I am uncertain how Paterno or McQueary could be legally in the clear. When one witnesses or is told of a felony, is there not a duty to report? If an employee of mine came to me and said they witnessed a minor child being raped in our facilities' shower area, I would waste no time in calling the police for them to investigate. And, if I witnessed the event, I would have at the very least shouted out and attempted to intervene, I am 5'2" and am not a former quarterback for Penn State who would have been fully capable of making a physical difference in the situation. This cannot have happened, can another human be so devoid of moral clarity that this act was allowed to happen uninterrupted and unreported to the proper authorities? It makes one physically sick to contemplate it.

Whatever happened to the American judicial system. Was he convicted? Did I miss something?

Did Joe Paterno have a convicted sex offender working for him>

Let the process run its course.

Mr. Vanvalkenburg, if an intern at the sun came to you on monday and told you that he had seen a more senior sports writer at the Sun possibly sexually asualt a child in the men's room at the sun on Friday, what would you have done. Be honest please?

Ace, if I held the kind of power at the Sun that Joe Paterno does at Penn State, I would have made certain an investigation was done, and if no one followed up with me, I would have repeatedly asked the publisher for answers. (Although in the analogy you're trying to make, I would have more power than the publisher.) And if I got no answers, then I would have gone to the police. That's what you do.

What you don't do is ignore multiple accusations like this over several years and let that person continue to work in your facility where he could abuse other kids. I grew up around law enforcement. My father was/is a district attorney. People in positions of leadership have a responsibility to protect the innocent. And they absolutely should be held to a higher standard, no matter how much you like the way they design an off-tackle trap or a zone blitz.

I know that facts shouldn't get in the way of your opinion, but wasn't the alleged sexual assault investigated by the police and the district attorney did not press charges? In personnel matters, and this was, indeed, a personnel matter, employers are often urged to stay within the system and to allow that system to prosecute. When the system determined there was not sufficient evidence to go forward, are you suggesting that Joe Paterno should have ignored that system and go public? What if the allegations proved to be false? What if the allegations are false now? Should Joe Paterno ignore the law, ignore established personnel procedures, and become a vigilante? In the circumstances, taking the facts as they were then known, what specifically should have Joe Paterno have done? 20-20 hindsight is a pretty damning tool, but even in this case, we really don't know the facts yet, do we? Oh well. You wouldn't want the facts to obfuscate your opinion anyway, would you?

Lee, Ace, and all the rest of you JoePa apologists: The issue is not whether Paterno did what he is "legally" required to do. The issue is whether he met the standards that he himself set over 4 decades of serving as the Head Football Coach at Penn State. Paterno repeatedly has emphasized throughout his career that, at Penn State and under his leadership, "we do things the RIGHT way." Being the most powerful man at the University (and don't delude yourselves: he is), what Paterno says, goes; what Paterno wants, Paterno gets. He failed the test of leadership and high morals that he himself established and preached. And by doing so, he allowed Sandusky another 12-13 years to play the homosexual pedophile and prey on young boys.

@Janet-AMEN!!!! I got into some heated debates with my baby Buckeye (who hates Penn St by the way hahahaha but defends Joe Pa) and friends and we all said the same thing. Why wasn't the police called qucikly to make an arrest? Why didn't the grad student intervene to save the boy and they be witnesses against coach? I hope there is a report with more info because I believe as well Paterno at least reported (but he needs to retire)...more than I can say for da Vest, my man Tressel!!! Nice to see ESPN is trashing Penn St like it did about some d@ tattoos (priorities finally straight)!!!

There is plenty of blame to go around in this matter. The most culpability lies with the Centre County District Attorney, the Penn State Police Dept. and the Pennsylvania State Welfare Dept. in failing to press for prosecution of Sandusky in 1998; and for failing to monitor his future contact with children. Fault also lies with the University supervisor of the distraught janitor who witnesses Sandusky molesting a child in the showers but failed to report the matter to the police as required; Blame also lies with the assistant coach for not physically stopping Sandusky when he witnessed the crime in 2002 or not dialing 911 to report it
.
Pennsylvania authorities had the power to stop these crimes against children in 1998 and 2000. The Grand Jury report makes it clear that before and after the 2002 incident there were many adult eyewitness accounts of Sandusky having improper contact with minors. None of these people reported it to the police, or if they did, the police did nothing. Paterno had only a second hand report, which he promptly reported to University authorities who were bound by law to act. There should not be a rush to judge Paterno until all of the facts, not the media hype, are brought to light

imagine666:

