Paterno is damaged goods. His "record" will never be quoted without the asterisk (*abetted sexual abuse). If Penn State alumni want to raise a statue to him, go for it. The rest of us aren't going to forget what it represents.
10
"What the N.C.A.A. did is unforgivable"? What is wrong with these people?
It's clear that the community never accepted any responsibility. "Joe Pa"'s reputation should not and cannot be restored except among those who never valued the victims to begin with because: Football! because: Winning! because of a very sick set of priorities. This community never looked at itself once after this and asked how they created and contributed to that atmosphere. The message is clear: they don't care. We shouldn't reward them for that.
It's clear that the community never accepted any responsibility. "Joe Pa"'s reputation should not and cannot be restored except among those who never valued the victims to begin with because: Football! because: Winning! because of a very sick set of priorities. This community never looked at itself once after this and asked how they created and contributed to that atmosphere. The message is clear: they don't care. We shouldn't reward them for that.
29
Sorry, dudes. Penn State can never be "restored". I has it's (derserved) reputation for the next decades. Same goes for the NCAA.
1
I guess it is good to have friends in high places. When the state of Pennsylvania gets behind the Pennsylvania State University, good things happen for PSU. And in California, the football program at USC is just now emerging from years of vindictive sanctions levied by the NCAA including loss of scholarships for athletes, and forfeit of victories, a Heisman trophy, and a National Championship. And why were these penalties levied? Oh yes, because the parents of a football player got free housing from an agent who wanted to sign the player to a contract. Since I haven't heard anything about the NCAA restoring the victories or National Championship to USC, I guess this behavior still counts as lack of institutional oversight whereas at PSU the documented coverup of Sandusky's acts by the university administrators has been forgiven and all is well again in Happy Valley. You just gotta love the NCAA.
2
It's not about X's & O's. Nor is it about Wins & Losses. Or at least it shouldn't be. It's about Right and Wrong and Paterno failed miserably here. Though I am impressed that he read Virgil's "Aeneid." Or did he? One never knows what went down in Happy Valley, do one? To restore these wins is a Pyrrhic victory at best for the school & pours salt on the wounds of the victims' families. Again. Shame on those who applaud Paterno and who cares about his dopey statue anyway?
2
I predicted this from the getgo. Football trumps everything.
1
Every sport's "Hall of Fame" should also have a "Hall of Shame" wing (through which visitors would have to pass prior to entering the "Fame" wing) .
An inductee might be in one or the other -- or even both. In the case of NCAA coaches and players, any elected to the "Fame" side, would automatically also be placed in the "Shame" wing if they had been sanctioned by the NCAA. I'm sure we could have a similar rule for pro sports.
This type of set up would help us get over the moralistic debate on whether or not the greats (e.g. Pete Rose and the steroid gang) should get in....
An inductee might be in one or the other -- or even both. In the case of NCAA coaches and players, any elected to the "Fame" side, would automatically also be placed in the "Shame" wing if they had been sanctioned by the NCAA. I'm sure we could have a similar rule for pro sports.
This type of set up would help us get over the moralistic debate on whether or not the greats (e.g. Pete Rose and the steroid gang) should get in....
Apparently the legal system is being used for two purposes. Here we see that it can fix the over reaction of the NCAA. In another court those who covered it up are going to see jail and justice. There is little to no evidence that Joe knew or covered up anything. He reported to the appropriate individuals and they did not do their job. Now could and should he have done more, of course he admitted it, but a mistake is not an excuse for excessive punishment for him.
3
Does anyone else find it ridiculous that we're talking about football wins in any capacity when a man was found guilty of nearly six dozen charges relating to molesting children?
Return the wins. Don't return them. Who really cares?
Return the wins. Don't return them. Who really cares?
10
The Paterno apologists are out in full force, as always, ready to point fingers at anyone but their precious "saint." Riddle me this: if you were in Joe Paterno's shoes, and had even the barest modicum of information about Sandusky (and there is no version where he didn't have at least that), you really wouldn't do more than Paterno did? If your answer is that you would do more, your argument falls apart. If your answer is that you would do no more than Paterno did, I suggest that you are a person of low character and no compassion.
8
What a joke! Money talks, everybody walks. Yet another travesty of the football-industrial complex.
8
This is a microcosm of our sense of ethics, morality and our intelligence in the US of A in 2015. Football vs. abused kids? Football wins. Money vs. science, even when the science says we're going over a cliff? Money wins.
That sound you hear is H. L. Mencken, laughing from the grave.
That sound you hear is H. L. Mencken, laughing from the grave.
5
All of this from a culture that continuously passes legislation on Right to Life for children, making women criminals if they have an abortion because of rape. Where is the "moral outrage" and lack of accountability for the men and institution that aided, abetted and coved up the crime of rape of children perpatrated by men ?
14
Good luck restoring the victims, their parents and families back to unabused.
17
Too late the damage is done. What happened at Penn State is appalling. The Feds should have bulldozed that entire campus into the ground until Penn State was only a rumor.
7
I am not a college football fan. I don't care anything about Joe Paterno.
But, wow, the NCAA rewriting the actual history of games won because of what Peterno or any coach might or might not have done in regards to reporting a crime to law enforcement was just crazy.
I am not a college football fan for various reasons. Some of them because from what I see in my state, college football is a corrupt job training system - generally at taxpayer expense on lots of levels - for the NFL which is regulated by the NCAA.
The NCAA has no more moral credibility than any other entity or business or racket involved with sports, i.e., none.
But, wow, the NCAA rewriting the actual history of games won because of what Peterno or any coach might or might not have done in regards to reporting a crime to law enforcement was just crazy.
I am not a college football fan for various reasons. Some of them because from what I see in my state, college football is a corrupt job training system - generally at taxpayer expense on lots of levels - for the NFL which is regulated by the NCAA.
The NCAA has no more moral credibility than any other entity or business or racket involved with sports, i.e., none.
6
Put back the statue, please. Or better yet, move it inside the stadium behind the goalposts where it has to be seen every time a Penn State game is televised. Better yet, put Paterno's face on the field.
Justice isn't done yet. But a good start.
Justice isn't done yet. But a good start.
The message sent by the NCAA and Penn State is that child sexual abuse does not matter to them . It is interesting that the head coach saw nothing and knew nothing of what was going on in his locker room, so says the NCAA and the University. This also underscores how sports appears to be more important than education.Sad.
1
Hard to believe Joe Pa wasn't aware of what was going on or decided to look the other way. After all, Paterno was Penn St. He was the most powerful man at the university that he put on the map. That being said, the NCAA did the right thing in reinstating the victories. His players should not be penalized for other people's improprieties.
2
Maybe it was wrong for the NCAA to punish Penn State and Paterno; but if not them, then who would have? Certainly not the school itself. The push to absolve Paterno only reveals how little responsibility the university and its alumni are willing to accept for putting athletic glory above all else, and how much they would prefer that the whole sordid record be buried in a jail cell and left to rot with Jerry Sandusky alone.
When the scandal broke, I felt as if everyone involved, from Sandusky, Paterno, and Spanier on down, had just taken a massive dump on my PSU diploma. Their exoneration just piles on more.
As much as I don't want to approvingly quote Keith Olbermann, I think his comment on ESPN the other night nailed it: "Football was more important to them than protecting children."
When the scandal broke, I felt as if everyone involved, from Sandusky, Paterno, and Spanier on down, had just taken a massive dump on my PSU diploma. Their exoneration just piles on more.
As much as I don't want to approvingly quote Keith Olbermann, I think his comment on ESPN the other night nailed it: "Football was more important to them than protecting children."
3
Who really cares about wins when it is clear this tragedy on a famous American campus was all about losses. Focus on child abuse victims and not on rehabilitating a coach who could and should have done so much more to avert this nightmare. Penn State alumni would be better served looking to a better future rather than revisiting a very dark chapter in their university's history.
1
Everyone's missing the point. Whatever you think of Joe Paterno, whatever you believe about the depth of his involvement in the child-molesting scandal, or whatever about the fines and other penalties imposed on Penn State by the NCAA, the 112 wins that had been stripped from Mr. Paterno's record happened. They are real, actual events that occurred in the past.
It is the mark of totalitarian societies to decree history by fiat, it is for open societies to accept the events of the past, investigate them, and interpret them. Since the child-molestation scandal had nothing whatsoever to do with how Mr. Paterno or Penn State achieved those 112 wins, the NCAA had no business stripping them from his record in the first place.
It is the mark of totalitarian societies to decree history by fiat, it is for open societies to accept the events of the past, investigate them, and interpret them. Since the child-molestation scandal had nothing whatsoever to do with how Mr. Paterno or Penn State achieved those 112 wins, the NCAA had no business stripping them from his record in the first place.
14
Many of these posters seem to forget that Joe Paterno did report incidents to the university administration and they did not act. Not only the administration, but then current governor of Pennsylvania, who was Commonwealth Attorney General at the time. Only when he became governor, then he acted (more than 10 years later).
Yes, Joe Paterno could have done more. But, according to his family, he thought the issue was being taken care off. Though, Joe Paterno can't give first hand accounts about Sandusky, or anything else; he died. He became another of an inept, incompetent and self serving administration. And a Attorney General wanting to be governor.
The NCAA relied on, what became a very flawed report, by a former FBI agent. The NCAA did what they did based upon this flawed report. Penn State did what they did, the new administration, based upon the same flawed report. Flaws that implicated Joe Paterno, which turn out not to be true. All not to protect children, but to protect administrators and politicians.
The Paterno family will continue to restore the reputation of Joe Paterno. Sandusky got his due. The former administrators, of Penn State, are going to get their due. Members of the Board of Trustees, and the Governor, will get their due.
The real tragedy here were people in very high positions, were more concerned about their salaries and university revenue, then they were in protecting children. Finally, the victims will get their long sought justice.
Yes, Joe Paterno could have done more. But, according to his family, he thought the issue was being taken care off. Though, Joe Paterno can't give first hand accounts about Sandusky, or anything else; he died. He became another of an inept, incompetent and self serving administration. And a Attorney General wanting to be governor.
The NCAA relied on, what became a very flawed report, by a former FBI agent. The NCAA did what they did based upon this flawed report. Penn State did what they did, the new administration, based upon the same flawed report. Flaws that implicated Joe Paterno, which turn out not to be true. All not to protect children, but to protect administrators and politicians.
The Paterno family will continue to restore the reputation of Joe Paterno. Sandusky got his due. The former administrators, of Penn State, are going to get their due. Members of the Board of Trustees, and the Governor, will get their due.
The real tragedy here were people in very high positions, were more concerned about their salaries and university revenue, then they were in protecting children. Finally, the victims will get their long sought justice.
14
The issue is not whether Penn State is among the responsible parties for the Sandusky crimes. It is, but the responsibility for resolving guilt and punishment for that role resides with the courts, not the NCAA. The court process continues, the NCAA was wrong to be involved.
14
It looks like the Penn State administration made Paterno the fall guy. Sandusky was a creep, and Penn State Administrators had failed to act on many molestation reports. When the child abuse became public in 2011, administrators knew Paterno had cancer and would retire at the end of the season. They demonstrated their supposed outrage and accountability by immediately firing Paterno. That looks like serious accountability until one realizes that administrators knew he would be leaving anyway. And worse, Paterno had actually reported to administrators what he had been told about Sandusky molesting someone.
I had thought that Molester Sandusky was a coach when the molestations were reported. But reports now say he was a former coach , no longer employed. In 1999, Paterno told Sandusky who had hoped to become head coach that Paterno would not retire, and Sandusky would not become head coach. Sandusky quit in 1999. He was no longer a coach.
He kept coming to games with kids from his supposed charity, and had keys to the locker room, where in 2002-- three years after he had left the football staff-- he was seen by an asst coach molesting a boy. That asst coach reported it to Paterno, who called the Athletic Director and a Vice President to a meeting the next day, where Paterno relayed the "disturbing" conduct to the administrators responsible for handling it. Both of those administrators failed to do their job of reporting to police, and both were charged by the grand jury.
I had thought that Molester Sandusky was a coach when the molestations were reported. But reports now say he was a former coach , no longer employed. In 1999, Paterno told Sandusky who had hoped to become head coach that Paterno would not retire, and Sandusky would not become head coach. Sandusky quit in 1999. He was no longer a coach.
He kept coming to games with kids from his supposed charity, and had keys to the locker room, where in 2002-- three years after he had left the football staff-- he was seen by an asst coach molesting a boy. That asst coach reported it to Paterno, who called the Athletic Director and a Vice President to a meeting the next day, where Paterno relayed the "disturbing" conduct to the administrators responsible for handling it. Both of those administrators failed to do their job of reporting to police, and both were charged by the grand jury.
6
I can only imagine what the victims of the sexual abuse must be feeling right now. The man that was supposed to stand up for them but refused to do so now once again has his record of wins restored. It is shameful and disgusting but so are the people who are cheering this decision and advocating for a statue of this person to be displayed.
I wonder how they would feel if those children were members of their families, would they be cheering then?
I wonder how they would feel if those children were members of their families, would they be cheering then?
4
Perhaps if we could end the embarrassing, wasteful, exploitative, and increasingly-insupportable marriage between the NFL's de-facto farm teams and colleges, we'd have less domestic abuse, crime and scandal to bother about.
4
Removing the wins was like trying to unring a rung bell. It was what a weak organization does. The NCAA failed to do what was really needed. Ban NCAA football at Penn State for several years. No football competitions allowed between Penn State and other NCAA teams. No football athletic scholarships for football players. That would have gotten the attention of the coaches, players, boosters, local community members, and others who wanted to overlook what had happened. They would suffer substantial financial losses for not paying attention to what is really important. After a few years Penn State would have been allowed to start fresh with a new football program.
3
I can't pretend to be objective. I grew up in State College. My father was a Penn State professor. I earned degrees from Penn State. I began attending Penn State football games when Joe Paterno was still an assistant coach. I met him many times. I can't say I knew him well, but I did know him slightly.
I don't believe Coach Paterno would have knowingly placed those kids in harm's way. That doesn't square with the character of the man we knew.
*Mike McQueary's story of what he saw in the locker room has changed several times. He has yet to testify in court.
*Paterno reported McQueary's story to the Athletic Director and University President.
*Earlier allegations against Sandusky were not pursued by police, district attorney, or CPS. They did not result in charges.
*Paterno did not have a cordial relationship with Sandusky.
*Sandusky was convicted for his crimes and will spend the rest of his life in prison.
*Paterno died shortly after this story broke and never had a chance to testify in about these events.
I have the utmost sympathy for the young victims. When I was 12 I was molested by a junior high school teacher in State College who was a pedophile. When stories of his activities surfaced he was allowed to quietly retire. His victims never received so much as an apology or acknowledgement.
Yes, I have the utmost sympathy for the victims. But I don't believe Coach Paterno was in any way responsible.
I don't believe Coach Paterno would have knowingly placed those kids in harm's way. That doesn't square with the character of the man we knew.
*Mike McQueary's story of what he saw in the locker room has changed several times. He has yet to testify in court.
*Paterno reported McQueary's story to the Athletic Director and University President.
*Earlier allegations against Sandusky were not pursued by police, district attorney, or CPS. They did not result in charges.
*Paterno did not have a cordial relationship with Sandusky.
*Sandusky was convicted for his crimes and will spend the rest of his life in prison.
*Paterno died shortly after this story broke and never had a chance to testify in about these events.
I have the utmost sympathy for the young victims. When I was 12 I was molested by a junior high school teacher in State College who was a pedophile. When stories of his activities surfaced he was allowed to quietly retire. His victims never received so much as an apology or acknowledgement.
Yes, I have the utmost sympathy for the victims. But I don't believe Coach Paterno was in any way responsible.
7
While there is no doubt that Penn State and Joe Paterno could have done more, what is missed is that these crimes, when originally reported, where investigated by police and no charges were filed. The victims and their parents did not pursue any further action for 11 years. Penn State and Paterno would have had to initiate a major scandal for the institution based on suspicions that had already been dropped by law enforcement. Unless you are familiar with the role that football program plays in that community and in literally hundreds of thousands of people lives, you cannot understand how hard it would be for any individual responsible for the school to initiate that kind of scandal. There is no doubt that any of them, and especially Joe P, would have taken decisive action had they known what was going on. Hindsight makes it easy to condemn them, but I doubt that many of those condemning would have had the courage to act in the same situation. So reinstating Joe for his accomplishments is the right thing - and because of all of the people that he positively affected over his lifetime - it will.
6
This is one more example of the pedestal that we put football on. This man, in a position to mold young minds and bodies, grossly abused that privilege. And now just a couple of years later, his legacy will be restored to the "coach who won over 100 games". Shame on the university, the NCAA and those who applaud this move. Unless the sound of his name forever linked to his heinous deeds, there really is no justice. And to think that in baseball, there are magnificent players who were forever banned from the Baseball Hall of Fame for using steroids -- something that while not being "fair", certainly did not do the harm that Sandusky did. If someone wants to know the history of the wins, they can certainly do their research; but this action attempts to not only scrub the reputation of a school's athletic history, it "distances" its culpability in the the scandal as well. Let us not forget that the school did very little in moving forward to hold Sandusky accountable. Neither the school nor Sandusky should get a pass (pun intended). As for the players who earned all those wins, perhaps in the telling of their histories, the ignoble actions of the coach AND the school will be discussed. Punishment should not be something that is forgotten once it is meted out. It is also meant to remind people so that it will be a deterrent.
