Joe Paterno's role in covering up Jerry Sandusky's child molestations grows as evidence is leaked
Source: Yahoo
The Penn State administration had finally hatched a plan. It was too kind, backward and included possibly tampering with a criminal investigation. Still, it was enough of a plan that it could've stopped Jerry Sandusky, child molester, back in 2001.
Just a couple weeks earlier, a football graduate assistant, Mike McQueary, had witnessed Sandusky abusing a boy in a Penn State locker room shower. He told coach Joe Paterno. He told vice president Gary Schultz and athletic director Tim Curley. He could've been more specific. He was clearly specific enough, however, to get their attention.
Schultz plotted out a course of action, according to a bombshell report by CNN, citing an email exchange that's been uncovered in the school's independent investigation by former FBI chief Louis Freeh. The report could be released as early as next month.
According to CNN in an email dated Feb. 26, 2001, Schultz wrote to Curley about a three-part plan that included talking "with the subject asap regarding the future appropriate use of the University facility,"
"contacting the chair of the charitable organization" and "contacting the Department of Welfare."
Read more: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ncaaf--joe-paterno-role-jerry-sandusky-coverup-grows.html?fb_action_ids=3257196480540%2C3459299284386%2C10151098173369954&fb_action_types=news.reads&fb_ref=type%3Aread%2Cuser%3AoiSHkr_h0dK7H_rgtDXtJOl8b6g%2Ctype%3Aread%2Cuser%3AD-VxFPjSQngh4TvNIBRTjdT9Mrg%2Ctype%3Aread%2Cuser%3Azr3bfVBrxC7Z7QNM4icWH9fe6QI&fb_source=other_multiline&code=AQDfol-16DYWlVW_r-XFXc53HOjJ9Ow_OA9zR9riK49bVnMHltr9k8N_Fu3VMGvZ05SMTgiKZGgw2DpmDngZml9oR_RxzqNqUAUt2zfymu1p_P3ycHTScwdbqKMcj9UfM8UVucJqS8Nv8Enj_kwJGzCHmw3NmzAM8ghqSQxO7lISjUknX9mKdFPTxFi1ejAGWog#_=_
The **** has not even begun to hit the fan.
leveymg
(36,418 posts)What was their leverage?
I think there's another scandal wrapped up inside this one that protected Sandusky, that if it came out would have destroyed Penn State football and its coaching staff.
My gut tells me it has to do with:
cindyperry2010
(846 posts)i sadly have a vague suspicion of a pedophile ring around the second mile. hope i am wrong but would not be surprised. it is all disgusting and i said all along paterno had to know. there was no way he didn't sinced 1998 when the state police investigated the first time. wonder how long the all knew.
Nostradammit
(2,921 posts)I would imagine Sandusky must have had some very powerful leverage against some powerful people to stay out of prison for as long as he did.
Somehow I don't think a threat of exposing a gambling ring would do it, they were risking too much keeping him around.
sofa king
(10,857 posts)...Sandusky had 'em right where he wanted them. If he convinced them the first time that it was a misunderstanding, and they went to bat for him then, then they all became co-conspirators who had to protect Sandusky to evade prosecution themselves for collusion.
Sandusky seems to have been a master at interpersonal manipulation. Now, he's the anchor which shall drag all of them down. I give him less than 30 days to live once he's quietly circulated into the general population sometime next year, and the Commonwealth will hold up his hands and say, "oops, I guess it ends here."
Nostradammit
(2,921 posts)sofa king
(10,857 posts)I don't claim to know what's going on, but I've learned to prick my ears up whenever leveymg has a hunch.
Personally, I think absolutely everything Sandusky was doing had the ulterior motive of getting him closer to the kids. If there's a gambling scandal here, I think he maneuvered the circumstances of that to enable him to commit his still more heinous crimes.
Frank Cannon
(7,570 posts)I hope the authorities are looking into the lives of the high-level donors to that bullshit "charity", which shut its doors almost immediately after Sandusky was busted.
Tom Ripley
(4,945 posts)krkaufman
(13,438 posts)There needn't be any other leverage beyond everyone involved in the coverup trying to protect their own jobs, their reputations, and the reputation of the Penn State football program and university. As the article suggests, Paterno's career was in question at the time, 2001, and public revelation of Sandusky's misdeeds would likely have been enough to end Paterno's career -- though, in the end, perhaps with more remaining of his legacy than will now likely survive, if the implications in the emails prove true.
Also, as the article states...
Given that Paterno is dead, we may never truly know his complicity, and I'm not sure how much stock I'll put in the testimony of the remaining conspirators.
yardwork
(61,715 posts)No further conspiracy required. The fact is that pedophiles are rarely busted by the adults around them, even though those other adults have reasons to know what is happening.
What we're seeing is something that survivors of childhood sexual abuse already know. Society protects and enables the abusers most of the time.
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)Paterno knowing Sandusky for over 30+ years, and he couldn't bring himself to turn in an old friend...