It's apparent that, perhaps, you are the uniformed one, or at least the one who does not wish to allow the facts to get in the way of his opinion. If you bothered to pay attention to the factual chronology of events (i.e., read the grand jury findings), the police-reported incident of which you speak occurred in 1998, or 4 years prior to the subject and separate incident. And, not to quibble, but the indictment is not limited to that single prior or these 2 events, but involves multiple episodes over many years dating back as far as 1994. For the 1998 event, the DA opted not to prosecute for whatever reasons (for which I might suggest not to dismiss the possibility of Paterno/PSU pressure to sweep it under the rug as Sandusky, at the time, was considered Paterno's heir apparent). Nevertheless, that decision was neither an acquittal, nor a statement of no wrongdoing, nor an admission by the authorities that such accusations were false.

Kevin, who does not need me to defend him, as well as Kirk Herbstreit, have it right: as to Paterno, this is entirely about what he failed to do. That is, armed with the knowledge of past "potential" sexual abuse actions by his long time friend and when presented with new accusations of similar ill behavior, he, as the football program's head, did only the absolute bare minimum required under PA state law and far below the espoused and substantially higher standards verbally evoked by Paterno and PSU.

Critically, Paterno never followed-up on a matter that no one should ever excuse that directly involved both a close friend and an individual inextricably connected to his football program. Whether he was a member of his coaching staff or an employee of the university at the time of this incident is entirely irrelevant--he was on the campus and utilizing, with both Paterno's and PSU's full knowledge and consent, the football program's facilitites. Likewise, there is no indication that Paterno ever confronted Sandusky about the matter. That, of itself, is utterly reprehensible and even telling. By comparison, for the 1998 matter, local, otherwise unknown and low-profile high school officials had enough common sense to report their concerns directly to the police.

Over time and if thoroughly and fairly investigated, I personally would not be surprised to see revealed facts showing some degree of a systemic cover-up by PSU (and Paterno) to conceal knowledge of Sandusky's purported despicable actions. To illustrate, within the grand jury report, it discusses a meeting conducted by Paterno in 1999, or right after the alleged 1998 incident, wherein Sandusky was apparently advised that he would not become PSU's head coach. Coincidence? Maybe. But let's remember that Sandusky was also subsequently retired that same year and provided a rather benevolent retirement package from the school, including unfettered facility access. Also, I find it somewhat intriguing that these presnt allegations, which have been percolating for quite some time, did not publicly surface until after "JoePa" secured his 409th win.

As the program's and, arguably, the university's "de facto," figurehead, Paterno is responsible for all things occurring under his watch within his football program. As such, and without acknowledging the Paterno apologist's inapplicable "innocent until proven guilty" mantra--after all, he is not being criminally charged--he likely needs to step down for his overwhelming moral failing and to presever what little that may remain of PSU's claimed hallowed conduct code.

To trebort and all other vigilantees

I still don't think it was Paterno's job to conduct an investigation. He admits he was told by the grad coach that something happened but also said he was not given details. He is the coach and no where in his job description does he have the right to investigate alleged crimes committed by former employees. He was told a story by a young intern including an accusation made against a man with a good reputation that he had worked with for a long time. He did not protect his friend, he informed his supervisor. Should he have gone to the police immediately and ruined his friends reputation based on the words of a grad student? Hind sight is 20/20 so all those saying he should have done this based on what is known now are full of detritus. Perhaps he went to his supervisor later and asked about the matter and was told there was no substance. The grad student continued working at the school and didnt make a big deal out of it so perhaps Paterno figured it was all taken care of. Sandusky was banned from the campus
But that doesnt matter, people wanted to bring down Joe Paterno because thats what we do these days to make ourselves feel better.
As a good man, Paterno resigned for the good of the program. To bad he had to be tried in the court of public opinion. By the way cops will say whatever it takes to get a conviction, the truth doesnt matter anymore

Wow....just Wow.....Ace, you are sick!