2
Poor Penn State Football and their fans. I didn't realize how much they suffered during this horrific event. I misunderstood the lengths they went to in order to hide the sexual abuse being done to very young boys. According to the supporters quoted in this article, even though the coaching and athletic department leadership were clearly a criminal enterprise, the wins are the wins. I can only imagine the warmth and healing this will bring to the lives of those victims; singled out by Mr. Sandusky's faux charity, we mush remember, because they had dysfunctional relationships with adults already so they were easier targets. I bet the victims will be reassured and totally healed as the statues of Mr. Paterno rise again in the twisted dystopia of Happy Valley.
10
I see a number of confident assertions of fact, with very few appeals to evidence. This is puzzling; my first response was to investigate, to find the truth of the matter. The evidence I found in the Freeh Report and Sandusky's court records, did not support the allegations against Paterno.
Have the readers here found some other source of information, that gives them more insight than the prosecutor who presented the case to a grand jury, who praised Paterno for his handling of the accusations? Perhaps they've dug deeper than the independent counsel responsible for the investigation?
Somehow, I doubt it. What we have here is not reasoned discourse, but mass hysteria. When confronted with a crime this heinous, the unreasoning masses would rather lynch everyone in sight than confront the awful reality that sometimes you just don't know, and sometimes the world is a terrible place. There exist few pieces of evidence that better support my contention that the average person is incapable of higher thought than incidents like this.
Have the readers here found some other source of information, that gives them more insight than the prosecutor who presented the case to a grand jury, who praised Paterno for his handling of the accusations? Perhaps they've dug deeper than the independent counsel responsible for the investigation?
Somehow, I doubt it. What we have here is not reasoned discourse, but mass hysteria. When confronted with a crime this heinous, the unreasoning masses would rather lynch everyone in sight than confront the awful reality that sometimes you just don't know, and sometimes the world is a terrible place. There exist few pieces of evidence that better support my contention that the average person is incapable of higher thought than incidents like this.
9
The NCAA inserting themselves into this tragedy was a triumph of trial by media over facts and our justice system. The Penn State board allowed itself to be stampeded into an agreement when even the NCAA had serious internal doubts as to whether it had standing. Ask yourself if you have a complete understanding of how Paterno and the University staff dealt with this situation. If your answer is no, it's because the investigation was outsourced and our legal system not allowed to do it's job completely and fully.
4
For someone of Paterno's generation the idea that a man could be attracted, irresistibly, sexually attracted, to a boy is likely inconceivable. Heck, it's all but inconceivable to me. As a teacher, when someone tells you this, your job is to report it up the chain of command, which is what Paterno did. The idea that there is a moral duty to go further is a argument perhaps, but it is not a legal duty as I understand it, particularly to an old man who has no concept of what he's hearing. If Paterno's report was not handled properly by management, that fault rests with management - the president and AD. And they are properly coming up for trial.
11
Actually, the law has changed in Pennsylvania. Now anyone who is a "mandated reporter", that is anyone who works with minors, volunteer or professional, must report suspicion of abuse directly to "Childline" a state operated hotline or face criminal prosecution in the event of an actual abuse incident. Additionally, anyone who works with minors, volunteer or professional must go through assorted criminal background checks. In the past, this requirement only applied to employees. So now, parents who help with a parent/school association on a regular basis, must submit documentation of official background checks. This change in the law is a direct result of the Sandusky/Paterno scandal.
Nothing, but nothing, will ever restore Paterno's reputation, the university's callousness in this matter, and the NCAA's repeated willingness to abandon ethics in consideration of its own financial wellbeing. The whole sordid mess is out there for the world to see, now and into the future.
12
I don't really get it, there are so many children damaged, the number of child sexual abuse is immense, who does actually care how many football "wins" are credited to J.Paterno? Maybe for some people this is really important, but I hope that there are lots of issues that are supposed to be much more important in America!
9
Absolutely disgusting. No one cares about the wins - they have nothing to do with criminal behavior - but the only thing that trumps harboring a pedophile in his program, and then arranging for a quiet and hasty exit for him, is the unsurpassed hypocrisy of the Penn State "faithful" in seeking to restore Paterno to sainthood. The statue should be melted down, sold, and the proceeds given to the boys whose torment this program facilitated.
18
Truth be told, the true believers don't want the headline to read, "Paterno's Victories Restored", they want it to read, "Paterno's Reputation Restored". They don't realize that every time his name and picture are put in front of a rational person the only thing they see is a man who loved power more than anything. Happy Valley was its own little kingdom, with Paterno as king, for years. It is not so much a culture, as cult. The fact the Pennsylvania lawmakers are so invested in restoring the reputation of a man who was complicit in such an awful crime demonstrates the folly of what's important to people. They would rather their government work on this farce, that helps no one, when children in their state go to bed hungry every night, or worse, suffer abuse at the hands of adults. What get's overlooked is how transparent Paterno's actions had been for years in order to maintain his grip on PSU football. The administration sought his resignation years before, simply because he was past his prime and should have come to that conclusion himself. But Joe refused. He was more powerful than even the Board. Even when the Sandusky story had damaged Paterno to the point that he knew he would be fired, he tried to placate the administration by offering to retire in a year, to hold on for a little longer. If Sandusky had abused Paterno's own grandchildren, Joe would have looked the other way. He was blinded by his ring of power, like Gollum, in The Lord of The Rings.
19
If Reason were more prevalent in daily use in our society it would be harder to maintain that dissociation.
Sad fact is if he had dumped Sandusky in 98 when it was made official that he was an abuser the reputation he was so set on protecting would have been added to. Seems logical enough a thought which leads one to think he must have known something then that took place prior to 98 which he did not want to be exposed.
Sad fact is if he had dumped Sandusky in 98 when it was made official that he was an abuser the reputation he was so set on protecting would have been added to. Seems logical enough a thought which leads one to think he must have known something then that took place prior to 98 which he did not want to be exposed.
2
Life is not simple. Stop trying to define Joe Paterno in black and white terms. He did a lot of good. He has some responsibility for a lot of evil. That is it. You cannot somehow put these two facts together and calculate if he was good or bad.
The many kids who learned from him and graduated thanks to him still benefit. The ethics he promoted in college football have helped the game and all the players involved. His demonstration that you could have a winning program without being soft on academics was a powerful lesson too. It is clear that any depiction of the man as just evil is nonsense.
On the other hand, the boys Sandusky attacked still suffer, and part of the fault is Joe Paterno's. I think many of us kind of understand how he might have (not) acted as he did, out of a sense of confused loyalty, but that doesn't make it OK. In his position, and especially given the morals he espoused, he absolutely should have done more, and by not doing so, he caused a lot of boys to suffer. Clearly any depiction of the man as an unblemished saint is nonsense.
So, we're left with something more complex. It is what it is. His reputation will always be tarnished, but at the same time, his reputation as a good football coach and someone who prioritised the welfare and education of his players will remain.
Luckily none of us will ever have to sit in judgment of Joe Paterno. So instead of simplifying his legacy, let's learn from these two very stark examples, one good, one bad.
The many kids who learned from him and graduated thanks to him still benefit. The ethics he promoted in college football have helped the game and all the players involved. His demonstration that you could have a winning program without being soft on academics was a powerful lesson too. It is clear that any depiction of the man as just evil is nonsense.
On the other hand, the boys Sandusky attacked still suffer, and part of the fault is Joe Paterno's. I think many of us kind of understand how he might have (not) acted as he did, out of a sense of confused loyalty, but that doesn't make it OK. In his position, and especially given the morals he espoused, he absolutely should have done more, and by not doing so, he caused a lot of boys to suffer. Clearly any depiction of the man as an unblemished saint is nonsense.
So, we're left with something more complex. It is what it is. His reputation will always be tarnished, but at the same time, his reputation as a good football coach and someone who prioritised the welfare and education of his players will remain.
Luckily none of us will ever have to sit in judgment of Joe Paterno. So instead of simplifying his legacy, let's learn from these two very stark examples, one good, one bad.
17
Joe Paterno doesn't deserve anything. He allowed a horrible abuse scandal under his watch. He is not a hero.
5
A total joke. Money triumphs in the end as usual. Penn State aided and abetted what happened and Paterno turned a blind eye. Now a quiet deal is made to ignore all the evidence. The reality is that for the Penn State football fanatics the abuse of children just doesn't matter in the scheme of things. One observes the same phenomenon when it comes to the gun fanatics. It's a strange morality.
37
Self deception. Unfortunately, trivializes child abuse. Strange set of standards.
Finally justice has been done to the legacy of Joe Paterno. Right from the very beginning I thought the N.C.A.A. had overreacted in stripping Penn State
of 111 football victories gained over 13 years. I say this for several reasons:
(1). It was more than 3 generations of football players who had gotten those
victories for Penn State, not the coach Those players had absolutely nothing to do with the sex abuse scandal and couldn't be implicated in it in any way. This punishment was essentially against the players, even though it hadn't been intended that way.
(2).Those 111 wins were all gained honestly. There were no game-fixing scandals, or ineligible players used, or other actions, that could have rendered those victories fraudulent.
(3).This case was all about sex abuse committed by an assistant coach, not games being won fraudulently. So the punishment should be confined to the sex abuse.
of 111 football victories gained over 13 years. I say this for several reasons:
(1). It was more than 3 generations of football players who had gotten those
victories for Penn State, not the coach Those players had absolutely nothing to do with the sex abuse scandal and couldn't be implicated in it in any way. This punishment was essentially against the players, even though it hadn't been intended that way.
(2).Those 111 wins were all gained honestly. There were no game-fixing scandals, or ineligible players used, or other actions, that could have rendered those victories fraudulent.
(3).This case was all about sex abuse committed by an assistant coach, not games being won fraudulently. So the punishment should be confined to the sex abuse.
25
Yes, maintaining Sandusky as the defensive coordinator had nothing to do with any of those wins. Yes, keeping the scandal under wraps after Sandusky retired couldn't possibly have aided the precious program in moving forward, unimpeded. That is sarcasm, for those who need a road map. Not addressing this situation had everything to do with Paterno continuing on in his pursuit of more wins. This corrupt bargain does nothing to exonerate a man whose legacy is despicable indifference to the biggest challenge he faced and a fan base with twisted, misplaced priorities. "Justice has been done"? That would be funny if this whole thing weren't so sick.
5
The former players you mention should be able to recognize that football has absolutely zero bearing on reality, and the victims who needlessly suffered because Paterno looked the other way deserve better.
You and much of the Penn State community still have not figured this out.
For this reason alone, it's clear the NCAA didn't go far enough.
You and much of the Penn State community still have not figured this out.
For this reason alone, it's clear the NCAA didn't go far enough.
2
Does restoring the wins glorify a man who turned a blind eye on a heinous crime for years in order to amass those wins? It has the opposite effect; it reminds the rational that Paterno was a false-idol. Anyone who is invested in this dead coach's reputation needs to see a psychiatrist.
2
I only know what I read in the papers. Louis J Freeh co-lead and Richard Martin lead government lawyers in the longest trial in US history -- The Pizza Connection Trial 30Sept85 to 2Mar87. 21 defendants convicted, 1 acquittal.
In 2012 Freeh implicated Paterno in the cover-up of Sandusky's abuses. Key facts re Second MIle foundation abuses are disputed (unlikely to sustain an appeal). Sandusky's foster child/adopted son's testimony of abuse was not disputed (did not involve Penn State or Paterno). Sanduskys have six adopted children.
Follow Second Mile. Read CVs of founders and board. Read Jeanne Clery Act with about 70% of US universities not complying. Understand when NCAA heard about the $60 million settlement to be administered by a "trustee", the NCAA sued to become the trustee. President of Penn State wrote that a legal description will be imposed on the NCAA if this there is a trial. This means that NCAA could be labeled a "trade association" with serious legal liability implications that I read aside from anything to do with Penn State and Paterno.
This is what I recall from memory from scant reading msm. Restoring Paterno's wins, etc. is part of a settlement to expedite the the taxpayers of PA $60 million to be paid now, rather than years later, to the victims of Sandusky.
In 2012 Freeh implicated Paterno in the cover-up of Sandusky's abuses. Key facts re Second MIle foundation abuses are disputed (unlikely to sustain an appeal). Sandusky's foster child/adopted son's testimony of abuse was not disputed (did not involve Penn State or Paterno). Sanduskys have six adopted children.
Follow Second Mile. Read CVs of founders and board. Read Jeanne Clery Act with about 70% of US universities not complying. Understand when NCAA heard about the $60 million settlement to be administered by a "trustee", the NCAA sued to become the trustee. President of Penn State wrote that a legal description will be imposed on the NCAA if this there is a trial. This means that NCAA could be labeled a "trade association" with serious legal liability implications that I read aside from anything to do with Penn State and Paterno.
This is what I recall from memory from scant reading msm. Restoring Paterno's wins, etc. is part of a settlement to expedite the the taxpayers of PA $60 million to be paid now, rather than years later, to the victims of Sandusky.
2
How is the state liable? First, there's sovereign immunity. Second, almost none of this took place on campus, and Sandusky had been retired for years.
1
I'm beyond appalled that restoring football wins are even on the table when Penn State was involved at the highest levels in abetting/covering up ongoing child abuse during 10 years of those wins.
No one, NCAA, Penn State, has learned anything from this. Both lack integrity and honesty and wins or no, this enhances the stain for Penn State.
Those abused kids' ruined lives don't matter a whit, just don't interfere with football and the money it brings in (& brought this turnaround about).
Our money-worshiping society in a snapshot with clear definition.
No one, NCAA, Penn State, has learned anything from this. Both lack integrity and honesty and wins or no, this enhances the stain for Penn State.
Those abused kids' ruined lives don't matter a whit, just don't interfere with football and the money it brings in (& brought this turnaround about).
Our money-worshiping society in a snapshot with clear definition.
53
Penn State did not commit child sex abuse. A former employee, who still had access to the locker rooms, did it there. He hid it from everyone as long as he could, and I strongly doubt that Joe, or anyone else, had any idea that he was doing it. When he was seen (not by Joe), it was not covered up but reported up the chain, exactly as the law required. Joe complied with all laws and stripping him of his victories, his job, and his life was completely wrong.
I completely agree with Julie. m Why in the world would Paterno's victories be allowed to stand putting him at the pinnacle of college football coaches? He was guilty as sin and, if the victories are restored, there should be a huge asterisk beside his name. Obviously, the victories were justly earned be the players BUT the coaches, especially the head coach, formed and executed these victory game plans. Paterno supposedly stood for truth, fair play on and off the field. What a squeaky clean image he put forth. NEVER give the victories back as they are all tainted. Sandusky is in prison for his horrific acts and Paterno knew and/or had been notified by other personnel this had been going on.
Perhaps the lesson is jail and criminal actions are the appropriate response. I understand that they are in process and surely they are taking way too long.
Rehabilitation?
I cannot be that cynical. You can give him back his wins, you can give him back his position in the record books, but you can't give him back what he lost in his downfall in the Sandusky scandal. You can't rehabilitate facts, and the facts in the case of Joe Paterno still stand.
Young lives got seriously damaged at that massive college sports complex he ruled over, at the hands of his most trusted assistant. And he knew, and did precious little about it.
Rehabilitate? Not in my record books.
I cannot be that cynical. You can give him back his wins, you can give him back his position in the record books, but you can't give him back what he lost in his downfall in the Sandusky scandal. You can't rehabilitate facts, and the facts in the case of Joe Paterno still stand.
Young lives got seriously damaged at that massive college sports complex he ruled over, at the hands of his most trusted assistant. And he knew, and did precious little about it.
Rehabilitate? Not in my record books.
53
And this is just another reason why intercollegiate sports, especially football, have outgrown their usefulness. They have become a plague on society. Young people should be going to college to learn - not to play sports.
1
Which facts, based on what evidence?
I see many people making very assured statements about what Paterno did, and I am puzzled, since my first response was to look deeper, at the actual evidence against Paterno presented in the Freeh Report, and I found nothing that would suggest any wrongdoing on his part.
If you believe that his reputation has been tarnished in your eyes, you must have something outside of Sandusky's court records or the Freeh Report. What is it? Or have you simply accused a good man based on nothing more than gossip?
I see many people making very assured statements about what Paterno did, and I am puzzled, since my first response was to look deeper, at the actual evidence against Paterno presented in the Freeh Report, and I found nothing that would suggest any wrongdoing on his part.
If you believe that his reputation has been tarnished in your eyes, you must have something outside of Sandusky's court records or the Freeh Report. What is it? Or have you simply accused a good man based on nothing more than gossip?
2
Who cares about raped children so long as the "score" is reinstated?
Disgusting, America. Football and its culture of breaking all rules in search of yet another "win" is sickening.
Disgusting, America. Football and its culture of breaking all rules in search of yet another "win" is sickening.
58
Here is south Louisiana, football is the only thing that matters in most high schools.
There are drunken tailgaters camping out around the middle school, starting Wednesday nights!
They are always getting caught in some high school football scandal and they always blame the victim, even when it is the coach selling drugs to the kids, the kids get blamed!
They graduate kids who cannot even read and admit them to college.