Add that to the fact that no one at PSU wanted a scandal, especially given their "clean" reputation, so everyone closed their eyes and covered their ears...
calimary
(81,527 posts)I'll never understand that one. Fucking FOOTBALL?????? We set all morals, ethics, and even LAWS aside, for the sake of fucking FOOTBALL.
DrDan
(20,411 posts)calimary
(81,527 posts)I still have never figured out the appeal of football. Money or no.
rug
(82,333 posts)The play by play was gripping.
NJCher
(35,761 posts)And this article was also excellent.
Cher
richmwill
(1,326 posts)I was slammed by some people for saying that he was an enabler. But I guess enabling and turning a blind eye to Sandusky's criminal acts was ok, because he was a good football coach. Right?
leveymg
(36,418 posts)Sedona
(3,769 posts)& hanging with Kenny (Boy) Lay in Paraguay
Stargazer09
(2,132 posts)The **** has not even begun to hit the fan.
The article really showed that some people will go to horrific lengths to keep their careers intact.
Basically, none of those men gave a damn about the boys being abused. They were only worried about their college and its football program.
Sickening.
Posteritatis
(18,807 posts)Journeyman
(15,042 posts)and the university hatched a plan that included "talking with the subject asap regarding the future appropriate use of the University facility."
I'm confused. Did Sandusky rape the child in the wrong room? Or did he forget to fill out the proper "preparing to rape a child" form?
Posteritatis
(18,807 posts)Not that that worked out terribly well in the end, but the clear tone of those emails is "we're talking about how to suppress this in a way that makes it as far from obvious as possible what we're suppressing."
If Paterno and company had actually mentioned what Sandusky did - or, hell, mentioned his name - in them, then that'd get in the way of their ability to pretend nothing happened.
rocktivity
(44,580 posts)rocktivity
krkaufman
(13,438 posts)Yeah, that was a pretty damning email passage.
Sadly, it comes across as fellow members of a paedo ring needing to have an intervention with a member who is just getting a little too bold, out-in-the-open with his activities.
These guys need to face some serious jail time.
AngryAmish
(25,704 posts)The Jungle 1
(4,552 posts)We as a society ignored all these sex crimes for years.
We are not there yet, but we are getting close.
IT IS NEVER WRONG TO QUESTION AUTHORITY. If you teach you children nothing else teach then that.
Vanje
(9,766 posts)Its almost as if its not a crime if an important man abuses "unimportant" children.
"Funny Uncle"
Not very funny , really.
Crowman1979
(3,844 posts)Crowman1979
(3,844 posts)...the rug.
rateyes
(17,438 posts)Skittles
(153,212 posts)the knowledge that his days of being worshiped were over
Princess Turandot
(4,787 posts)Per the CNN article (http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/30/justice/penn-state-emails/index.html)
"The only downside for us is if the message (to Sandusky) isn't 'heard' and acted upon, and we then become vulnerable for not having reported it," Spanier purportedly wrote.
"But that can be assessed down the down the road. The approach you outline is humane and a reasonable way to proceed," he adds.
'Humane' - to Sandusky, not future victims. The 'downside'? Their legal culpability, not future victims.
These children were worthless to them, apparently.
If the email descriptions are accurate, Spanier should be indicted as the other two uni admins were for failure to report Sandusky and lying to the GJ.
The NYT has a similar story: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/01/sports/ncaafootball/paterno-may-have-influenced-decision-not-to-report-sandusky-e-mails-indicate.html?pagewanted=all
melissaf
(379 posts)to me. I mean, it's not like Sandusky was caught shoplifting a pack of Lifesavers...
I think Spanier should definitely be thrown in with the rest of the pack, for criminal behavior and brutal stupidity (or stupid brutality, take your pick).
krkaufman
(13,438 posts)Those emails are gonna cost Penn State a load of money. (aside from hopefully putting at least those 3 guys in prison)
yardwork
(61,715 posts)Republicans - and don't forget these are all Republicans, very powerful Republicans closely connected to state and federal party leaders - are always talking about "family values" and "think of the children."
We see how that worked in practice at Penn State.
Punkingal
(9,522 posts)He is a marriage and family counselor for pete's sake, and he cared nothing for the kids.
RainDog
(28,784 posts)according to this email included in the OP link:
Paterno was directly responsible for making it possible for Sandusky to abuse more children - but all the other adults were complicit, as well, for not ignoring Paterno.
But Paterno was the one who made the request to stop direct action to deal with the situation. What a winner.
krkaufman
(13,438 posts)No, it doesn't demonstrate that Paterno was "directly responsible" for making it possible for the abuse to continue. The email quote certainly raises the possibility that Paterno blunted their response -- but that conclusion would require knowing exactly what Curley discussed with Paterno, and that isn't clear.
Unfortunately, with Paterno dead and that conversation likely not having been documented, we'll likely never know with any certainty what was said. Will Curley tell the truth, will he fall on his sword and protect Paterno, or will he say that the escalating the issue to authorities was blocked by Paterno. He could testify any number of ways, but unless there was a third person present during their conversation, or it was recorded/documented at the time, we'll be stuck with whatever Curley, a known conspirator in the coverup, tells us.
