pilgrim249
Posted on July 13, 2012 at 12:53amPenn State is like most other universities in America—A politically correct cess-pool that censures any criticism or suspicion of sexual perversion, even to the point of allowing children to be destroyed by a sodomite predator on their campus.
Report Post »Detroit paperboy
Posted on July 13, 2012 at 12:29amYeah, Raping young boys has a way of marring reputations……….funny how that works.
Report Post »noproblems
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 10:42pmWhat a joke. Time for Captain Hindsight to make another appearence. Trustees should resign.
Report Post »Free_Thinker
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 9:40pmIf Papa Joe knew about these heinous crimes and did nothing to protect these poor vulnerable kids then he needs to be banned from College Football for ever! Especially to include being banned from the Hall of Fame. He belongs in the Hall of Shame!
Report Post »Robertgoldberg
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 8:50pmIt breaks my heart that a few individuals in power at the Instituion I love and will always love, did not take the necessary action to report the child sexual abuse or, at the time alleged child abuse by Sandusky. Penn State is more than this scandal.. WE ARE…a great educational institution and not just a football program. I am still proud to say I am a Penn Stater!
Report Post »wmgill
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 8:46pm“You have to measure every human by the good they’ve done, and the bad they’ve done,” he said. “We have to take some time … and distance before we start thinking about how we think about Joe Paterno’s entire life and entire body of work.”
If you allow 1 child molester to remain free and 1 child is harmed because of it then all the good you have done in the past isnt worth sh@t. If you knew of a child molesters past actions and stood by and did nothing then all the good you did in the past aint worth sh@t. May everyone who knew and did nothing rot in hell.
What was done to these kids will be with them the rest of their lives. There is no forgivness for this.
Report Post »jhaydeng
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 8:40pmYou mean to tell me that you think JoPa let this go on! Nobody thinks he didn’t report it? I still think JoPa followed protocol and someone dropped the ball or said it was taken care of! It’s not fair that he is being ripped when he is dead! JMO!
Report Post »wmgill
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 8:55pm“I still think JoPa followed protocol and someone dropped the ball or said it was taken care of! It’s not fair that he is being ripped when he is dead!”
If he followed protocol and reported it and that failed to stop it then your saying he did his job. Well I will have to disagree on that one. He should have called the police, child services, the parents and if that didnt work then the media. When you know something like this is happening you dont stop untill you make sure it stops.
Report Post »SpankDaMonkey
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 8:25pm.
From Joe Pa to Joe Perv…..
I wonder how Hot his Hell is?…….
Report Post »The Gooch
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 7:39pmYep. Some no-name kid isn’t as important as fooze-ball. Shocking.
Report Post »Paterno’s family is spinning this, of course. Some thirty years of allegations and they assert “people may not have known how serious this was.” Wow.
wingnut1955
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 6:37pmThe NCAA needs to act NOW!!! They need to give Penn State Football the death sentence. The school protected it’s football program in covering up that boys were being raped in their locker room and showers. It is time to show all NCAA football programs that this will not be tolerated. Pedophiles will always be amongst us. I believe they need the death sentence, also. They never change. It is time to act and show that the NCAA will not tolerate this kind of child abuse or any kind of child abuse. Do it NOW!!!
Report Post »MBA
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 6:08pmhow dare old Joe say this isn’t a football issue. It is in every way–they all lied and covered up sandusky to protect the football program. I guess just like politicians when you have access to power and all that money–lying, cheating, and perversion is acceptable.
Report Post »TOPOFTHEGAME
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 5:44pmNO ONE,,,,,,,, is “”"“REALLY””"”"calling Jerry Sandusky what he is ”””A homosexual”””’. This man liked little boys and what I called him is appropriate.
Report Post »WatchingAmericaDie
Posted on July 13, 2012 at 1:53amYou’re right. Most queer men are pedophiles. A boy is the ultimate prize for a queer man.
Report Post »chips1
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 4:57pmJoe this! Joe that! His reputation is marred! What about the many kids that had their lives RUINED? Tear the whole school down and build a clean one. Get rid of the whole staff. Better administrators are out there and they need jobs. The current ones had their chance and failed. You can’t build on a unstable foundation.
Report Post »frust@ted
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 4:45pmmarred it’s ruined. As it should be the students should march and tear the statue down.
Report Post »TheValley
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 4:59pmIt is a good thing the world isn’t ruled by morons like you. First off, it is awful easy for Joe Paterno to be blamed, he is dead and can’t defend himself, the only one in this whole deal who can’t speak. The report noticeably DOES NOT cast any blame on the Trustees. Wonder why? Could the Trustees have dictated how and who the report would focus on? You bet it did, and all of you idiots casting stones have willingly been manipulated by the system. Wonder why not one trustee knew anything…..the truth hasn’t been brought forth yet, but all of you idiots jumping on the witch trial bandwagon are behaving just as others expected. You have been programmed. The Trustees are partying right now.
Report Post »BenKatz
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 5:38pmActually it’d be scarier if it were filled with blindly devoted folks like yourself. Joe Paterno is not to blame for the Penn State scandal. He was however, absolutely complacent and deserves to have any legacy stained by his lack of action for eternity. There is no conspiracy regardless of how badly you want there to be one.
Report Post »bdandsl
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 4:42pmHow can any person be so selfish as to look the other way when a child is being raped? To protect the school’s reputation! How about protect the child!? All those involved should be charged, including Dottie Sandusky! THEY ALL KNEW THOSE BOYS WERE BEING RAPED AND DID NOTHING! May God have mercy on their souls.
Report Post »Watchyer6
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 4:39pmHis legacy is marred? It’s completely destroyed. Nothing good that he did can ever outweigh the evil that Paterno enabled for so long. I spit on his grave.
Report Post »TYM
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 4:38pmTime to give the statue the Saddam treatment.
Report Post »ABVCharlie
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 4:46pmAgreed.
Report Post »Mapache
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 4:34pmHe KNEW that young boys were being abused by a member of his staff in the very buildings that he worked and PATERNO DID NOTHING…..seems pretty clearcut to me….no number of victories or statues will make up for ignoring the plight of those who were victims of Sandusky.
Report Post »snapperman
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 4:31pm“Sixty-one years of excellent service… is MARRED???” Joe Paterno was obviously an evil, immoral person who willingly traded the innocence of little boys for a football program. He is deservedly roasting as I write.
Report Post »hauschild
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 4:31pmYawn …
Report Post »IMCHRISTIAN
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 4:30pmBoy’s lives and well being is not worth any school or any coaches reputations if they are guilty. God always knows the truth.
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