When I was in college, one of my professors asked me to teach some of the university football players to READ! I declined. I could have used the money and I know that someone else with less morals and ethics did it any way but my conscience is clean, I want no part of dishonesty.
There are drunken tailgaters camping out around the middle school, starting Wednesday nights!
They are always getting caught in some high school football scandal and they always blame the victim, even when it is the coach selling drugs to the kids, the kids get blamed!
They graduate kids who cannot even read and admit them to college.
When I was in college, one of my professors asked me to teach some of the university football players to READ! I declined. I could have used the money and I know that someone else with less morals and ethics did it any way but my conscience is clean, I want no part of dishonesty.
2
Yet another slap at victims of sexual abuse.
35
A few things are obvious here:
1. The NCAA thinks they are God, but they are truly misguided, misinformed and they are hypocrites.
2. Joe Paterno knew, he was ignorant and chose to turn a blind eye to protect his friend. Honor among thieves as they say.
3. Once again those boys, who are men, are victims yet again.
I'm sure there are those who think how do the crimes that Sandusky did correlate, the crime was committed and covered up on Penn State grounds.
Sometimes it’s best to do the right the for sole the principle of it all. Money, donations from rich alumni and advertising dollars I guess rule the day.
But since we are in reinstating type of mood here... (I’m being sort of snarky now...)
1. How about reinstating the wins for SMU who have never really bounced back after the death penalty
2. And for Michigan did Chris Webber really do anything wrong?
The list goes on...
It’s fascinating to see how folks will rationalize their bad behavior and poor decision making just to sleep at night.
The worlds' a wonderful place.
1. The NCAA thinks they are God, but they are truly misguided, misinformed and they are hypocrites.
2. Joe Paterno knew, he was ignorant and chose to turn a blind eye to protect his friend. Honor among thieves as they say.
3. Once again those boys, who are men, are victims yet again.
I'm sure there are those who think how do the crimes that Sandusky did correlate, the crime was committed and covered up on Penn State grounds.
Sometimes it’s best to do the right the for sole the principle of it all. Money, donations from rich alumni and advertising dollars I guess rule the day.
But since we are in reinstating type of mood here... (I’m being sort of snarky now...)
1. How about reinstating the wins for SMU who have never really bounced back after the death penalty
2. And for Michigan did Chris Webber really do anything wrong?
The list goes on...
It’s fascinating to see how folks will rationalize their bad behavior and poor decision making just to sleep at night.
The worlds' a wonderful place.
9
I meant to say in the record books, not the baseball hall, of course.
I know nothing about American football but Paterno did NOT do anything wrong. That guy who 'molested' but did not actually physically harm the boys deserves his imprisonment, of course, but Paterno could not police him effectively over the years, the guy knew how to keep his secrets...
6
That is the sickest thing I have ever seen in the NYT comment section. Saying that it ok to rape children and to cover for people who rape children as long as the child is not 'physically' harmed means you think that raping children doesn't hurt and is no big deal.
1
"'molested but did not actually physically harm..."
You have a very strange definition of rape. Paterno's job was fire Sandusky, ban him from campus, and report him to the authorities, not "police" him. Apparently Sandusky's criminal activities were hardly a secret to others in the Penn State athletic program.
You have a very strange definition of rape. Paterno's job was fire Sandusky, ban him from campus, and report him to the authorities, not "police" him. Apparently Sandusky's criminal activities were hardly a secret to others in the Penn State athletic program.
1
Paterno knew Sandusky molested the boy in 98. I believe he knew prior but the facts show he knew the results of the investigation in 98 and he chose not to fire him to avoid the questions of why he would fire such a good coach.
If you know someone is a molester or has committed a crimes and choose not to report it you have "done" something. Not reporting is not a crime but in this case where children were involved he chose to leave that child and other children in danger. That is on him and even worse because he did it to protect his own fraudulent legend. You'd think such a smart guy would recognise that even thinking of it made that legend untrue.
If you know someone is a molester or has committed a crimes and choose not to report it you have "done" something. Not reporting is not a crime but in this case where children were involved he chose to leave that child and other children in danger. That is on him and even worse because he did it to protect his own fraudulent legend. You'd think such a smart guy would recognise that even thinking of it made that legend untrue.
2
It really is amazing how clueless some of the comments are here. When you look at the actual facts, it is very clear that this had nothing to do with Penn State, and everything to so with The Second Mile and the PA Child Welfare system. Penn State was a cash cow, and once the "victims" saw how much they could get, they ran towards the teat as quickly as possible.
11
Oops. Put a "recommend" on this, when I really meant to reply by asking Chris how much of a payday he would require to compensate for being raped in the shower by the likes of Jerry Sandusky.
1
No one wins here. The damage has already been done. If anything, it might make things even worse. People who viewed Joe as a criminal are still going to view him as a criminal. People who hated Penn State for what happened are still going to hate Penn State. And the kids who suffered probably never felt much relief when the initial punishment was given. People who loved Joe, probably never stopped loving him. So, no one wins!
3
Some of Coach Paterno's honor is restored. Now, let's get that statue back. And the stadium renamed for him so the commentators have to use his name and it's on every ticket.
1
"We have a moral obligation to anybody victimized by Sandusky and to coaches and players victimized by the NCAA sanctions." - William Oldsey, Penn State Board of Trustees.
I found this quote to be the perfect summation of the twisted ethics surrounding this tragedy. Oldsey's statement implies that a celebrity coach and a football program that were sternly punished by their governing association should be afforded the same sympathy and regard as children who were the victims of rape.
I strongly believe that true healing and reconciliation at Penn State won't occur until the outrage directed towards the percieved mistreatment of Paterno, his legacy, and the football team is redirected towards compassionately acknowledging those who were truly victimized.
I found this quote to be the perfect summation of the twisted ethics surrounding this tragedy. Oldsey's statement implies that a celebrity coach and a football program that were sternly punished by their governing association should be afforded the same sympathy and regard as children who were the victims of rape.
I strongly believe that true healing and reconciliation at Penn State won't occur until the outrage directed towards the percieved mistreatment of Paterno, his legacy, and the football team is redirected towards compassionately acknowledging those who were truly victimized.
23
Sad day for collegiate sports. Paterno was obsessed with winning. And whatever got in the way he moved around or through. Sandusky's victims are ill served by this egocentric maniac and the NCAA hucksters. Shame!
32
Gee so obsessed with winning that never were the rules of recruitment even bent. Got paid little and lived simply. Yes obsessed is the right word.
1
What this absoutely shows is what a joke the NCAA clearly is. They have no place anymore and should be disbanded. It is simply about money, who has it, who wants more. There were crimes and there is no justice for those that have suffered. Penn State and its family is in deep denial and is secure in telling all that will listen this never happend. While we are at it NCAA, how much money do you want to forget about the problem you brought on Michigan basketball? What does it take for us to hang those banners back up?They shoud just put them back up anyway. Who cares about the NCAA anymore, they are irrelevant and a waste of breath.
6
The victims can't just undo the past and make this crime go away, neither should Penn State. Shame on these people.
26
This is absolutely horrific. I wonder if all those individuals at Penn State fighting for a person who stood by and do nothing as little children were molested would do the same if their children were molested? This is crazy. That the NCAA would succumb to any litigation over this is mind blowing.
26
Are you kidding? The way these monsters are acting, it would not surprise me if they offered up their own children.
1
Tonight, the Penn State Men's Hockey team wore decals on their helmets honoring Paterno's 409 wins. Instead, they should have permanent decals honoring the victims on all helmets/uniforms across all sports. That tells you all you need to know about the priorities of the Penn State community. Vile and sad.
31
I agree. Their community has learned and cares about nothing but the wins. The sports media is just as bad. I'm disgusted with the lot of them. I'm a big football fan, but it's not more important than what happened to the young men and the University's role in covering it up for the sake of sports.
Yes, this was an absolute disgrace. Why didn't they instead wear emblems dedicated to the eradication of child abuse? I, for one, will have a little extra incentive to root against PSU when their hockey teams visits next month.
What are hundreds of cases of the vilest sort of child abuse compared with football, money, and spectacle, right Penn State? Sickening and depraved.
25
The Paterno "lynching" was the greatest travesty of justice since the Ox-Bow Incident. Here was a man who's trust was betrayed by a former associate and was then railroaded by a whirlwind of negative press and an NCAA that has more dirty laundry in its closet than a college frat boy.
None of these allegations against Paterno were ever proven in a court of law. Nor was he ever given the opportunity to defend himself. The sordid acts were perpetrated by someone who was not even on his staff at the time.
Restoring the wins for the record books is a good 1st start especially since this had nothing to do with the allegations to begin with. Next up should be an apology to the Family and the resurrection of his much maligned reputation...along with the statue of Papa Joe, in all its glory, reappearing at the Stadium.
My heart goes out to the victims and Mr. Sandusky should rot in a cell for the rest of his life for all of the damage that he has done.
But Mr. Paterno deserves a hell of a lot better than he got after all that he did for that School & Community over many long decades.
None of these allegations against Paterno were ever proven in a court of law. Nor was he ever given the opportunity to defend himself. The sordid acts were perpetrated by someone who was not even on his staff at the time.
Restoring the wins for the record books is a good 1st start especially since this had nothing to do with the allegations to begin with. Next up should be an apology to the Family and the resurrection of his much maligned reputation...along with the statue of Papa Joe, in all its glory, reappearing at the Stadium.
My heart goes out to the victims and Mr. Sandusky should rot in a cell for the rest of his life for all of the damage that he has done.
But Mr. Paterno deserves a hell of a lot better than he got after all that he did for that School & Community over many long decades.
12
Wow -- so many ignorant comments here -- as in -- comments devoid of facts and just based on whatever junk the media spewed for the past three years about Paterno and the university.
Here's a fact -- the NCAA settled today because it knew that it would lose the trial scheduled to begin on Feb. 17th. Enough damaging information had come out about their internal discussions acknowledging that they had NO business being involved in a criminal situation that any action the NCAA took was going to be shown to be outside the boundaries of their prevue overseeing of college athletics.
Most Penn State alumni wanted the trial to occur so that the NCAA would be revealed for the incompetent organization that it is. Now we'd like to see the light shown brightly on the Second Mile, the Second Mile administrators and board members and the PA Child and Youth Services personnel who allowed Sandusky to adopt and mentor young boys and continued to funnel those same young boys to him and his charity even after he was investigated in 1998 for inappropriate behavior with a child. If you are remotely interested in the children rather than rant on here about not wanting wins restored or reputations healed or just hating on Penn State -- focus your attention on the real issue -- how did trained professionals who worked for CYS miss a pedophile in their midst for 20 plus years?
Here's a fact -- the NCAA settled today because it knew that it would lose the trial scheduled to begin on Feb. 17th. Enough damaging information had come out about their internal discussions acknowledging that they had NO business being involved in a criminal situation that any action the NCAA took was going to be shown to be outside the boundaries of their prevue overseeing of college athletics.
Most Penn State alumni wanted the trial to occur so that the NCAA would be revealed for the incompetent organization that it is. Now we'd like to see the light shown brightly on the Second Mile, the Second Mile administrators and board members and the PA Child and Youth Services personnel who allowed Sandusky to adopt and mentor young boys and continued to funnel those same young boys to him and his charity even after he was investigated in 1998 for inappropriate behavior with a child. If you are remotely interested in the children rather than rant on here about not wanting wins restored or reputations healed or just hating on Penn State -- focus your attention on the real issue -- how did trained professionals who worked for CYS miss a pedophile in their midst for 20 plus years?
22
how did trained professionals who worked for CYS miss a pedophile in their midst for 20 plus years?
They didn't miss him, they knew right where he was and what he was doing but winning football games was more important to Paterno and what Paterno wanted, Paterno got, that just happened to be a pedophile assistant coach.
They didn't miss him, they knew right where he was and what he was doing but winning football games was more important to Paterno and what Paterno wanted, Paterno got, that just happened to be a pedophile assistant coach.
1
The Penn State athletic department is lucky to be alive. They damn near could have been have prosecuted under RICO statutes. With the fine rescinded, I would suggest that the athletic department and and perhaps the larger university reopen themselves to prosecution. Conveniently, I suspect, the statute of limitations has kicked in.
The Penn State athletic department was corrupt and the should pay a severe price.
The Penn State athletic department was corrupt and the should pay a severe price.
10
The next play: Sandusky is awarded a day pass for the ceremony re-unveiling Joe's statue.
16
That is a little less than 2.5 wins for each count of sexual abuse Sandusky was convicted of [many preventable had Paterno not assisted in the coverup as documented in final reports]. And then there are the non-conviction abuses.
A sad confirmation of the reality in the USA right now.
A sad confirmation of the reality in the USA right now.
9
I can accept restoring the wins to Penn State for the sake of the young men who played on that team and probably had no knowledge of what was going on, but I have to say that putting back statues of a man who ignored morality in pursuit of victory is disgraceful. Penn State and the fans need to consider the unbelievable nature of the abuse and sexual depravity which went on under the nose of Mr. Paterno and they should hang their heads in shame instead of lionizing the man. Sad day for the young men abused by Mr. Sandusky.
19
I think it is obvious to all that Penn State should have done more to investigate the accusations of abuse and done more to protect the victims. Sexual pedophiles are vile and those that shield them should be dealt with legally and/or with civil actions.
That being said, the removal of the 111 or 112 wins from Joe Paterno seemed like overkill, and an incredibly desperate move by the NCAA to distance itself from an ugly scandal. If you want to fine the University or program, remove their bowl eligibility, or limit their athletic scholarships, etc then go for it. We can not remove those victories from our collective memory. We know that they happened, so pretending they didn't seemed a bit silly.
That being said, the removal of the 111 or 112 wins from Joe Paterno seemed like overkill, and an incredibly desperate move by the NCAA to distance itself from an ugly scandal. If you want to fine the University or program, remove their bowl eligibility, or limit their athletic scholarships, etc then go for it. We can not remove those victories from our collective memory. We know that they happened, so pretending they didn't seemed a bit silly.
4
The Paterno family has never cared about the innocent children. All they care about is the legacy of Joe. This goes to show that football is now and will always be #1 with that sad excuse for a university. Shame on Penn State.
14
This whole situation is absurd. Joe Paterno was a hypocrite at best, and at worst a coward. To argue over who won a stupid game or two is nonsense.
8
I think what bothers many people is that, like Cosby, Paterno often took the moral high ground in his public statements but didn't back it up in his actions. If Paterno had blown the whistle on Sandusky and lost his job as a result, there'd be multiple statues standing in his honor.
7
Disgusting. And the best reason, in a long and tortured list of reasons, why the NCAA should be permanently shuttered. What they have done here is eerily similar to what the Catholic Church did for so long with their serial child rapists. Slap on the wrist, move on to other things, and the victims be damned. It's well past time to terminate the NCAA. They are an insult to society.
2
Even in death Paterno will make a shameful mockery of the honor and respect he espoused while he stood idly and children had their innocence ripped away. How about a deal to restore the psyches of the young boys who suffered at the hands of Sandusky. Oh wait, that might have to be a deal with the devil and they already made one of those.
4
I encourage readers to read the publicly released case notes before becoming outraged that the school is fighting having its wins removed. You may find it interesting that much of Sandusky's acts were done through his "charitable" organization The Second Mile, rather than Penn State. As for Paterno, he reported what he knew to the Athletic Director, exactly as he was supposed to. -- exactly why he was not subject to a later investigation. Paterno didn't "neglect heinous crimes," he acted exactly as he was supposed to.
5
Anyone who has followed the Sandusky scandal knows that the initial grand jury report contained three false assertions regarding what Mike McQueary told Joe Paterno. Anyone who has followed the Sandusky scandal knows that Pennsylvania's prosecuting attorney explicitly repudiated that part of the Freeh report that claimed that Paterno was part of a cover up. Anyone who has followed the Sandusky scandal knows that in September 2014 the NCAA issued a guidebook about how to handle reports of sexual assault. In essence, it recommended that officials not take matters into their own hands, but report such reports up the chain of command -- which is precisely what Joe Paterno did. Thus, Paterno was one of the few people who did the right thing in this tragic mess.
5
This just reinforces the fact that the NCAA is nothing but inconsistent. It was founded to protect the best interest of student athletics and student athletes, but it has been a long, long time since that was it's actual goal. Expediency is thy name.
What a farce. One more piece of evidence that public-funded universities live for things other than education.
1
What would be better for his reputation: 112 more wins, or 1 fewer child rape enabled?
3
I totally disagree with this decision. The offenses were horrible crimes against children but the NCAA only cares about the record of a coach who did nothing to protect Sandusky's victims. Disgusting and despicable. Shame, shame on the NCAA for agreeing to this settlement and the Pennsylvania officials who pressed for the restoration of this record!
3
This is simply appalling! I have never heard of anything so cynical.
My smaller school has a joke. When a Penn State or North Carolina get caught doing something, you can be sure an Eastern Kentucky or Weber State will get put on probation.
1
It's never been clear to me why criminal behavior by one man should result in the forfeiture of wins by the football team.
2
And that criminal behavior could not be attributed to Joe Paterno. He was cleared of any involvement in a cover-up by the same grand jury that indicted Jerry Sandusky on the pedophilia charges. Any argument that contradicts this is really an attack on America's grand jury system.