RainDog
(28,784 posts)Paterno knew, no matter what he and Curley discussed, as Paterno himself admitted. So, you're trying to claim that Curley would've broken the law and Paterno would've gone along with it?
Cause remember - Paterno himself admitted he had been informed of the abuse. You're trying to pretend that Paterno would've never thought to mention this to Sandusky or wonder why the guy was not getting medical help after the email exchange noted here? For a problem that would've undermined the entire Penn State program that Paterno built?
I cannot believe the lengths some will go to to try to pretend Paterno was not aware of the abuse.
Sandusky, who played and coached under Paterno for more than 30 years prior to his retirement in 1999, remained a regular on Penn State's campus until his arrest on a multitude of sexual abuse charges last month.
Sandusky had been implicated as a possible sex offender as early as 1998, when university police were involved in an investigation following "allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior involving Sandusky and young boys in the football showers." At least two detectives in that case reportedly heard Sandusky admit to showering with a boy on two different occasions, once to the boy's mother and once in an interview with the state's child welfare agency, but the case was closed after the county district attorney (now deceased) declined to prosecute. Schultz told the grand jury he was aware of the investigation that Penn State police had produced a 95-page report.
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/joe-paterno-told-a-grand-jury-he-knew-inappropriate-action-was-taken-by-jerry-sandusky-with-a-youngster-in-2002?urn=ncaaf,wp11597
The entire Penn State football program is an embarrassment.
An asst. coach didn't want to interfere with someone's weekend to say... oh, Sandusky is fucking children in the showers. The deference to authority is disgusting. The attempt to put the program over children's lives is repulsive.
It reminds so much of the Catholic Church - honestly - and reminds me what is wrong with both institutions.
Adenoid_Hynkel
(14,093 posts)and remove any other honors bestowed on the old prick
rocktivity
(44,580 posts)rocktivity
waddirum
(979 posts)Thou shalt not make any graven images.
But like all of the others, this one has an asterisk which allows it if done by the "good guys".
Historic NY
(37,454 posts)wonder if they will go further in the courts.
Lugnut
(9,791 posts)I'm waiting to see how and when Tom Corbett gets fried for his role in the cover-up. He was the PA AG at the time and he assigned ONE state trooper to the case.
Yeah, hard to see him not catching some heat, at some point.
Hope he's not stupid enough to try to stall any current investigations.
kickysnana
(3,908 posts)alp227
(32,064 posts)Nostradammit
(2,921 posts)blue neen
(12,334 posts)It seems like way more than a coincidence that Gricar disappeared when he did.
Cosmocat
(14,575 posts)they went and have him killed?
Because?
These morons are guilty of doing, literally, nothing.
But, sure, it is easy to see how someone who never knew who Ray Gricar was solved the case after all these years.
A man who was a week past having successfully prosecuting the biggest heroin ring in his county, who prosecuted and investigated murders, hard criminals, actual organized crime, it is the obvious conclusion that egg headed academics had him killed when he wasn't even investigating them.
This outside of the fact that almost 9 years to the day, his brother killed himself in a similar manner to how Gricar disappeared.
blue neen
(12,334 posts)There are many possibilities here...and, IMHO, they should all be considered.
I don't know what happened to Mr. Gricar but believe it would be good for everyone TO know...especially his family.
So, that goes back to the original question: "will we ever know the truth?"
Cosmocat
(14,575 posts)You strongly suggested that this was the reason for his disappearance, without even knowing the time line.
Well, yeah, it would be "good to know."
But, this has been a mystery people have been trying to solves for a LONG time before last fall when the Sandusky situation came to light.
What is sad for the family, is people who never heard of Gricar thinking they broke the case when they found out about Sandusky.
Of the 1,000s of possibilities, that it had ANYTHING to do with Sandusky/PSU is pretty much the last possibility.
blue neen
(12,334 posts)You are entitled to your opinion, as am I. Thank God we live in a country that allows for differing opinions!
We are also entitled to ask questions before, during, and after investigations.
I didn't first hear about Ray Gricar in November. You seem to have made up your mind about what happened, which is fine. I have not, which is also fine.
adigal
(7,581 posts)Teach everyone that athletics are not above the law.
jonthebru
(1,034 posts)The law requires anyone who is responsible for children to report any indications or knowledge of abuse to authorities. Its hard to believe that coaches and other athletic staff were left out of the law, at least in some states. Now, California and probably other states have added those people to the law.
If the "Department Of Welfare" people had been correctly notified the situation would have ended. The right ethical person was never informed.
Unfortunately George Orwell had it right. "All people were created equal, but some are more equal than others."
tularetom
(23,664 posts)You can pretty much bet that all things sleazy and slimy will be covered up and/or denied. The only reason they hired that asshole is that they knew he was a whore who would do what they told him as long as they paid him.