One of college football’s most recognizable figures has a bigger issue on his hands this week than his upcoming game against Nebraska.
Joe Paterno, Penn State’s legendary coach, has been caught up with the news that his former defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky, is alleged to have committed multiple sexual crimes involving children.
Paterno, the FBS active leader in terms of wins (409), could be facing his final days in Happy Valley after all the news comes out.
Paterno is facing heat because he failed to inform authorities of Sandusky's alleged violations when Paterno first became aware of them in 2002.
"I do know Joe Paterno very well," said Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech head coach. "I consider him a great friend. He's been great for college football, and I really think a lot of him.”
Sandusky, who was the Nittany Lions’ defensive coordinator from 1977 to 1999, was arrested for 40 counts related to the sexual abuse of young boys over a 15-year period.
Sandusky is currently free on $100,000 bail pending trial.
"I don't know Sandusky well, but every time I've met him and talked with him, I was always impressed with him," Beamer said. “I think exactly what people knew, and when they knew it and so forth, that's the issue. I wouldn't pass judgment there."
Beamer, who won the first-ever Joseph V. Paterno Award last year, has always respected the program Paterno runs.
“It was for not only winning football games, but for academics and how you ran your program,” Beamer said. “From my knowledge, Joe ran a great program."
A version of this article appeared in the Nov 9 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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I wouldn't expect Beamer to speak out against Paterno, as it's well known that Beamer greatly admired him. But the situation is ridiculous, and a mockery of what sports should be about. Sports, especially at the educational level, should boost self-esteem and create a positive morale for the community. It's sick what happened, and it's sick that Paterno and others knew about it for years and kept silent. Though Paterno had a great career, this really tarnishes what we should think of his "coaching." A sports coach almost always becomes a community leader, and Paterno did not act like one.
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@anonymous - Try to be less ignorant and actually read the accounts of what happened. McQueary failed to step in or call police during the event. He went to Paterno. Paterno took the information he had to Curley, who in turn took it to Spanier and Schultz. Spanier was president and one of Schultz's responsibilities was overseeing the campus police department. Curley, Spanier, and Schultz all actively covered the story up. It's very sad that people are trying to make Paterno fall for what others did. Outside of Sandusky, most anger should be at McQueary, who saw it firsthand and did nothing.
It comes down to this: If I witness it, I call the police. If someone comes to me saying they witness it, I tell them to call the police and I call my supervisor. It was Paterno's legal and moral obligation to put the witness in the hands of those who need to take action. It's not Paterno's fault that those people tried to cover it up. He could have followed up, but he just as easily could have been told that the situation had been investigated and dealt with. When your supervisors are corrupt, you have no choice but to live a little blinded.
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I think when your supervisors are corrupt, you find someone who will listen, given the nature of the crime. If this were a robbery and nobody got hurt, maybe you can say that being sure UP Police were informed is enough. If I'm Joe Pa, though, I'm making damn sure this is addressed, regardless of how vague McQueary was with him. He got the gist. I don't know that I could live with myself otherwise.
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EVERYONE involved, Paterno and others, should not have prized their reputation over helping victims. This had been going on for years. This is what happens all the time in sex abuse cases. A great example is the Catholic Church. The first priority is to, by protecting the perpetrator, to protect the reputation of the institution. This was a coverup by everyone. But the facts are that it is those in great power are the ones with authority to make change in the world. McQueary was a graduate assistant -- as someone "down the chain" of command, he was understandably fearful of speaking out. Which is why he went to someone who did have power over the corrupt individual (Sandusky).
The fact is, Paterno is a legend, for a reason. He was a great coach, but he did not act like a great person in this case. The motto HE established was Success with Honor. He did not practice what he preached with this. Sandusky was in a position to serially rape children for years. This is pretty damn serious. He did it on campus. People knew. Nobody stopped it. Even a legend must be accountable for his actions.
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@Anonymous - there's absolutely nothing to substantiate your guess that Paterno covered it up. The only thing questioned in any way similar to a cover up is how he described McQueary account to his supervisors. As a 76-year old man, at the time, I'm sure he didn't speak verbatim what was told to him. He did, however, fulfill his obligation and notified people with power. Paterno had zero real power over Sandusky at that point in time, so he went to people that did.
McQueary was a 28-year-old man, not just some college kid. When you see something like that occurring, there is no "chain of command", there is only action. How can you say it's ok for a 28-year-old man who saw the events firsthand to be scared to speak out, and then chastise Paterno for taking secondhand information and passing to the proper channels? You've got some messed up morals if you are defending McQueary in any way.
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Standard response from Beamer. What can you expect him to say though? This whole situation is extremely sad, most of all for the young boys who were victims of unspeakable crimes. The thought of this happening is troubling enough, but the fact that it happened in Happy Valley makes me not want to listen, but I know it's true.
For Joe Pa, I think it's more than reasonable to assume that his consulting with Shultz (administrator for University Park Police) constitutes going to the cops. That being said, given the nature of the crime coupled with an eyewitness, more should have been done on everyone's part (Paterno, McQueary, Spanier, Shultz) to see that this guy was brought to the authorities much earlier than he was - regardless of their relationship with him.
This whole thing reeks of a cover up for the sake of a college football program, of all things. It's a sad day for humanity, and a sad way to see someone I very much believe is a truly good human being (Paterno) have to step down. His inaction, though, warrants such a move.
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I'm glad he chose to step down at the end of the season, and that he is doing it for the reasons he coached in the first place. Until PSU can clean house, the stink of the situation will linger, and Paterno is smart enough to see that. He knows what kind of distraction that will be for the players, so it makes sense to ride out the season and hand off the team to a new program.
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I guess winning the award named after JoPa may have made Beamer feel obliged to comment. That said, I would have preferred he left it alone. Sometimes the wisest decision is to simply not comment on an evolving and quite troubling situation.
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When Penn State plays next will the cheer Stick it in! Stick it in! Stick it in! be banned? I hope Penn loses badly and their opponents scream that one at them all night. Lol! Quiver in your shame you worshipers of sport!
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Why is anyone surpised that a man who pursues a career in college coaching likes to touch little boys?
I mean - the job description is that you get to work in a locker room surrounded by a bunch of sweaty, n@ked boy/men, many of whom would do ANYTHING to keep their athletic scholarships.
It's like locking Precious in a Sizzlers overnight and then getting mad when she eats all of the fried chicken.
I'd sooner trust my kid with a Hells Angel than leave him alone in the room with a Catholic priest, a Boy Scout Master, or anyone who claims to work as a 'coach'
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