Heavens no, of course football is more important.
1
The football program at USC was nearly ruined by NCAA sanctions because Reggie Bush's parents, a probation office and a minister, took favors from some grifter "agents" and USC didn't know about it - the Bush family lived 90 miles away from USC and Reggie knew but didn't report it. But also Reggie never signed with these guys. But apparently not having a constant eye on player's parents 90 miles off campus is a far worse violation that allowing a coach to rape little boys in the team locker room of Penn State. The NCAA never reduced USC's sanctions, the school is still suffering, Nice.
4
Please - let's stop this fiction that "Sandusky was not on Paterno's staff" or associated in anyway with Paterno during these cases.
Too many people on here and elsewhere are claiming that line in their vindication of Paterno's inaction. But the record clearly states otherwise:
Fact: Sandusky WAS on staff as DC in '98 when he was investigated by police and confessed to inappropriate contact. 100-page police report spells out details. Joe knew about that case.
Sandusky "retires" the next year - but maintains full access to athletic facilities and an office in the athletic department down the hall from Paterno, as per his retirement contract.
Fact - Paterno received an eye witness account of sexual abuse 4 years later, as per his testimony, and decided not to bring it to police.
Did the NCAA overeach? That may be up for debate. Sure, it is true Paterno won those 111 games, but it is also true he chose a course of inaction when repeatedly faced with the vilest of crimes by one of his longest serving colleagues.
Too many people on here and elsewhere are claiming that line in their vindication of Paterno's inaction. But the record clearly states otherwise:
Fact: Sandusky WAS on staff as DC in '98 when he was investigated by police and confessed to inappropriate contact. 100-page police report spells out details. Joe knew about that case.
Sandusky "retires" the next year - but maintains full access to athletic facilities and an office in the athletic department down the hall from Paterno, as per his retirement contract.
Fact - Paterno received an eye witness account of sexual abuse 4 years later, as per his testimony, and decided not to bring it to police.
Did the NCAA overeach? That may be up for debate. Sure, it is true Paterno won those 111 games, but it is also true he chose a course of inaction when repeatedly faced with the vilest of crimes by one of his longest serving colleagues.
5
Yeah, Joe knew about the 1998 case. So did the Penn State Admin. However, according to the Freeh report, the conclusion of that investigation - handled by the state and county, not the University - was that Sandusky was not a pedophile, had not been grooming the children and had boundary issues that someone needed to address. It is perfectly conceivable that the 1998 investigation made PSU LESS likely to see and understand how dangerous Sandusky was.
1
Excellent.
JoePa was a good and decent man.
The brush of punishment painted too broadly.
Decency is restored.
JoePa was a good and decent man.
The brush of punishment painted too broadly.
Decency is restored.
2
Disgusting. Penn State should pay the price, which was levied when the full force of the shame was being felt.
4
A garbage ruling, sending the wrong message. Bury your head in the sand, win, and all will be forgotten.
4
Mere games trump common decency.
3
Telling that PA officials and Penn State employees were so concerned about lost victories. If only they had been more focused on protecting young people.
This adds greatly to the shame already earned by PSU and the PA political class.
This adds greatly to the shame already earned by PSU and the PA political class.
3
So let me get this straight. An institutional failure at USC to catch a player's crooked stepfather getting a free house over 100 miles from campus is worse than the systematic, long standing institutional coverup of a child rapist at Penn State. Shame on the NCAA.
6
Joe Paterno is dead. He died in disgrace. Children were abused, and ignored, all in the name of football. "Restoring" the "wins" doesn't matter anymore, if it ever did. Will we bring back the statue, too?
3
Does any body remember the angry reponse of this football-- mad community when punishments were levied against the criminal and the enabler?
They cared nothing for the suffering of the youth that has scarred many of them for life.
All they cared about was football.
And this is a "university" town.
What kind of values are they imparting to the students?
They cared nothing for the suffering of the youth that has scarred many of them for life.
All they cared about was football.
And this is a "university" town.
What kind of values are they imparting to the students?
5
Sanity exists when history can be restored and not erased by decree and overreaction.
Granted it's a complex case, but Times readers are misinformed about several things:
1) The NCAA sanctions essentially amounted to a fraud perpetrated on Penn State, and the NCAA was going to not only lose a lawsuit over this, it was going to be embarrassed as Mark Emmert's lies and bullying were made public. The NCAA capitulated on every single point in order to end the litigation.
2) Penn State's board was a DEFENDANT in the lawsuit, on the NCAA's side. Penn State institutionally agreed to and wanted to keep the sanctions. A state legislator and the state treasurer brought the suit that exposed the NCAA's duplicity and knocked the sanctions down.
3) Paterno's wins (as well as his job) were taken from him on the flimsiest of evidence and without a minute's worth of due process. Paterno was a football coach, not a saint, but he deserved due process like any American citizen.
4) That there was any coverup has yet to be proven in court. Criminal trials of Penn State officials are still at least a year a way. Why are people so eager to believe they are guilty when evidence has yet to be presented, let alone a defense or cross-examination? Does the ugliness of Sandusky's crimes mean our system of justice does not apply in Penn State's case?
1) The NCAA sanctions essentially amounted to a fraud perpetrated on Penn State, and the NCAA was going to not only lose a lawsuit over this, it was going to be embarrassed as Mark Emmert's lies and bullying were made public. The NCAA capitulated on every single point in order to end the litigation.
2) Penn State's board was a DEFENDANT in the lawsuit, on the NCAA's side. Penn State institutionally agreed to and wanted to keep the sanctions. A state legislator and the state treasurer brought the suit that exposed the NCAA's duplicity and knocked the sanctions down.
3) Paterno's wins (as well as his job) were taken from him on the flimsiest of evidence and without a minute's worth of due process. Paterno was a football coach, not a saint, but he deserved due process like any American citizen.
4) That there was any coverup has yet to be proven in court. Criminal trials of Penn State officials are still at least a year a way. Why are people so eager to believe they are guilty when evidence has yet to be presented, let alone a defense or cross-examination? Does the ugliness of Sandusky's crimes mean our system of justice does not apply in Penn State's case?
12
The e-mail trail implicated Penn State as being in violation of statutes about reporting child abuse to the police. The NCAA is totally corrupt, but Penn State should have taken its medicine.
TB - hope to see your comments when those criminal cases come to trial. Paterno had already admitted that he "made some mistakes." Wonder what he meant by that.
2
Penn State's leadership failed to follow the law and in fact failed to follow their own plan when they heard about a witnessed anal rape of a boy. This from one of a NYT pro-Spanier article. It begins with witnessed abuse, a weekend conversation with Paterno (who never followed up), and a decision by university leadership to report abuse and then a decision to not report. When you ask WHY a university President, would accede to the reversal of his own plan to report suspected anal rape of a child then it seems that what stood in the way of doing the prudent, legal and moral thing is simply that football and the money attached to Joe's success outweighed morality. That's unambiguous. From the Times http://nyti.ms/1rymN49
"Spanier and the two administrators agreed on a plan: They would inform the board chairman at Second Mile... alert child-welfare authorities and tell Sandusky that he could no longer bring children into Penn State’s locker rooms. Not long after that, Curley wrote to Schultz and Spanier to say that he had changed his mind about going to the child-welfare authorities. Instead, he would urge Sandusky to get help."
“This approach is acceptable to me,” Spanier wrote in response. “The only downside for us is if the message isn’t ‘heard’ and acted upon, and we then become vulnerable for not having reported it. But that can be assessed down the road. The approach you outline is humane and a reasonable way to proceed.”
ie. no we won't do what's legally mandated.
"Spanier and the two administrators agreed on a plan: They would inform the board chairman at Second Mile... alert child-welfare authorities and tell Sandusky that he could no longer bring children into Penn State’s locker rooms. Not long after that, Curley wrote to Schultz and Spanier to say that he had changed his mind about going to the child-welfare authorities. Instead, he would urge Sandusky to get help."
“This approach is acceptable to me,” Spanier wrote in response. “The only downside for us is if the message isn’t ‘heard’ and acted upon, and we then become vulnerable for not having reported it. But that can be assessed down the road. The approach you outline is humane and a reasonable way to proceed.”
ie. no we won't do what's legally mandated.
1
Paterno's rehabilitation shows that this country is as obsessed by the game of football as the Romans were about gladiators 2,000 years ago. The damage that the players and coaches do to other human beings isn't important. What's important is winning.
55
I understand the indignation but let's face it you can't rearrange the facts because you are indignant. Paterno will always have an astrisk beside his name and no amount of deal-making can change that so I don't think we should be too uptight about this deal.
Actually, in a bizarre twist, the obsession with football is reflected in the sanctions themselves.
This is not about a rehabilitation of Paterno. Paterno, like every human being, was a complex character with good points and bad points. That will be his legacy. That legacy will not be influenced by the NCAA. The NCAA is a joke. The very idea of the NCAA coming in with moral authority on a negative "culture" of college sports, something that is its very purpose to promote, is enough to make a vulture vomit. The NCAA's attempt to come in with moral authority in this situation, attempting to capitalize on it to gain some sort of moral stature, is truly disgusting.
The attempt to erase wins, to erase Paterno, and at the same time ignore the real forces in society that allow child sexual abuse to happen, all over, is truly shameful. It's Stalinesque, really. And I say that as someone who is generally opposed to big college athletics.
This is not about a rehabilitation of Paterno. Paterno, like every human being, was a complex character with good points and bad points. That will be his legacy. That legacy will not be influenced by the NCAA. The NCAA is a joke. The very idea of the NCAA coming in with moral authority on a negative "culture" of college sports, something that is its very purpose to promote, is enough to make a vulture vomit. The NCAA's attempt to come in with moral authority in this situation, attempting to capitalize on it to gain some sort of moral stature, is truly disgusting.
The attempt to erase wins, to erase Paterno, and at the same time ignore the real forces in society that allow child sexual abuse to happen, all over, is truly shameful. It's Stalinesque, really. And I say that as someone who is generally opposed to big college athletics.
Absolutely not he knew about this and turned his back. 112 wins does not make things any better for the victims!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
54
College football is a game that has been turned into a multi-billion dollar business. There was a pattern of institutional failure that caused this to happen and this deal negates any responsibility Penn State showed toward this tragedy. The only solution that would have provided a "heads up" to college athletics that its time to clean up their act would have been suspension of the football program for 10 years.
21
This really rocks my belief in Power. Each day we try and trust those in power to exert their influence in a manner that is consistent with some core values.
The damaged lives of many children, parents, brothers, sisters occurred because Joe Paterno was negligent. The evidence clearly showed that he knew, or should have known. Getting his "games back" should not even be a topic of discussion. An enormous tragedy occurred here, and a casualty of that is that Paterno lost his professional standing. Leave it that way.
The damaged lives of many children, parents, brothers, sisters occurred because Joe Paterno was negligent. The evidence clearly showed that he knew, or should have known. Getting his "games back" should not even be a topic of discussion. An enormous tragedy occurred here, and a casualty of that is that Paterno lost his professional standing. Leave it that way.
25
If you read and listen to the comments for far too many Penn State alum it is clear they still they either lack common decency or simply don't have their priorities straight when they are more concerned about wins that happened under a monster that let children under his watch be molested than do the right thing and forget about any of these tainted wins and focus their efforts on the children who were abused under Joe Paterno.
34
Thank God.
Why do allow our moral panics as a society push us into such Orwellian behavior as rewriting history? When will we gain perspective on such crimes as child abuse, and not punish with naked vengeance those only quite indirectly connected to such crimes? Does this hysteria really make us a healthier society?
Why do allow our moral panics as a society push us into such Orwellian behavior as rewriting history? When will we gain perspective on such crimes as child abuse, and not punish with naked vengeance those only quite indirectly connected to such crimes? Does this hysteria really make us a healthier society?
7
I beg you to please share with us your perspective on child abuse, which in this case included sodomy of multiple child victims, with at least one witnessed by a ten 27-year-old man apparently too weak and helpless to intervene. Having worked for a number of years in the field of child sexual abuse and offender treatment, my perspective is that it is often allowed to happen and continue because the very people who know it is occurring, who have been told that the abuse is ongoing or even witness it themselves, choose to do nothing. Nothing, other than claim they don't know all the "facts" or pass the buck on to someone else. Mr. Paterno was directly connected to the cover up and had every motivation to do so. The original NCAA decision was not a result of public hysteria but of justifiable public outrage that horrific sexual abuse of vulnerable children was allowed to continue to protect an institution.
2
I think one should also include the NCAA Executive Committee Chair in this walk of shame, a university president obsessed with sports at the cost of all else. Regrettably, this attitude of team ownership in the good old boys network has become shamefully the primary job, as the focus moves further yet from academic excellence to sheer profit taking. The system is increasingly rotten to its core.
21
Joe Paterno was a victim in this scandal. This is a small step toward justice for one of the greatest Americans to have ever lived. Vindication will not be complete until the Freeh report is repudiated for the sham that it was and the university and the Paterno family are granted formal apologies. Nobody lived success with honor better than Joe Paterno.
10
Except for the minor moral flaw of punting when a child had just been raped.
4
What a strange Scale of Justice you have, Virginian. Vindication (of Paterno, PState, et al) hardly seems like an honest and honorable outcome unless, first and foremost, you make the many abused boys whole.
4
While this gained a lot of media attention, a ruling from Dauphin County Judge Todd Hoover Wednesday afternoon did not. He ruled against the defendants in the PSU cover-up case and will permit University Counsel to testify. Appeals may occur over this decision, but the truth of what these men did for 15 years will come out. And it is far worse than anyone knows. All of this win stuff will be forgotten after that trial.
31
It must be obvious that annulling past victories is a nonsensical response to the conduct of Penn State's athletic department's behavior.The past is not accessible to modification. What is shameful is that they continue their involvement in college football. The sport is simply brutal,the administration of it is rife with exploitation,hypocracy and santimonious deciet. In many ways it resembles TV evangelism..deny obvious facts and shout the glory.
Penn State should drop big time football and focus on STEM
Penn State should drop big time football and focus on STEM
23
So Penn State agreed to a deal, but then once the furor died down is reneging on its side of the deal. Did they have their fingers crossed when they signed it? I bet criminals who agree to a plea deal wish they had the same deal.
31
Really nice. Makes a mockery of the entire system. Let's see, St. Joe Pa's chief assistant of 35 years was sodomizimg little boys in Penn State's showers for years, St. joe did nothing about it to the grave. The NCAA took away their victories for several years and has "settled" to restore them. And Ohio State's coach was fired and their Sugar Bowl victory away because 5 players traded their earned trinkets for a discount on a tattoo. There is nothing to say about such a system.
60
Ohio State's coach was fired and their Sugar Bowl victory vacated primarily because that coach knowingly covered up the wrongdoing (admittedly minor) of his players, and lied on his compliance report. Under those circumstances, Ohio State got off easy.
2
Tressel was fired because e lied about knowing what his players did. No argument with that, but he was the only one (with the possible addition of the Athletic Director) who knew, unlike PSU's senior administration. Moreover, the original infraction, players exchanging momentos that they already owned for tattoos, doesn't even begin to move the needle compared to child abuse, and the Reggie Bush chicanery. Yet OSU vacated a season of results and imposed a bowl ban, and now watches as PSU gets just about every sanction lifted. Hmmmm.
Joe Paterno and Penn State are the epitome of win at all costs, that happen to involve turning a blind eye on anything that would hurt the program, forget about all of the innocent boys.
60
You and others who commented in a similar vain don't understand Penn State or Joe Paterno and probably never will. You confuse Penn State with Florida State when they are in fact for the most part opposites. Yes, they both have successful football programs but that is where the similarity ends. Joe Paterno cared about his players and insisted that they fulfilled their academic responsibilities. Penn State players were no angels, but Joe did his best to bring out the Best in them and brooked no nonsense. This is evidenced by the many former players who may have chafed under Joe's discipline but later in life fondly recalled him and credited him with pointing their lives in the right direction. What other football coach has donated millions to his University's library? If Joe were still around, he would be the first one to dismiss the the 100 some vacated victories as unimportant in the larger scheme of things.
Granted, with the benefit of hind sight he should have done more to follow up on the report of child abuse by his former coach. This was grievous error but this is not reason to wipe out a life time of otherwise exemplary conduct.
Granted, with the benefit of hind sight he should have done more to follow up on the report of child abuse by his former coach. This was grievous error but this is not reason to wipe out a life time of otherwise exemplary conduct.
2
I do not think that Universities ought to be in the business of running football teams. College football is immoral. The members of the football team are not students, although they are required to give evidenced that they are students. The result of this is that other students are paid to get them passing grades. Child abuse is one of the outcomes of an enterprise which is dishonest at every level. It certainly does not set high standards for University students, faculty and staff.
11
The original decision never made sense. The connection between the football team and the illegal acts was so distant that it represented nothing more than the NCAA mirroring an unthinking emotional response of the masses to a heinous set of acts. Lashing out was never reasonable. The LAW acted appropriately in prosecuting and sentencing Sandusky - it worked!
Other negative commenters on this site seem to either want to continue to lash out against Penn State in an irrational way (which is troublingly shallow) or are reflecting their negative views about the importance of sports in college (which many of us understand, but is not the basis for the decisions).