The Paterno enablers are just following a blind allegiance to a successful football coach who allowed A KNOW PEDOPHILE to roam Penn St. campus unfettered for many many years.

How many children did Sandusky rape on Penn State campus?

Paterno allowed this.

People like Ace, if he were working for Paterno are just the kind of people who would have looked the other way, kept the gravy train going, and enabled Sandusky to rape children as he desired.

Truly despicable Ace, you have no moral compass and IMHO your mental state matches that of Sandusky.

I wanna puke reading the garbage that the Paterno lap dogs spew attempting to defend child rape.

As a long time college football fan, who attended schools that played Penn State over the years, I have never been a fan of Joe Paterno. Perhaps it has been the persistent drumbeat of the fawning media concerning "Joe Pa" and Penn State football program, that I have found so insufferable. Or maybe, my disdain is more rooted in Paterno's seemingly self-righteous attitude toward other college football programs, who have been caught by the NCAA as "transgressors".

In any event, it certainly appears as though Coach Paterno is morally culpable in this matter. Through his actions he did what was legally the minimum. However, I agree with what has previously been opined; and that is as a leader, he should have done more to protect defenseless youngsters from a known adult predator. The bottom line is leaders talk the talk, AND walk the walk. Paterno failed on the ladder, and now both his reputation and the glass house which is the Penn State football program are forever shattered.

Joe Paterno is an employee of the state of Pennsylvania. As such, he has an individual responsibility under Pennsylvania's Child Protective Services Law (23 Pa.C.S. Sec 6311) to report any suspected child abuse to the Department of Public Welfare and the Centre County Children and Youth Services office.

The grand jury presentment clearly states the fact that McQueary told Paterno of the sexual acts that Sandusky was performing on the child in the Penn State football showers.

When Paterno spoke to his boss, Curley, the following day, he translated what McQueary told him into the fact that "something of a sexual nature" took place. This whitewash will damn him.

Even more damning is that all of this took place nearly a decade ago. For almost ten years, Joe Paterno has lived with the knowledge of these heinous acts committed in his very own football center.

Had the grand jury not been empanelled and released its facts last week, Joe Paterno would have said nothing and did nothing.

Get real Bill Reiter you moron! Obviously you and the lot like you have no idea how the generation of Joe Paterno's grew up! They we're raised to respect authority and EXPECT the authority to do what was required of them!! Sandusky's actions were not covered up by Joe Paterno; if you go back and look at the history of the accusations against him they started just before his abrupt "retirement" from Penn State and just after his foundation was started. Did you ever even consider that his "retirement" and the accusations from back in 1998-99 were what the retirement was about in the first place? And why did the university allow him access to facilities after his "retirement" if they weren't more concerned about a tenured employee suing them than they were about the consequences of a single allegation of the first child to come forward? And why did the university continue to allow him access after the 2002 allegations? How can you blame Joe for this???!!!

Unlike the last two generations of "me first - I'm the focus of the universe" mentality that never takes action of their own but merely follows the latest "buzz" like sheep sheep to slaughter, the generation of Joe Paterno focused on their task at hand and expected others to do the same!!

All you and the lot like you have done is tear down the life of a man & his family that have dedicated their entire existence to bettering their community thru their actions and devotions. Sick bastards like you that are given free access to the world media to spread your stupidity make me want to puke...........and you are a perfect example of what is disturbingly sick and wrong with this country!!

BTW, I'm not a Penn State graduate or fan. I do however, respect what the man has done for his community and Penn State University. What our schools at every level need are more Joe Paternos. Thanks to your simplistic, moronic, liberaial editorial there is one less good man (and good family) to guide our countries young minds!

One small point of fact (to Trebort, especially): Sandusky is a pedophile; he is not a homosexual–please don’t confuse the two. Some of you may have a problem with homosexuality, but let’s make no mistake: it is a consensual relationship between adults. What Sandusky did is an abuse of power, not to mention the sexual & psychological trauma he caused these kids.