Other negative commenters on this site seem to either want to continue to lash out against Penn State in an irrational way (which is troublingly shallow) or are reflecting their negative views about the importance of sports in college (which many of us understand, but is not the basis for the decisions).
7
Activities occurring in football facilities, about which all recognize Paterno was in complete control?
Paterno and others in the AD notified in 98 and later?
A plan to report Sandusky to child services that is suddenly abandoned after a conversation with Paterno?
A football assistant coach who reports to JoPa but then does nothing when Sandusky remains.
It is is the height of delusion to say the football programs was unconnected to the child abuse.
Paterno and others in the AD notified in 98 and later?
A plan to report Sandusky to child services that is suddenly abandoned after a conversation with Paterno?
A football assistant coach who reports to JoPa but then does nothing when Sandusky remains.
It is is the height of delusion to say the football programs was unconnected to the child abuse.
2
It is regrettable that so many of the commentators here are unable,or choose, to discount the moral depraved indifference of Paterno to illegal acts by a former member of his staff. As an example, though not the only one, when the board notified him by phone that he had been dismissed, he appeared in front of his home where a large number of students had gathered. This was a supreme moment for a teacher of youth to express his failure and guilt for his inaction. What did he do? Paterno, ever the coward, played the victim card. Instead of expressing his complicity and accepting moral responsibility for the cover-up, he rather defiantly criticized the boards decision. Here is a person who claims to be a student of Greek philosophers and not merely an ignorant football coach. Did he remind the students that the Greeks would never hide behind the rationale,to the effect that they did not know? Of course not. Did he seek out for other information, as for example, the janitor who also saw Sandusky rape a child? Well no, he reported to his "superiors," i.e. university bureaucrats, and thus had discharged his moral responsibility. Paterno failed not merely as a human being, but he failed as a teacher, as one can see from the moral primitives who defend him here. The result of Paterno's dissemblance was a riot that night. Some teacher of ethical conduct.
51
It's always about the money and was always about the money in this case. The folks in charge were just waiting for the furor to die down. It was a setup job from the start. I would never send my children to Penn State, an institution that cares more about football, a ridiculous sport, than providing a good education.
49
This decision doesn't make any sense. He ignored the child raping that was occurring in his own coaching team, because he wanted to win football matches. They had a chance to send a strong message that child molestation and rape is never acceptable, but failed.
18
Actually, an institution that cares more about football than about the health, safety and well-being of children being raped and molested by a football coach with special privledges on campus, and a winning football coaching legend who somehow had no idea this was going on and when he found out failed to put an end to it. Thinking they are helping their beloved Penn State, the government officials who brought the lawsuit have damaged it's (and their) reputations beyond repair.
12
There were three villians in this story?
1) Sandusky - who will never see the light of day and will meet his fate in hell.
2) Mike McQueary - who witnessed a crime and did the absolute minimum
( reported it to Paterno the next day, who did nothing)
and who should have either stopped a 10 year old boy from being violently raped or called 911 as he ran out of the shower room.
The comment about Mike McQueary was that he, "met the minimum obligation in reporting it up, but did not in my opinion meet a moral obligation that all of us would have" per the proceedings.
Nice way of saying that Mike McQueary is a coward who let a ten year old continue to get raped.
Joe Paterno - who put football above innocent children being raped.
No, the players should not have been punished,
and the money should not be held up from these poor victims,
but restoring the wins - are you kidding me?
1) Sandusky - who will never see the light of day and will meet his fate in hell.
2) Mike McQueary - who witnessed a crime and did the absolute minimum
( reported it to Paterno the next day, who did nothing)
and who should have either stopped a 10 year old boy from being violently raped or called 911 as he ran out of the shower room.
The comment about Mike McQueary was that he, "met the minimum obligation in reporting it up, but did not in my opinion meet a moral obligation that all of us would have" per the proceedings.
Nice way of saying that Mike McQueary is a coward who let a ten year old continue to get raped.
Joe Paterno - who put football above innocent children being raped.
No, the players should not have been punished,
and the money should not be held up from these poor victims,
but restoring the wins - are you kidding me?
72
There was a fourth villian and that was the president of the university. He was the decider. He is the one and only responsible for the path that Penn State took
14
The lesson for the rest of us is that if we know of abuse and do not stand against it, especially if we are in positions of power, we are culpable. Beware the Banality of Evil.
17
Unless they are going to add an asterisk with a note about how he protected Sandusky for years after he officially knew JoePa has suffered no penalty as his record is restored. Nevermind that he very probably knew from the early 90's exactly what Sandusky was.
10
Yes, they are chipping away at the lesson.
"Under the settlement, Penn State’s victories from 1998 to 2011 would be restored, again making Paterno, who died in 2012, the winningest head coach in major-college football history."
And that would make the children who were abused, THE BIGGEST LOSERS.
Is anyone following the money here? What we need in the USA is a total ban on sports.
And that would make the children who were abused, THE BIGGEST LOSERS.
Is anyone following the money here? What we need in the USA is a total ban on sports.
44
No revised NCAA decision will remove the permanent stain that Mr. Paterno and his staff brought to Penn State. This demonstrates unequivocally that Jake Corman cares more about money, statistics, and football than he cares about the integrity and honor of his alma mater. Contrary to Mr. Corman's statement,
this is not "A Win" for anybody with a conscience.
this is not "A Win" for anybody with a conscience.
73
American Football is on life support anyway. Cut the cord.
19
Perhaps that's why the NCAA has to enslave the players. College players are not paid, and not even provided medical care for life for injuries. In many colleges, they are not even provided a real education, when we all know the reality is that a tiny minority will ever be able to make a living from it.
And then add that the highest paid public official in each and every state is a college sports coach (mostly football, a couple basketball), and college sports is a cancer on our society . . .
And that's before we even start talking about the sexual abuse associated with sports, from high school on up.
And then add that the highest paid public official in each and every state is a college sports coach (mostly football, a couple basketball), and college sports is a cancer on our society . . .
And that's before we even start talking about the sexual abuse associated with sports, from high school on up.
4
Penn State alum here.
Good for the players who fought and won between the sidelines on Saturdays and bowl games. They earned every one of those wins. And I agree with people who argue that Sandusky's crimes never had a direct impact on competitiveness on the field.
In fact, the opposite occurred - Penn State's wins had a direct enabling impact on Sandusky's ability to carry out his crimes. Those victories and the accompanying (inappropriate?) adulation enabled him. He ensured he stayed as close to the program as possible even in retirement, using the reflected glory to get access to children.
So I am glad for the players, but because those victories played a key role in empowering Sandusky to commit those horrible crimes, getting them back has little meaning for me. Better to have kept them as a reminder.
Good for the players who fought and won between the sidelines on Saturdays and bowl games. They earned every one of those wins. And I agree with people who argue that Sandusky's crimes never had a direct impact on competitiveness on the field.
In fact, the opposite occurred - Penn State's wins had a direct enabling impact on Sandusky's ability to carry out his crimes. Those victories and the accompanying (inappropriate?) adulation enabled him. He ensured he stayed as close to the program as possible even in retirement, using the reflected glory to get access to children.
So I am glad for the players, but because those victories played a key role in empowering Sandusky to commit those horrible crimes, getting them back has little meaning for me. Better to have kept them as a reminder.
27
We know what's most important to Penn State - and Pennsylvania. The same thing that led down this horrific path. Hint: it's not integrity.
96
Disgraceful. A perfect example of revisionist history if every there was one.
In less than a generation, this ugly episode of child molestation by one of the high and mighty of Penn State's athletic department and the willful ignorance of Penn State officials who might have done something, will be completely erased and forgotten.
In less than a generation, this ugly episode of child molestation by one of the high and mighty of Penn State's athletic department and the willful ignorance of Penn State officials who might have done something, will be completely erased and forgotten.
40
The stain of this disgrace will never be erased. Never.
1
Agree completely! Really disgraceful decision.
1
Only the delusional will take real joy from reinstating meaningless wins. So what will be remembered now? The winningest coach in college football history or a man who knew terrible things were happening and, by his inaction, encouraged it to continue? This man's legacy is ruined and deserves to be.
41
Its not ruined until they put this stain on him in the records books next to the number of wins otherwise the stain dies with the last of us who remember what he did.
4
What about the Campus police, the State police, they all knew and all put children's safety on the line for a winning season. Those wins where due in a large part to Sandusky, who should have been removed. Victims of all campus assaults know the defense when the athletic department is involved; blame the victim, attack the victim's reputation, stall, stall, stall until public outrage subsides and run a sneak option right past laws and morality. Maybe take a play from the Vatican playbook, just move him to a new school.
17
All of those things were sacrificed or suborned because of the football program. Yank the program.
2
I never understood the connection between one thing and the other. He won those games. So what. Taking down prominently displayed statues is one thing but denying the facts of their acts on earth has a Stalinist feel to it.
The people who's heads are spinning today need a better outlet.
The people who's heads are spinning today need a better outlet.
12
So true. I don't know whether to laugh or cry at the ignorance of the actual facts of the case being demonstrated by most of the commenters who are enjoying sitting in judgment.
4
It was won by a form of cheating.
Paterno. by not reporting Sandusky got to keep using him as a coach, a job he was good at and a large part of the winning. He allowed the program to go on unbroken with no time out and no recrimination or soul searching among the staff and players and the certain infighting and cross accusations about who knew what when that would have taken place
which would certainly have made a difference in how the players played and I have no doubt more than a few games would have been lost at least for a few months around the time Sandusky should haven been removed. I'm betting if he had been removed in 98 when the police investigated they would have lost more than usual that year and the year after if not more.
Paterno. by not reporting Sandusky got to keep using him as a coach, a job he was good at and a large part of the winning. He allowed the program to go on unbroken with no time out and no recrimination or soul searching among the staff and players and the certain infighting and cross accusations about who knew what when that would have taken place
which would certainly have made a difference in how the players played and I have no doubt more than a few games would have been lost at least for a few months around the time Sandusky should haven been removed. I'm betting if he had been removed in 98 when the police investigated they would have lost more than usual that year and the year after if not more.
10
The NCAA has demonstrated many times that it is not worthy of anything but scorn, so it rolling over on the disgusting Paterno/Sandusky affair is none too surprising. It is all about the money at any rate.
The bigger question is whether or not Penn State will do the utterly revolting, and do anything other than try to forget Paterno ever existed. At the very least they should ask that Paterno not be accorded mention in any documents. Better yet, Penn State ask that the very bad decision of the NCAA be reversed.
The bigger question is whether or not Penn State will do the utterly revolting, and do anything other than try to forget Paterno ever existed. At the very least they should ask that Paterno not be accorded mention in any documents. Better yet, Penn State ask that the very bad decision of the NCAA be reversed.
20
I'm a Penn State alum. I graduated in 2005 and was a student at a time when many of these horrific abuses were taking place. Though an avid supporter of PSU, I do not condone child abuse (as some of the Times readership likes to charge).
I've been disappointed, sad, and disgusted in the aftermath of these revelations, mostly with law enforcement (who are actually legally charged with keeping us safe ) but also with the Penn State's leadership. Both of these parties knew of the crimes for many years, yet allowed them to continue. This PSU leadership may or may not have included Joe Paterno, though it likely did.
I also have mixed feelings about how we as a Penn State community are supposed to move on from this tragedy. I'm not sure I've reached any satisfying conclusions, but I don't think erasing footballs wins is the right answer for us as a society or for the children who were abused. It seems trivial. Will voiding those wins really make the pain go away? I doubt it.
Regardless of this ruling, we could never really erase Penn State's legacy of wins and just the same we won't really be able to forget its legacy of sins.
I've been disappointed, sad, and disgusted in the aftermath of these revelations, mostly with law enforcement (who are actually legally charged with keeping us safe ) but also with the Penn State's leadership. Both of these parties knew of the crimes for many years, yet allowed them to continue. This PSU leadership may or may not have included Joe Paterno, though it likely did.
I also have mixed feelings about how we as a Penn State community are supposed to move on from this tragedy. I'm not sure I've reached any satisfying conclusions, but I don't think erasing footballs wins is the right answer for us as a society or for the children who were abused. It seems trivial. Will voiding those wins really make the pain go away? I doubt it.
Regardless of this ruling, we could never really erase Penn State's legacy of wins and just the same we won't really be able to forget its legacy of sins.
13
Let me suggest part of your dilemma...your use of "We, the Penn State Community" . There is none. You went to school there. Period. You may have had the best college and grad school experience but its over. Alumni or not...Penn State is not your family....this identity, separate and apart, from the brief time people went there is the problem as the corporate personage of the school starts to have its own life that, like the church, military, government..etc, requires that the corporation be protected at all costs.
Sadly, the only thing worse than the Penn State program and that lowlife Paterno...is the NCAA. A pox on all there houses.
Sadly, the only thing worse than the Penn State program and that lowlife Paterno...is the NCAA. A pox on all there houses.
11
Anyone know how a "state senator" established his standing to bring suit on behalf of Penn State University against the NCAA?
Penn State can't bring suit on its own behalf?
Penn State can't bring suit on its own behalf?
20
The suit was brought by state Sen. Jake Corman and Treasurer Rob McCord on behalf of the PA taxpayers to determine if the NCAA had the right to bring sanctions and take taxpayer money out of PA. Part has been resolved, in that the NCAA agreed to let PA use the money for child abuse protection in state.
The NCAA lost in Federal Court this week in an attempt to do an end run around the court case, so they are now working to settle, and what they want is an admission that they had the right to act. (Sandusky was not employed by PSA at the time, nor did the case have an impact on the team or its operations.) Since their own e-mails suggest that they knew that they probably didn't (and suggest that the PSU board could be bluffed) this is a big deal to them. Otherwise, they are on the hook for shaking down taxpayers by coercing PSU to take sanctions that they know they were not really allowed to impose.
The NCAA lost in Federal Court this week in an attempt to do an end run around the court case, so they are now working to settle, and what they want is an admission that they had the right to act. (Sandusky was not employed by PSA at the time, nor did the case have an impact on the team or its operations.) Since their own e-mails suggest that they knew that they probably didn't (and suggest that the PSU board could be bluffed) this is a big deal to them. Otherwise, they are on the hook for shaking down taxpayers by coercing PSU to take sanctions that they know they were not really allowed to impose.
2
The state senator had a legitimate interest to ensure that money that was contributed by Pennsylvania taxpayers, as Penn State is a state institution, remained in Pennsylvania.
This is regardless of whether Penn State was guilty or not.
Moreover, the money from the NCAA sanctions was supposed to be spent on behalf of the victims. The victims were all PA residents. The NCAA had no right to disburse the money nationally.
This is regardless of whether Penn State was guilty or not.
Moreover, the money from the NCAA sanctions was supposed to be spent on behalf of the victims. The victims were all PA residents. The NCAA had no right to disburse the money nationally.
9
Penn State is a state funded school. The fine comes out of state funds. He is a official representing the state - very simple.
9
“The N.C.A.A. has a legitimate role when a member’s actions threaten the integrity of college sports. We acted in good faith in addressing the failures and subsequent improvements on Penn State’s campus.”
This was a extremely serious case and I support the NCAA's right to act and impose sanctions, but I have to wonder at their lack of interest at the multiple rape accusations brought against college athletes all over the country, and the subsequent inaction by college authorities.
This was a extremely serious case and I support the NCAA's right to act and impose sanctions, but I have to wonder at their lack of interest at the multiple rape accusations brought against college athletes all over the country, and the subsequent inaction by college authorities.
17
Not a big enough media frenzy to draw NCAA attention. the NCAA is interested in one thing only: the status of the NCAA.
7
Another win for the rich and powerful, another loss for common decency. Joe Paterno was willing to risk an unknown number of young lives to keep scandal away from his beloved football program. Restoring those wins makes a mockery of any sense that justice was done to the man who avoided actually bearing any part of the blame by dying just in time.
114
Paterno is still under a cloud. True, he reported the Sandusky incident to his superiors. Had he stopped there, he would have been blameless. However, we have since learned from a single terse email that he engaged in a discussion with athletic director Curley who subsequently turned against the decided administrative action of reporting Sandusky. It would certainly be nice to know more about this discussion. It is possible that one of the administrators "spilled the beans" to the trustees and this led to Paterno's firing along with their own, but this is just speculation.
Penn State suffers a great deal from geographical isolation. This has improved since my student days there with the construction of I-80 and regular bus service to NYC. However, sports and traffic accidents are the main topics of local news. People get excited over what little they have.
Penn State suffers a great deal from geographical isolation. This has improved since my student days there with the construction of I-80 and regular bus service to NYC. However, sports and traffic accidents are the main topics of local news. People get excited over what little they have.
8
Regardless of any deal Mr. Paterno was what he was, and no more. His reputation will remain part of his legacy.
Penn State will long be remembered as the university that concealed the abuse of children. Mr. Paterno bears the same dishonor. The Nittany Lion is the symbol of such disgrace. No wins on the football field can occlude such a stain.
Penn State will long be remembered as the university that concealed the abuse of children. Mr. Paterno bears the same dishonor. The Nittany Lion is the symbol of such disgrace. No wins on the football field can occlude such a stain.
88
His heritage is and always will be.....vile and selfish.
16
Did Joe Paterno even have the smallest concern for the small boys being raped by his direct report? The record indicates that he did not. He didn't care.
85
Contrary to what many here seem to think, this has nothing to do about 'victories' or honoring Joe Paterno. The core issue is that the NCAA jumped the gun in wanting to make an example and show the world how much 'power' they have. The NCAA made these sanctions before even reading the entirety of the Freeh report.
Yes, Sandusky is a monster and did horrible things to children which destroyed many of their lives. Paterno's actions can be considered questionable, but he's dead and has paid the ultimate price( unlike Sandusky). The players didn't deserve these sanctions, only the participants. By the way, I'm still wondering how the Grad Asst. Mike McQueary has walked away 'scot free'. He should be punished for his inaction at the time he witnessed the locker room scene.
Yes, I'm a Penn State alumnus! ... But I'm disgusted by Sandusky and crew and also with the NCAA for not thoroughly looking into the Freeh report before initially making their sanctions. Get it right the first time rather than now looking ridiculous by reinstating wins.
Yes, Sandusky is a monster and did horrible things to children which destroyed many of their lives. Paterno's actions can be considered questionable, but he's dead and has paid the ultimate price( unlike Sandusky). The players didn't deserve these sanctions, only the participants. By the way, I'm still wondering how the Grad Asst. Mike McQueary has walked away 'scot free'. He should be punished for his inaction at the time he witnessed the locker room scene.
Yes, I'm a Penn State alumnus! ... But I'm disgusted by Sandusky and crew and also with the NCAA for not thoroughly looking into the Freeh report before initially making their sanctions. Get it right the first time rather than now looking ridiculous by reinstating wins.
12
SMU received the NCAA death penalty for paying players. Penn State and its vaunted coach turned a blind eye on the rape of children for years merely to protect its football program. The NCAA rolls over for Penn State and everything is back to normal in Happy Valley. Except for those wounded children, some now adults, whose lives have been sacrificed once again on the altar of collegiate sports. Please don't pretend otherwise. That old man didn't do anything to protect those victims. He chose to protect his program. It is beyond disgusting that this "settlement" is seen as anything other than disgraceful. I hope the state officials who started this issue through the lawsuit can look their children and grandchildren in their faces and explain why football is more valuable than they are.
21
Right, lets just forget a criminal conspiracy os sexually abusing kids. Bad decision NCAA all around. Oh, my FIL is a WE ARE PENN STATE alumnus. We all were big fans. Not anymore.
6
"but he's dead and has paid the ultimate price"
Sorry, but we all DIE so he didn't pay any price at all. He actually escaped a life of constant shame.
Sorry, but we all DIE so he didn't pay any price at all. He actually escaped a life of constant shame.
12
Some are saying that Sandusky was not a coach at Penn State when this happened...a 5 minutes search finds victims in 96-97 and Sandusky retired in 99. Paterno is abhorrent, Sandusky is criminal.
26
If I remember correctly, those cases in the 90s were investigated and cleared by the state attorney general. The cases that ultimately convicted Sandusky were from the late 2000s when he was not a coach.
7
Jerry Sandusky was convicted of doing terrible things, but the evidence he did them while on campus at Penn State has been steadily unraveling (even since his trial). Many commenters here have painted the alumni and employees of Penn State, an excellent school with outstanding faculty and students, with a broad brush. That is truly unfair. The people at Penn State were wronged by the NCAA, some in superficial ways, others in very real ways, and for them to take satisfaction in that wrong being corrected (even just a little) does not mean they are somehow pleased as well with all that happened with Sandusky and the university. There are still at least 2 trials pending in that case, and more facts will be revealed. I hope people will recall all of this when the temptation to rush to judgment over some other wrong occurs.
9
Your bias is showing, shame.
13
Rush to judgement? The Sandusky trial did a good job of identifying who knew what and when they knew it. Is everyone at Penn State guilty? No. But the school's leaders did what they did, and part of the notion of punishment entails some degree of loss. Loss of wins, loss of scholarships are small prices to pay for the losses those children incurred. This decision will not restore Penn State to any degree of glory. It is forever tarnished by a very ugly history, and no restoration of wins or Paterno's statue will change that.
14
This is simply a disgrace by an organization that is less than honorable in the first place. Paterno probably knew far more than anyone about what was going on in his locker room and the incidents that were revealed were probably only the tip of the iceberg. Winning at all cost was his priority and the NCAA has seconded the notion.
31
"Winning at all cost was his priority"...really? Penn St. Football had one of the highest graduation rates under Paterno and no recruiting violations. Frankly, if you watched Penn st football you would realize that winning wasn't everything to Paterno, since they had many average years.
Plus there is evidence that Paterno went to his superiors with concerns about Sandusky...doesn't seem like he was trying to hide some big scandal to me. I agree he should have done more than he attempted, but to paint Paterno as some monster complicit in a pedophilia ring is truly unfounded.
Plus there is evidence that Paterno went to his superiors with concerns about Sandusky...doesn't seem like he was trying to hide some big scandal to me. I agree he should have done more than he attempted, but to paint Paterno as some monster complicit in a pedophilia ring is truly unfounded.
4
"Paterno went to his superiors with concerns about Sandusky"… and when his superiors did nothing he in turn did nothing. He had first hand knowledge of Sandusky and did nothing and for that his legacy is garbage and should forever be seen as such. If it was his grandchildren being raped do you think he would have taken such a passive approach?
2
Revisionist history at work here. Joe Paterno was far bigger than the President of the school. Pretending that he did anything other than cover up and protect his reputation fails the laugh test.
2
The asterisk is still there. Not really anything that can erase it.
19
Former players who are brain damaged and physically crippled and bunch of young children sexually abused seems a small price to pay for the winningest coach. I guess if enough time has passed, anything goes at the NCAA and in Happy Valley.
30
For decades to come, their fans better keep their "we are" at home games only - for on the road, they're likely to be drowned out by "Ped State" in rely from the opponents fans. The shame remains...
25
The NCAA works like its daddy the NFL. Big money operations work more efficiently when one hand washes the other; The NCAA obviously must make more money for itself by getting a university the size of Penn State back in the fold. The NCAA originally came down on Penn State to appease the public outcry at the time of the abuse allegations. Public outcry has died down. Time to get back to business as usual.
Paterno did what he could within the limits of his responsibility. The entire university ( as with virtually all ncaa universities) was and I imagine still is corrupted by the movement of money involved in the athletic programs. Athletic programs, as we all know, bring in mega millions. There will ALWAYS be the temptation to cover up wrong doing to protect the status quo of athletics huge income. This is a relatively fair compromise. The university president et,al lost their jobs, the university paid a fine and took a short term pr hit, Saandusky was duly punished, Paterno's achievements unrelated at all to the crime have been restored,and most importantly, everyone in Penn State town get their football program back.
Where this leaves the abuse victims is anybody's guess.
Paterno did what he could within the limits of his responsibility. The entire university ( as with virtually all ncaa universities) was and I imagine still is corrupted by the movement of money involved in the athletic programs. Athletic programs, as we all know, bring in mega millions. There will ALWAYS be the temptation to cover up wrong doing to protect the status quo of athletics huge income. This is a relatively fair compromise. The university president et,al lost their jobs, the university paid a fine and took a short term pr hit, Saandusky was duly punished, Paterno's achievements unrelated at all to the crime have been restored,and most importantly, everyone in Penn State town get their football program back.
Where this leaves the abuse victims is anybody's guess.
7
Oh, goody! Everyone in Penn State town gets their football back? They never lost it. Anyone in Happy Valley care about what those children lost?
9
Oh, I'll bet they're really happy in Happy Valley today!! Ice Cream for everyone at the Berkey Creamery! Put the statue back up! Huzzah! What's that, you say? That may square him with the NCAA, but the Lord Almighty might be a little more hard-nosed.
23
I dunno. I expect many in Happy Valley would have liked to see the NCAA trial results. It could have very easily swung against the NCAA. They wouldn't have decided to settle (just after losing their case in Federal Court to pre-empt the trial.)
2
I am among those who thinks Joe Paterno was unfairly villified in this scandal. The person most derelict in his duty was the assistant coach, Mike McQueary, who came upon Sandusky raping the child. Instead of immediately calling the police and getting a rape kit done on the boy, he punted the whole thing upstairs. He was acting in self-interest, as were many involved in this scandal, not wanting to be seen as the person who brought down the program. Joe Paterno was a workaholic football coach and no expert in this type of behavior. A lot of people who should have known better and whose job it was to deal with these sorts of issues--the cops, the campus police and the president of the school--failed to do their jobs. After all Joe Paterno did for Penn State, he had to die with all this swirling around him. I feel sorry for him and his family.
11
I don't feel sorry for the man. I have heard of many a bad work manager, none as worst as Paterno, who looked the other way when he received reports of sexual misconducts by his employees. You do realize that the offensive coordinator works for the head coach, right?
13
By the same logic that you blame McQueary, you must blame Paterno more, because he had more power.
Paterno should've made it clear to McQueary that the football program didn't matter as much as that child, and marched right down to the police station with him to support him.
McQueary might have been a coward, but does ANYBODY doubt that if Paterno had allowed him to report it, he would've?
I feel sorry for the children who were raped because of these failures.
Paterno should've made it clear to McQueary that the football program didn't matter as much as that child, and marched right down to the police station with him to support him.
McQueary might have been a coward, but does ANYBODY doubt that if Paterno had allowed him to report it, he would've?
I feel sorry for the children who were raped because of these failures.
18
He invited the swirling, and he gets no sympathy. Claiming to be a good Catholic, yet not bothering to look deeper into reports of child abuse? No excuse.
15
There is evidence that could be convincing to a jury that the NCAA knew that they did not have the authority to act in the case of Penn State (E-mails which are part of the deposition evidence for the upcoming trial) and evidence that they knew that they could bluff by threatening the "death penalty."(More e-mails.) If this were supported in the court case, it would be evidence that the NCAA knowingly shook down the PA taxpayers for $60M. No wonder they want to settle, trading Paterno's wins for an agreement that they had the right to act, now that their shot at preventing the trial failed in Federal Court this week.
Add that to the evidence that suggests that the NCAA gave Freeh direction on what he needed to find in the report so that they could act, and to the fact that the chairman of the NCAA, Ed Ray of Oregon admitted in his deposition that he had not even read the Freeh report (or the sanctions) before his organization acted, the whole thing looks just corrupt.
The only thing I can say in Ed Ray's defense is that I doubt a single reporter read the Freeh report either.
Add that to the evidence that suggests that the NCAA gave Freeh direction on what he needed to find in the report so that they could act, and to the fact that the chairman of the NCAA, Ed Ray of Oregon admitted in his deposition that he had not even read the Freeh report (or the sanctions) before his organization acted, the whole thing looks just corrupt.
The only thing I can say in Ed Ray's defense is that I doubt a single reporter read the Freeh report either.
7
If this decision doesn't make sentient adults question the priorities of this nation, I have no idea what will.
94
Well, it won't. And to answer your question, very little will.
3
As a College Football fan, I am chagrined by the ruling. I am further disgusted that a person in position of power refers to the restoration of wins as a victory. Joe Paterno and Penn State shall face the wrath of many football fans. As for those condoning Paterno, must I remind you that Sandusky raped some of these innocent children in the Penn State locker rooms? Must I also remind you that Freeh report singled out Paterno for his inaction?
31
How was vacating the past achievements of countless, dedicated student athletes, coaching staff and support staff, non of whom had anything to do with the crimes committed, considered fair punishment in the first place? Like it or not, what happened on the field was the sum of more than just one man.
7
Your sympathy and concern about "fairness" is a little misplaced. Consider focusing your indignation on what happened to the abused children?
2
Another reason to dislike the NCAA. Give USC back its 2005 championship. Nothing USC did matches the Penn State atrocities with small children. What a disgrace. NCAA and Penn State are disgusting institutions.
34
Penn State did not commit those atrocities. Jerry Sandusky did.
5
Penn State enabled Jerry Sandusky and so did Paterno. I standby my statement!
9
And people knew something was wrong and "very correctly" (NOT!) passed it up the chain of command. By not getting the police involved stat PSU was and is DERELICT in their duties.
3
This is a shame and sends the wrong message. Although Penn State fans will be pleased, the reinstatement doesn't redeem the fact that Joe Paterno looked the other way while a sexual predator raped little boys. The boys deserved better and their agony should dictate the price that Penn State pays.
190
They should have imposed sanctions on the University that would have made excruciatingly painful to ensure this will not happen again, anywhere. The old "make an example of them" did not happen as it did to SMU, the proverbial death sentence. As now is custom in this country, money wins the debate and rides off into the sunset.
Aren't we glad that we are teaching our students that this is the way of the world?
Aren't we glad that we are teaching our students that this is the way of the world?
7
We don't yet know how assistant coach Mike McQueary's allegation that Sandusky sexually assaulted a young boy in Penn State football's Lasch Building got turned into an allegation of "horseplay" that Penn State's top administrators forwarded only to Sandusky's charity, The Second Mile.
Was it to protect football (as Freeh alleged)? Was it passing the buck? Were they fooled by Sandusky, whom they had known for decades?
Regardless of what the NCAA thinks about Penn State, or what the laws of Pennsylvania mandate for reporting, understanding how the charge that McQueary was so agitated about got watered down to "horseplay" is the issue that we Penn Staters should be most concerned about (now that Sandusky has been convicted, of course).
Instead, it looks to the outside world that Paterno's wins are the most important thing to us. Ironic considering that Paterno always said the wins total didn't matter, that he didn't want a statue, and that looking back at the Sandusky allegation, he wished he'd done more.
With today's settlement, the runaway train barrels on.
Was it to protect football (as Freeh alleged)? Was it passing the buck? Were they fooled by Sandusky, whom they had known for decades?
Regardless of what the NCAA thinks about Penn State, or what the laws of Pennsylvania mandate for reporting, understanding how the charge that McQueary was so agitated about got watered down to "horseplay" is the issue that we Penn Staters should be most concerned about (now that Sandusky has been convicted, of course).
Instead, it looks to the outside world that Paterno's wins are the most important thing to us. Ironic considering that Paterno always said the wins total didn't matter, that he didn't want a statue, and that looking back at the Sandusky allegation, he wished he'd done more.
With today's settlement, the runaway train barrels on.
13
I never understood rewriting history. They won the games. The play of the college athletes on the field had nothing to do with Sandusky. 'Removing' wins is Orwellian and just silly. They actually won the games and no amount of trying to say they didn't is factual.
85
They won at the cost of young boys being violated!
1
Sandusky will die in prison. Paterno is dead. And the children damaged by a monster and his enablers are now damaged adults who will never be fully healed.
If Penn State fans are so shallow as to care about who officially won games played years ago, let them have their stupid "wins" and their silly priorities. Our precious sports worlds are make-believe anyway.
If Penn State fans are so shallow as to care about who officially won games played years ago, let them have their stupid "wins" and their silly priorities. Our precious sports worlds are make-believe anyway.
22
“The urge to save humanity is almost always only a false-face for the urge to rule it. Power is what all messiahs really seek: not the chance to serve. This is true even of the pious brethren who carry the gospel to foreign parts.” H.L. Mencken
That fits Joe Paterno like a glove.
That fits Joe Paterno like a glove.
12
Nauseating. Expect the statue to be back up and the flowers laid ... a shrine to worship the moral pygmy who turned his head the other way as children were abused, so he could go back to football.
108
It says a great deal about the current state of this country that anybody in it still cares about who won old football games.
32
Bad deal for college football. Joe Paterno knowingly permitted his pedophile assistant to remain while his teams were winning. If college football provides us with lifetime models in any form, then allowing the record to be expunged is a travesty.
Vigilance has a price; are we willing to pay it?
Vigilance has a price; are we willing to pay it?
32
Sandusky was accused, but not charged or prosecuted in 1998, he retired in 1999. I haven't seen any reporting on what Penn State, his employer at the time knew of the accusations nor what the 'charity' he founded was about. Sadly all PSU retirees have access to the gym facilities - if Human Resources had knowledge that Sandusky was a pedophile he clearly should have been barred from campus.In the absence of a criminal record it is unclear what knowledge existed in 1999. The fact that he went on to commit a crime on campus in 2001 is beyond horrific. This however had nothing to do with the athletes who earned their records - the NCAA action was a complete disconnect which is why the unraveling has begun. Now that the Govenor is out of office and no longer a Trustee - his role in delaying Sandusky's prosecution in 2009 I expect, will be revealed.
Alternatively, Penn St. football and its legendary coach could simply accept the vacated victories as a small price to pay for the rape of small children in the locker-room. Is it best to refer to Jerry Sandusky as a "sexual predator" or as a "child rapist"?
34
Paterno may have been the "winningest" head coach in college football, but he became the "biggest loser" the moment he turned his head away from what he was told about Sandusky, and did nothing.
142
I think your comment fails the historic accuracy test. Paterno reported Sandusky to his superiors as he was required to do. It was his superiors that covered up and it would certainly seem the NCAA was complicit. Neither of Paterno’s superiors were ever prosecuted by the NCAA or the State of Pennsylvania .
4
Yeah, Paterno mentioned it to his superiors - but he did further pursue it, push for Penn State to investigate? Did he suspend Sandusky pending an investigation? Did he take away the man's keys to the locker room? No. So zero not hero is he.