All of you people defending Paterno for what he did or didn’t do in 2002 are sort of missing the point. He didn’t do any more in 2002 because he knew that the cover-up had started at least 3-4 years prior: when Sandusky was allowed to retire instead of being charged for the crimes the PSU and State College police investigated then. The picture is becoming more clear by the hour. Read the Grand Jury report; read this Madden piece from April; and read this article by Chouinard. Use your logical powers. Connect the dots. Yes, we all have 20/20 hindsight now; but Paterno & the PSU administrators (Shultz & the AD) knew what they were (and weren’t) doing in 2002 and why.
http://www.timesonline.com/columnists/sports/mark_madden/madden-sandusky-a-state-secret/article_863d3c82-5e6f-11e0-9ae5-001a4bcf6878.html
http://werebucked.com/2011/11/09/why-did-jerry-sandusky-retire-in-1999/

@ACE hole -- you are truly disgusting and a poor excuse for a human being. I want all of you Paterno apologists and defenders to read the Grand Jury report, then, armed with the truth, come back and tell me Paterno did nothing wrong. His former QB/Graduate Assistant, and now full-time coach, told him he witnessed Sandusky sodomizing this child in the showers in 2002. The 1998 incident, involving two children, was swept under the rug. Paterno knew about two incidents, four years apart, where his buddy was accused of raping children, including one eye-witness account by his own coach and staff member, and still did nothing. He also did not terminate his personal or professional relationship with Sandusky. And, don't be so sure he is legally off the hook, either. Anyone who knows or suspects child abuse, is required to report in in PA. And, Joe Pa, for all his self-righteousness, is the last person to try to shirk the moral responsibility he so fervently preaches to his players. READ THE REPORT, all ye defenders of the Legend. Then come back and tell me, or better yet, tell all the parents and the victims he did nothing wrong. How many children at his Second Mile charity, a.k.a., victim factory, did Sandusky rape between 1998 and today, that could have been prevented had Paterno put a stop to what was going on. There's no doubt he had the power. Why didn't he use it?

Maybe you call yourself easy writer because you have no respect for the truth. I read the report and most of what you wrote is not in the report. Nobody knows exacctly what Paterno knew, especially you. This was a grand jury report not a trial. Paterno said the grad assistant did not go into details with him. That is in the report. I am not exagerating. Why do you take the word of a grad assistant and not the word of Paterno. I'm sure you probably wanted to put the Duke boys in jail too.

KV- great column. The resultant reprehensible rioting and some of these idiotic defenses of Paterno are stunning, but not unexpected. Humans have an unbelieveable ability to self-justify- from the pervert rapist to Paterno's defenders, all in the aim to protect themselves from the harshness of reality. The child rapist, Paterno, and the defenders rationalize that rape and assault is merely "sexual in nature". Disgraceful. Paterno KNEW he was raping a kid on campus (probably for the umpteenth time too), and continued a pattern of indifference and obfuscation to protect his program and friend. Sadists like Sandusky KNOW how to manipulate victims and associates. He probably was caught earlier and came back at Paterno with some shpeil about "making men out of these boys", or "we all did this at some time", so that Paterno could then rationalize his own indifference. He left Paterno an "out" and Paterno to his disgrace, took it.

The defenders are so deep in the Penn State / college football forest they can no longer see the trees. Under NO circumstances should that pervert have been anywhere near the campus with children by that point in time. When caught in the act of raping that child he should have been forcibly intercepted, arrested and prosecuted, but Paterno was already covering for him by then - and Sandusky knew it. McQuery probably knew it too and wimped out for fear of reprisal - or worse, and more likely,saw it as an opportunity to parlay that knowledge in to a promotion within the program.

The fact that defenders are putting their desire to maintain their happy-Saturdays of Penn State FB ahead of the violence that occurred to that child is reprehensible.

KVV - garbage. Utter garbage.

easy writer - Swept under the rug? How about, the DA declined to press charges? Do you know how the American legal system works? Also, you don't seem to know anything about Pennsylvania's reporting requirements, which are very different from what you describe. Glad you're on the case to take care of what Attorney General (now Governor) Corbett missed.

MikeN - "Paterno KNEW he was raping a kid on campus (probably for the umpteenth time too), and continued a pattern of indifference and obfuscation to protect his program and friend" - Funny, you must have been on that grand jury and heard lots of testimony that didn't make the report. I don't remember any of those facts making it into the report. Maybe because they aren't true.