BTW, Penn State's former president & his aides have been CRIMINALLY charged - trial soon - far more than the NCAA might have done.
Shameful that the NCAA is backing down on punishing Penn State.
BTW, Penn State's former president & his aides have been CRIMINALLY charged - trial soon - far more than the NCAA might have done.
Shameful that the NCAA is backing down on punishing Penn State.
20
Was listening to a sports radio show back when news broke of all this...a caller to the show had the best point I've heard regarding Paterno's actions (or inactions) just after being made aware of what Sandusky did: Anything other than immediately making the local police authorities (NOT his authorities or campus police) aware is unacceptable. What do we tell kids with "Stranger Danger"? If something bad happens you tell someone. If they don't believe you tell someone else and you keep telling someone until they believe you.
17
Facts and justice have finally won out. The Penn State Board of Trustees threw Joe Paterno under the bus in a pointless, vindictive pique. The NCAA itself should have its governance closely examined.
11
The NCAA should be penalized, but not Penn State????? Priorities will out...
5
Please think through what I wrote and the events in question. The NCAA chose to penalize and stigmatize totally innocent individuals. The Penn State Board of Trustees penalized Paterno because he had previously challenged them when they sought his retirement. They also were aware of the situation before it became public knowledge and they, collectively, should have resigned.
The amount of misinformation reflected in the comments is astounding! First, Sandusky was NOT on the staff when Paterno (or anyone at Penn State)learned on the accusations. He had left the football program years earlier! As a former employee he was allowed to use some of the athletic facilities. When Paterno was informed about the accusations he contact university officials and expected them to follow up. What would any of you have done? Gone to the press and compromised the investigation?
Despite what many seem to think, Paterno did not run Penn State, the campus police, or the local police department. He was a football coach, yes, a very well known one whose fame the university used for its own purposes. By this point he was getting old, was forgetful, and was really running the program in name only. To suggest he was the mastermind of some huge cover-up or that he was somehow responsible for Sandusky's actions is ludicrous.
I understand the tendency to look for someone famous to blame for these horrific and disgusting crimes, but this vilification of Paterno is way off base.
Despite what many seem to think, Paterno did not run Penn State, the campus police, or the local police department. He was a football coach, yes, a very well known one whose fame the university used for its own purposes. By this point he was getting old, was forgetful, and was really running the program in name only. To suggest he was the mastermind of some huge cover-up or that he was somehow responsible for Sandusky's actions is ludicrous.
I understand the tendency to look for someone famous to blame for these horrific and disgusting crimes, but this vilification of Paterno is way off base.
29
I will always think of Joe Paterno as the man who turned a blind eye to child sexual abuse. Nothing in your defense changes my mind about that in any way. Who cares whether Sandusky was technically on staff or not? Since when do we expect our role models to "contact university officials and expect[] them to follow up" when informed of the possible raping of a child?!?
It sickens me that the Penn State community seems vastly more interested in rehabilitating Joe Paterno's image than in showing even a modicum of compassion for the children whose lives were devastated under his watch.
It sickens me that the Penn State community seems vastly more interested in rehabilitating Joe Paterno's image than in showing even a modicum of compassion for the children whose lives were devastated under his watch.
29
How forgetful do you have to be not to follow up on a tale of child rape? Paterno was part of the cover-up, if for no other reason than his inaction. Child abuse laws require notification of law enforcement, not your boss. He did nothing more because he didn't want his safe little world shaken. Those children were someone else's problem.
11
Paterno gave Sandusky full access to the football facilities even though he was retired. It was well known that Sandusky would bring boys from his "charity" and show them around.
1
If you want some insight into what is wrong with contemporary American values, look no further than at this existentially pointless question of career coaching wins for a man who (and he was not alone) was willing to look the other way in order to protect his program.
As a faculty member at an NCAA Division 1 school, I can report that football (and to a lesser extent basketball) rule the day, with unbelievable distortions in practices, economics, and ways of thinking about what a university should be. It is a daily source of amusement and dismay.
As a faculty member at an NCAA Division 1 school, I can report that football (and to a lesser extent basketball) rule the day, with unbelievable distortions in practices, economics, and ways of thinking about what a university should be. It is a daily source of amusement and dismay.
120
Hundreds of innocent kids now will get their hard-fought winning records returned to the books. They can lift their heads high again. Yes. About darned time.
Paterno gets his incredible record back, too. His insensitivity toward pedophile is in no way connected with his record, just his inability to be a decent citizen.
This change does not reduce football's undue importance at PSU or anywhere else or explain Paterno's silence on Sandusky. These are separate from the facts on thefield -- and always were.
We know these facts: Paterno was an overpaid, insensitive man, but that is neither unique nor criminal, and no reason erase the on-field actions of his teams. Conversely, restoring the good deeds should not stop our re-evaluating of the outsized power of athletics on academic campuses around America. It just lifts the burden from the innocents and focuses the light on Paterno's errors and Penn State's complicities. We should be glad that this is happening. And ask what foolishness let NCAA put the burden there in the first place. Red herrings get to smell funny very soon.
Bob, PhD Penn State
Paterno gets his incredible record back, too. His insensitivity toward pedophile is in no way connected with his record, just his inability to be a decent citizen.
This change does not reduce football's undue importance at PSU or anywhere else or explain Paterno's silence on Sandusky. These are separate from the facts on thefield -- and always were.
We know these facts: Paterno was an overpaid, insensitive man, but that is neither unique nor criminal, and no reason erase the on-field actions of his teams. Conversely, restoring the good deeds should not stop our re-evaluating of the outsized power of athletics on academic campuses around America. It just lifts the burden from the innocents and focuses the light on Paterno's errors and Penn State's complicities. We should be glad that this is happening. And ask what foolishness let NCAA put the burden there in the first place. Red herrings get to smell funny very soon.
Bob, PhD Penn State
35
I'm kind of at a loss as to how someone so purportedly well educated and so steeped in that strong, PSU code of ethics (har-har) could reduce Joe Paterno's role in this to 'insensitivity.' He failed to report child rape to the appropriate authorities. Passing the news along to two other guys inside your organization with the same blatant conflict of interest is questionable conduct at best. It's a lapse in responsibility of the highest order, and saying that Joe Paterno is flatly not a criminal comes with the same asterisk as other high profile figures who deserved to get nailed, but didn't. His negligence in the matter was well documented, and while not technically criminal, it should still be utterly appalling to any reasonable observer...which is certainly worse than 'insensitive.'
You can argue, perhaps with some merit, that the punishment had some arbitrary elements, but in light of recent developments one has to question what other leverage the NCAA really has. If punishments like these are so easily challenged, are there still enough consequences for other programs that have totally lost their way? As you seem to be aware, Division I college football is already a pro league without a decent pay scale, so maybe it's time to acknowledge that the NCAA ought to be more like the NFL, and have the same tools to ruin your day.
You can argue, perhaps with some merit, that the punishment had some arbitrary elements, but in light of recent developments one has to question what other leverage the NCAA really has. If punishments like these are so easily challenged, are there still enough consequences for other programs that have totally lost their way? As you seem to be aware, Division I college football is already a pro league without a decent pay scale, so maybe it's time to acknowledge that the NCAA ought to be more like the NFL, and have the same tools to ruin your day.
18
Your school pride is showing - and not in a good way.
16
Ah! The last line in your post explains everything. PhD Penn State. A Penn State alum like the family values loving State Sen. Jake Corman who basically has slapped each of these victims by pushing for this reversal.
Rationalize all you want. The records DO ABSOLUTELY matter for the football obsessed.
You all should be ashamed of yourselves.
Rationalize all you want. The records DO ABSOLUTELY matter for the football obsessed.
You all should be ashamed of yourselves.
12
The state senator should be more interested in rehabilitating the damaged childhoods that fell victim to Joe Paterno's football gamesmanship.
41
Sen. Corman brought suit over turning over taxpayer money to the NCAA. He was able to get the fine money turned over to specifically assist PA children. While I give kudos to Sen. Corman for bringing light onto just how corrupt the NCAA and the PSU board were (you should google the depositions and e-mails), Corman's focus was on protecting his constituency, not PSU.
1
To start with, I don't have a horse in this race. No members of my family have ever lived in Pennsylvania or attended Penn State. That having been said, I believe that the NCAA is a terribly run organization and lacks moral leadership and I believe they got it wrong on the Penn State decision, not this one, but the original one. I think that they caved to public opinion, that Louie Freeh did a sloppy job and reached his decision again influenced by the public. Don't get me wrong, Jerry Sandusky is a sexual predator and got what he deserved, and I have the utmost sympathy for the victims and their families. And it's not about the victories, I don't care if Joe Paterno had 1,000 or 10 victories. He wasn't treated fairly. He didn't have his day in court, he didn't have a chance to cross examine witnesses against him or have people speak on his behalf. So "we" have decided he's a terrible person, his trial conducted in the court of public opinion. His statue was removed, his victories vacated, his legacy trashed. We stood in the coliseum and gave him the "thumbs down" and sealed his fate. And it seems "we're" still at it, now we're outraged, shame on you all. As Clara Peller used to say, "where's the beef". Show me the facts. Not your opinion. I hope the statue goes back up tomorrow.
72
Absolutely shocked that you got a Times Pick, but I think it is deserved. I find it very troubling that this sort of crowd-kill (more than amply supported by media) happens more and more often in recent years. There is no shortage of systemic problems in this world, but these frenzies do little but provide a momentary 'outrage' buzz for those who go in for that sort of thing.
6
They should have imposed sanctions on the University that would have made excruciatingly painful to ensure this will not happen again, anywhere. The old "make an example of them" did not happen as it did to SMU, the proverbial death sentence. As now is custom in this country, money wins the debate and rides off into the sunset.
Aren't we glad that we are teaching our students that this is the way of the
Aren't we glad that we are teaching our students that this is the way of the
7
Actually, Paterno did have his day in court. He wasn't charged, and he testified that he believed McQueary's account and understood that he had seen some kind of sexual activity with a minor child.
His own words condemn him.
His own words condemn him.
6
That's a shame. I mean, it's not like football matters in any way, but I still feel the university should be punished in some way for deliberately ignoring child molestation going on in their jurisdiction. Probably a more appropriate punishment though would be the removal of the football program, permanently. See if they can get by on academics instead, as if they were a university rather than an entertainment industry.
35
An example of the old boys' network at its worst. State Senator Corman is obsequiously seeking funding and patronage when he should be focused on defending Pennsylvania's children and its most vulnerable.
33
This is a meaningless time-consuming exercise by a college administration that only demonstrates the corruption of college football. It's all about entertainment money--lots of it--and nothing more.
125
Long before the disgusting scandal reared its ugly head at Penn State I felt that Joe Paterno's "win" record was a farce. For years, season after season, Penn State kept up the ruse that he was still coaching games, yet during every broadcast we'd see Paterno sitting up in the sky in the coach's box without a headset or any other visible means to communicate with the Penn State sidelines. Game after game after game. Congratulations on the "wins," "coach."
18
Yeah, well, you would be wrong.
1
Is Jerry Sandusky going to hold a press conference from prison to accept this honor for the Penn State coaching staff in place of the late Joe Paterno?
20
With so many children damaged, why do we care how many football wins are credited to Joe Paterno?
This deal speaks volumes about what's really important in this country.
This deal speaks volumes about what's really important in this country.
418
Of all the comments here, this one resonates the most with me. Other than the Paterno family, why should anyone care all that much, one way or the other?
4
My thoughts exactly. Removing the wins was a useless gesture that helped no one, and this reversal is doubling the uselessness of it all.
3
Agree - what. Does it gave to do with anything - your point supports that the wins shoukd never have been vacated in the first place - think about it . Also read a bit more if you are going to comment and think about the process and whether this real was a football issue or a university governance and criminal issue - both which have been addressed .
Upon further review, the call on the field is reversed. There was no penalty...
14
Not only did Paterno run a program disgraced by Sandusky, but he also professed that his team was the exemplar of the straight and narrow. By outfitting the team in plain blue and white uniforms and black cleats, symbolizing an all-business attitude, he implicitly denied that the team, unlike others, would ever engage in questionable activities of any sort.
12
Yet USC is still recovering from the way over-the-top "Death sentence" handed down to them because Reggie Bush's parents accepted a gift from a supporter years ago. Apparently this is much more grievous to the NCAA than sex abuse. College sports are a joke. The NCAA should be abolished.
195
I agree with you wholeheartedly. NCAA is nothing but a joke. College sports are the losers. SMH
2
From Jake's Website:
"Senator Jake Corman (R-Bellefonte) declared victory today, announcing the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has agreed to repeal the Consent Decree with Penn State University, marking the end of all punitive sanctions on Penn State. "
This "family values" career republican senator can now rest on his legacy of throwing all of those boys under the bus. Great job Jake, I can only hope that you have a son that this should happen to.
"Senator Jake Corman (R-Bellefonte) declared victory today, announcing the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has agreed to repeal the Consent Decree with Penn State University, marking the end of all punitive sanctions on Penn State. "
This "family values" career republican senator can now rest on his legacy of throwing all of those boys under the bus. Great job Jake, I can only hope that you have a son that this should happen to.
40
In today's press conference, Pennsylvania State Senator Jake Corman said that in his own personal opinion, the statue of Joe Paterno ought to go back up. I agree with him and I hope it happens.
5
Why? I don't understand this ridiculous allegiance to a man who thought sports were worth protecting but children were not.
Also...why is this a Times pick comment? It's not terribly substantive.
Also...why is this a Times pick comment? It's not terribly substantive.
16
I hope they put the statue back too. I'd like to make a trip down there for the sole purpose of supergluing a blindfold on it, just to make clear to later generations what the university's policy on child molestation was.
26
A statue of Paterno covering his ears with his eyes shut would be most appropriate. What better way to honor a man who, when faced with horror, turned away so nobly and assumed other people would clean up the mess?
14
Words of "apology" are like the self-proclaimed nobility of the NCAA about how it was standing for what is right for the victim -- insincere and only what seemed necessary to get through the moment. Doing what is expedient does not equate with character or standing for principle. They stand for the homonym of that, principal.
2
Truly stunning. Is this state senator seriously fighting to restore Wins on Penn State's football schedule? Can Penn State football not accept a losing record for (long past) seasons as a punishment for the rape of children?
140
Sandusky was long gone from the team when it became known.
How many other schools had wins taken away for player on the team committing sexual crimes? Navy comes to mind, and the answer is none.
How many other schools had wins taken away for player on the team committing sexual crimes? Navy comes to mind, and the answer is none.
3
Leon wonders if "Penn State football cannot accept a losing record fff...for the rape of children?" Communal guilt for the innocents is horrific injustice. And the school did not rape anyone at all. Its admin seems to have lied or turned blind eyes. So admin figures may be guilty, but even they did not rape anyone. Paterno did not act in good faith, it seems, and while he abetted Sandusky, he did not rape. So why change his record? The teams' historic achievements? How did those NCAA red herrings work, except to give the illusion of "action"? We don't want illusions. We want blood, in a certain sense. Why blame fans and teams, why blame the abettor by stealing what he did right, i.e. win games? And expose what he did with the rapist, and what Admin. did, too? Focus on reality, crime, and cover-up. The teams were innocent.
1
Perhaps, you should look into the Freeh report. About the Navy thing, two wrongs don't make a right.
2
Doesn't matter. Joe Paterno's legacy is not of a winning coach, but as a coach who allowed a child rapist to be on his staff.
33
Sandusky's proclivities did not come to light until well after he left the PSU coaching staff.
1
The record indicates that Sandusky abused a boy and his mother called the police while he was on the Penn State staff. Sandusky then resigned, and continued to abuse boys in the Penn State showers.
Good compromise. NCAA had no business passing judgement on judicial matters. Punishing students, athletes and community for criminal activities of one man has no precedence or justification.
52
It was hardly the "criminal activities of one man."
It was the fact that so many people including Saint Paterno had some clue of something not being right and instead of calling 911 they did the bare minimum they had too to have plausible deniability. This from a man who was vauntedly Ivy League educated (Brown) and spouted lines from the classics.
Disgraceful, disgusting and odious and frankly, there are not enough words in the book to describe each and every one of these people.
It was the fact that so many people including Saint Paterno had some clue of something not being right and instead of calling 911 they did the bare minimum they had too to have plausible deniability. This from a man who was vauntedly Ivy League educated (Brown) and spouted lines from the classics.
Disgraceful, disgusting and odious and frankly, there are not enough words in the book to describe each and every one of these people.
11
It has total precedence. Reggie Bush's parents took gifts at USC and the entire team was given the "Death Penalty".
Chris Webber took a couple of trinkets from a booster and all of the championships of the Fab 5 were vacated, and the banners still sit in a University of Michigan basement. Yet Sandusky is restored? For serial pedophilia?
Wow. People must really love football. And we call this a God fearing country? Lol.
Chris Webber took a couple of trinkets from a booster and all of the championships of the Fab 5 were vacated, and the banners still sit in a University of Michigan basement. Yet Sandusky is restored? For serial pedophilia?
Wow. People must really love football. And we call this a God fearing country? Lol.
1
The NCAA never had the authority or jurisdiction to discipline PSU in the first place.
9
So Paterno knowingly had a convicted felon help him achieve those wins ( or most of them ) and yet those wins are still valid?
Whatever good will Penn State had won back is now completely gone forever.
Whatever good will Penn State had won back is now completely gone forever.
16
Huh? None of the accusations were made until literally years after Sandusky was off the Penn State staff.
10
The criminal case and conviction didn't happen until after Sandusky had been off the staff for years--Paterno was dead before Sandusky was "a convicted felon".
I'm not claiming Penn State/Paterno handled the situation correctly, but we should stick to the facts.
I'm not claiming Penn State/Paterno handled the situation correctly, but we should stick to the facts.
7
Paterno had given the retired Sandusky an office and full access to the facilities even though Sandusky was no longer an employee.
Does absolutely nothing to diminish paterno's cowardly behavior when faced with the facts a decade before the public revelations, his gutlessness personifies the kind of behavior we have come to anticipate from those who speak loudly and do nothing in the face of truth and reality----remains a little man versus our heroes of single working mothers, firemen, and teachers, and hardly a role model for anything or anybody.
22
Disgusting Why should the school or Paterno have there standing reinstated when they willingly neglected heinous crimes against children. once again money and power allow the guilty to escape justice.
134
Spanier, Curley and Schultz are all facing trial for their willful neglect in this manner. Just how exactly does this equate to "escaping justice"?
Why? Because the idea of changing the outcome of past football games was wrong and illogical. Once a bell has been rung, you cannot unring it. The real punishment that was needed, a total ban on NCAA football operations at Penn State for several years, was not done. Vacating past wins was sound and fury that made the NCAA look weak. The NCAA was doing everything but what needed to be done, ban NCAA football at Penn State. That would allow a complete flushing of the system. Then you start fresh with a all new team of players and coaches.
What a farce! The N.C.A.A. is quickly approaching the NFL as America's most popular--and fraudulent--sport. Performance enhancing drugs, brain injuries, and this child abuse!
Congress needs to investigate now!
Congress needs to investigate now!
8
As with many penalties given to NFL players who commit crimes, the strategy is to make a big outraged fuss, to show how they care, and then when the heat dies down a bit, reduce or undo the sanctions. Whenever we see the NCAA or NFL administer harsh penalties, look more closely: they are winking at us, we who are complicit, reminding us that our corny rah rah ($$$$$) values really do and will rule the day.
25
Completely agree. Once again, football trumps morality.
15
No. Money trumps morality. And money exerts its corrosive effects on many aspects of our society. Not just football.
7
This reader needs lots of explanation. There are several things I don't understand. Isn't a consent decree a voluntary agreement. How is a consent decree the basis for a civil suite? How do the state senator have standing? What constitutes "undue leverage"? One might think there was a wink and nod in the penalties.
4
A consent decree is like a guilty plea. It is entered into to prevent heavier penalties being inflicted at the end of an adversarial trial. It has the force of law just like the result of a trial.
2
E-mails from the NCAA surfaced through the discovery process showed that the NCAA knew that it might not have authority to act, but in another e-mail, declared that PSU was so embarrassed that the Board could be bluffed. They suggested using the threat of the "death penalty," which they knew they might not have the right to enact to get the Board to agree to sanctions.
1
This is an embarrassment.
The guy was in charge when the greatest scandal in the history of college football occurred. He was complicit - not just someone who could claim plausible deniability.
To reinstate his victories is to spit in the faces of the victims of these horrendous crimes. The original sanctions were a weak attempt at justice, and this action by the NCAA is a blatant attempt to cover up a once-beloved coach's tarnished reputation.
Lucky for Paterno his players didn't sell their own gear for tattoos, otherwise he might have never gotten those wins back.
We have long known the NCAA is a joke. But I can't imagine the victims are laughing right now.
The guy was in charge when the greatest scandal in the history of college football occurred. He was complicit - not just someone who could claim plausible deniability.
To reinstate his victories is to spit in the faces of the victims of these horrendous crimes. The original sanctions were a weak attempt at justice, and this action by the NCAA is a blatant attempt to cover up a once-beloved coach's tarnished reputation.
Lucky for Paterno his players didn't sell their own gear for tattoos, otherwise he might have never gotten those wins back.
We have long known the NCAA is a joke. But I can't imagine the victims are laughing right now.
145
DS, treat Paterno as a bank manager, who was indeed complicit in helping his pet underling act as child predator. We fire the evil man, we remove his portrait from bank walls, and if he lives, we try, convict, sue.
But d we make the bank's employees lose tenure and merit points? Nope. Do we tell the bank to erase the abettor's good deals? Nope.
Now, in Paterno's case, his accomplishments are history, like the bank-managers. His workers deserve fame for their records, like the bank's employees. His infamy? That is history. His punishment? He escaped before trial. And that is, as they say, that.
We must accept the god with the bad.
But d we make the bank's employees lose tenure and merit points? Nope. Do we tell the bank to erase the abettor's good deals? Nope.
Now, in Paterno's case, his accomplishments are history, like the bank-managers. His workers deserve fame for their records, like the bank's employees. His infamy? That is history. His punishment? He escaped before trial. And that is, as they say, that.
We must accept the god with the bad.
1
I don't know what you do for a living, but in my field of work (Medical Device Engineering), failure in reporting a compromise in quality standards can cause me to lose my job.
12
I guess that it's a god thing that Paterno reported this event to his superiors (the President of the University, the Chief of Police). Those people, who clearly failed to do their jobs, were summarily fired and are now facing trial.
What exactly is the value of a "win" in the record books? Especially when anyone can look up the score of a game?
And what relationship is there between the "wins" on the field and the abhorrent behavior of Sandusky?
I, for one, fail to understand any of the above. I also fail to see why NCAA is due a financial windfall, or why NCAA has any right to "sanctions".
And what relationship is there between the "wins" on the field and the abhorrent behavior of Sandusky?
I, for one, fail to understand any of the above. I also fail to see why NCAA is due a financial windfall, or why NCAA has any right to "sanctions".
18
This isn't clear to me either--the NCAA can't change history, or erase all accurate records of wins/losses. Who cares if they say the games don't "count"? Likewise, why would changing the win/loss record be considered a suitable punishment (assuming, of course, the NCAA believed they had the right and responsibility to hand down punishments)?
2
Joseph V. Paterno's record as the "winningest" coach was not achieved by Paterno alone. Paterno supervised various coaches who assisted him in gaining his "winningest" record, and prominent among those coaches was Gerald Sandusky.
Perhaps some people have willfully forgotten that Sandusky committed horrific child sexual abuse ON the Penn State premises. Sandusky remained ON the Penn State coaching staff and payroll for an entire decade after his sexual abuse of minors was reported to Paterno himself and over that decade his predations on minors continued unchecked.
It is an absolute disgrace that the entirely appropriate and necessary penalties inflicted for the recklessness shown by Penn State's "winningest" coach and other senior Penn State officials are being downgraded. The clear message based on the record of Paterno and of Penn State, and on the current dealmaking that numerous pedophile apologists are driving, is that child sexual abuse is nothing compared to "winning" and that "winners" must be honored and protected from legal accountability at the expense of their victims. That is a disgusting message, on every level, and if the NCAA restores Paterno's wins or in any other way lightens its penalties on Penn State it will be fully endorsing that message.
Perhaps some people have willfully forgotten that Sandusky committed horrific child sexual abuse ON the Penn State premises. Sandusky remained ON the Penn State coaching staff and payroll for an entire decade after his sexual abuse of minors was reported to Paterno himself and over that decade his predations on minors continued unchecked.
It is an absolute disgrace that the entirely appropriate and necessary penalties inflicted for the recklessness shown by Penn State's "winningest" coach and other senior Penn State officials are being downgraded. The clear message based on the record of Paterno and of Penn State, and on the current dealmaking that numerous pedophile apologists are driving, is that child sexual abuse is nothing compared to "winning" and that "winners" must be honored and protected from legal accountability at the expense of their victims. That is a disgusting message, on every level, and if the NCAA restores Paterno's wins or in any other way lightens its penalties on Penn State it will be fully endorsing that message.
317
You do realize that Sandusky was not on the staff for the period impacted by the vacated wins right? And Sandusky wasn't even on the staff when an incident was reported to Paterno. Sandusky was already retired at that time.
Not really trying to defend anyone here, but I think it is important to understand the facts of the case.
Not really trying to defend anyone here, but I think it is important to understand the facts of the case.
52
It's comments like these that really infuriate penn state alums, staff, students and fans. Your comment includes several inaccuracies including this entire statement 'Sandusky remained ON the Penn State coaching staff and payroll for an entire decade after his sexual abuse of minors was reported to Paterno himself'. At the time of the incident and report, Sandusky was not on the Penn State coaching staff, was not an an employee of the university and there was certainly no 'sexual abuse' reported to Paterno. A cursory review of the facts including what the grad assistant reported to Paterno should be sufficient for most neutral observers to understand the vagueness of the report and the appropriateness of Paterno's actions (reporting to his direct supervisor, the AD, and the head of campus operations which included the campus police). The recently published NCAA guidelines are consistent with exactly what Paterno did years ago. 60 years of exemplary conduct has been marred by a rush to judgement and the new age 'media' and consumer who neither have the patience nor the willingness to pursue the truth.
13
Your information is just plain wrong. Sandusky had been retired for years from the coaching staff when Paterno was informed of the allegations. But why let facts get in the way of tearing someone down?
7
A sad day for the NCAA for backing down. The university voluntarily entered into an agreement because of the apparently egregious behavior of campus staff and administrators that put children at risk, not to mention the enabling actions of alumni and fans. Where did the state senator have standing to sue for anything other than where the money is spent? The wins should not have been reinstated so that Joe “look the other way” Paterno is rewarded by being the winningest coach. He should have known what was happening in his locker room and taken action when it became clear that something was happening. I will never respect the man or that university again.
46
@GP
You said "...The university voluntarily entered into an agreement because of the apparently egregious behavior of campus staff and administrators that put children at risk, not to mention the enabling actions of alumni and fans."
Uh, no, not really. I expect that what you stated, in fact, is your opinion. It is NOT why the Penn State administration signed the agreement.
In plain words, the agreement was extorted. The NCAA basically said, "Penn State, here's what we, the NCAA, demand -- $60 million fine, no bowl games for 4 years, etc. If you sign the agreement you can rest assured that nothing worse can happen to you. If you contest our proposed actions, we may end up giving you the 'death penalty' and ..."
Rather than risk unknown future NCAA sanctions, the Penn State administration took what effectively was an extorted plea bargain. Actually, they were put in a position where they had no other choice; even if they wanted to disagree either with the sanctions or the allegations on which the sanctions were based, they could not take the risk. And, on the other hand, since the administration did not want a long, drawn-out legal fight, acceding to the penalties allowed them start taking positive steps -- which George Mitchell subsequently recognized.
You said "...The university voluntarily entered into an agreement because of the apparently egregious behavior of campus staff and administrators that put children at risk, not to mention the enabling actions of alumni and fans."
Uh, no, not really. I expect that what you stated, in fact, is your opinion. It is NOT why the Penn State administration signed the agreement.
In plain words, the agreement was extorted. The NCAA basically said, "Penn State, here's what we, the NCAA, demand -- $60 million fine, no bowl games for 4 years, etc. If you sign the agreement you can rest assured that nothing worse can happen to you. If you contest our proposed actions, we may end up giving you the 'death penalty' and ..."
Rather than risk unknown future NCAA sanctions, the Penn State administration took what effectively was an extorted plea bargain. Actually, they were put in a position where they had no other choice; even if they wanted to disagree either with the sanctions or the allegations on which the sanctions were based, they could not take the risk. And, on the other hand, since the administration did not want a long, drawn-out legal fight, acceding to the penalties allowed them start taking positive steps -- which George Mitchell subsequently recognized.
1
No use being upset with NCAA. Joe Paterno will forever be thought of the person who looked the other way , not as the winningest head coach. The legacy he only has himself to blame
83
Oh.man! Now I can plan my weekend entertainment: reading the anti-football and anti-"sport" (effete coastals always call it 'sport' instead of 'sports') comments by the effete Yankees.
Of course they will also add that they do not own televisions and that anyone who eats meat is a barbarian.
In the end, though, the NYT mods will never post this comment. Oh, well. Maybe I can go watch a tractor pull or wrestling this weekend.
Of course they will also add that they do not own televisions and that anyone who eats meat is a barbarian.
In the end, though, the NYT mods will never post this comment. Oh, well. Maybe I can go watch a tractor pull or wrestling this weekend.
1
I guess I qualify as an "effete Yankee." I am a meat eating and television watching "effete Yankee." I am not anti-football nor am I anti-sport (instead of sports). I do think the Penn State football program, Joe Paterno's legacy and Jerry Sandusky should suffer some form of punishment for the sexual abuse of CHILDREN at Penn State. This new deal is simply shameful.
23
Kevin Hill,
It might help to stuff the snark in your post. You don't seem to get the irony in your post.
Kids were harmed and continue to suffer irreparable harm - harm inflicted by Sandusky and allowed to fester by the whole rotten to the core system at PSU.
Signed,
red meat eating, TV owning, ESPN watching, sports watching PARENT.
ps you might just want to go watch the wresting on the tractor pull.
It might help to stuff the snark in your post. You don't seem to get the irony in your post.
Kids were harmed and continue to suffer irreparable harm - harm inflicted by Sandusky and allowed to fester by the whole rotten to the core system at PSU.
Signed,
red meat eating, TV owning, ESPN watching, sports watching PARENT.
ps you might just want to go watch the wresting on the tractor pull.
15
St. Joe who piously looked down his nose at other coaches as he claimed to be devoutly religious man had his longest and closest assistant raping little boys in the football team's showers. And when told by a graduate assistant that Sanduskey was raping a boy in Joe's locker room claims he "thought it was horseplay". What honest person could be told that any 2 people were having sex in your locker room and blow it off as horseplay? His dishonesty, his shameful efforts to hide and cover up what he knew was going on will always be his legacy. The people of Pennsylvanis can say they are proud of that. The rest of the country will look at St. Joe for what he was, a disgraced hypocrite.
A real victory would be prioritizing children's protection over athletic legacies.
68
What a joke! And a slap in the faces of each of the victims and their families.
State Jake Corman, Republican is a Penn State Alumnus. You Sir, should be ashamed of yourself. But you probably will not. So much for being a representative of the party of "family values."
Your asinine football team/game is more important to you than these little boys who were molested and raped and Mr. Sandusky was aided and abetted by many of the powers that be at Penn State.
A D.I.S.G.R.A.C.E. And as a parent, I am enraged by the fact that Paterno being named the winningest coach in college football is more important than these little boys.
Where are your hearts? and your heads?
State Jake Corman, Republican is a Penn State Alumnus. You Sir, should be ashamed of yourself. But you probably will not. So much for being a representative of the party of "family values."
Your asinine football team/game is more important to you than these little boys who were molested and raped and Mr. Sandusky was aided and abetted by many of the powers that be at Penn State.
A D.I.S.G.R.A.C.E. And as a parent, I am enraged by the fact that Paterno being named the winningest coach in college football is more important than these little boys.
Where are your hearts? and your heads?
233
Who says winning erases Paterno's guilt or complicity?
And why should sam X., tackle on a team, suffer for Paterno's deeply flawed personal decision? Why?
If it were my son (I have none), I'd have wept for his lost wins and smiled when his own achievements again were recognized. I smile over Dick Nixon's China opening even though I wanted that man in prison for the horrors of Watergate...
And why should sam X., tackle on a team, suffer for Paterno's deeply flawed personal decision? Why?
If it were my son (I have none), I'd have wept for his lost wins and smiled when his own achievements again were recognized. I smile over Dick Nixon's China opening even though I wanted that man in prison for the horrors of Watergate...
1
So Sam X's "lost wins" are more important than the lost childhoods and possibly lost adulthoods of these innocent victims. Weeping for lost wins. Nice!!
Truth is, there was not one weeping for and there were not enough tears for these poor little boys from just about anyone. It was a systemic failure at PSU and some family values toting PSU alum who happens to be a state senator has led this charge on behalf of PSU.
Wow! Just wow!
Truth is, there was not one weeping for and there were not enough tears for these poor little boys from just about anyone. It was a systemic failure at PSU and some family values toting PSU alum who happens to be a state senator has led this charge on behalf of PSU.
Wow! Just wow!
13
In a very dark, oxygen-free place.
But this has always been so when it comes to who won the game.
But this has always been so when it comes to who won the game.
Football knows no shame.
72
I guess we now know what is really important.
21
Finally, justice is served and recognition is give to what is most important. In the end one knew the NCAA would take the high road. There was no lack of "institutional contol" of the football program. It was all very well covered up, oops, I mean controlled.
11
How disgraceful. In the most important play of his life, Joe Paterno punted. He does not deserve honor.
218
I agree. What a creep this man was. Shameful that PSU students rioted when this pedophile facilitator was fired as coach.
5
Was this Roger Goodell's idea? Or was it Daniel Snyder? Go home NCAA, you are drunk.
7
Laughable.
9
I couldn't care less about the wins or any attempt to enhance the Paterno legacy, but good for the state senator and the State of Pennsylvania. The NCAA constantly exceeds its scope of authority and the people of Pennsylvania were being looted in the original "deal." It was the children of Pennsylvania who suffered at the hands of Sandusky, and any state money involved should go to protecting those children in the future.
15