Paterno was literally telling his players that they couldn't cooperate with judicial affairs or

or they would get kicked off the team
(This is another story about Paterno, and parts of it made my mouth drop open)

At Penn State, Joe Paterno was larger than life, even cast in bronze. His power and influence was so great, no one dared to confront, and certainly not defy, the legend, according to a former university official.

During her four years as the vice president for student affairs, Vicky Triponey challenged that power and lost. Triponey held direct oversight of the Office of Judicial Affairs, the disciplinary arm of the university. When football players ran afoul of school policy, Triponey said Paterno interfered with the discipline process.
<snip>
In April 2007 as many two dozen football players forced their way into a party at an off-campus apartment and assaulted several students at the party, including Britt's son, Jack, who was severely beaten. Six players faced criminal charges as a result of the brawl. In the end, many of the charges against the players were dismissed and two players pleaded guilty to misdemeanor offenses

.In the middle of the school's internal investigation, Triponey said Spanier ordered her to meet with Paterno. Triponey said she had repeatedly refused to discuss cases with Paterno because she didn't want to compromise her impartiality. "The coach was not happy with that," Triponey said, in a telephone interview with USA TODAY. "Many times he tried to insist upon a meeting with me, asked others to have meetings with me. Sent his wife (Sue) one time. In the middle of cases. This became a bone of contention."

"The coach was literally telling his players that they couldn't cooperate with judicial affairs or they would get kicked off the team. So we were going nowhere in getting to the bottom of things," Triponey said. "I said to the coach, 'This would be so much easier if you would tell your players just to tell the truth.' He was livid and the message to me was 'I can't do that. They have to play for me and I can't ask them to rat on each other.' The president also chimed in and said, 'Vicky, the coach is right. We can't expect the players to tell the truth.' So that's the environment that was underlying this whole debate about who's in charge."
<snip>
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/bigten/story/2011-11-22/11-22-11-Paterno-Discipline/51346682/1?csp=34sports

I knew he controlled a lot of things, but he was OUT OF CONTROL.
Nobody should have the power to tell football players that without consequences.

They need to shut down the program and really scour it. He still will wield a lot of power because he is in the area. Those who played for him will listen to him. That covers a lot of people in the FB program if not the university.

There are people at other schools who have too much influence. T. Boone Pickens at Oklahoma State is one. Bobby Lowder at Auburn is another.

This is insane.

football players.



TG

What was the need for Chancellors and Provosts and Presidents and Vice-Presidents when you had JoePa?

I'm sure a lot of corruption is going to be uncovered by the time everyone gets to the bottom of things.

And I think it will be journalists that uncover Penn State's secrets, not Louis Freeh (what a joke).

The Lady Lions basketball coach told her girls she'd kick them off the team if they were lesbian or associated with lesbians, and then took away scholarships from several girls she suspected of being gay. When people began fighting back against her, the university had a gay softball coach run diversity training, and required all coaches to attend. Good little Catholic Rene went running to Papa Joe for support, and he backed her up - the two of them showed up together 10 minutes before the training session ended.

Oddly, Hulu randomly lined this up for me one evening in early November when I was watching documentaries, and I remember thinking "wow, Joe is really a dick" (and I'm a Penn State alum who loved her 4 years in Happy Valley, and this thought had never entered my head). A few days later, everything exploded.

Watch the documentary "Training Rules" for free on Hulu.

How is Friend of Opus Day Louis Freeh is going to deal, mentally, with the task of finishing the demolition of a Prominent Super-Catholic like Paterno? Should be interesting.

Should be interesting.

I'm straight and I HATE basketball (too much exposure as a kid), but I still found it very interesting.

good football coach, but 'a great man'? Not so much...

:sarcasm:

transgressions by his players. Everyone still idolizes Norm Osborne, but after he let Lawrence Phillips play even though he dragged his girlfriend violently by the hair down three flights of stairs, beat her, and threatened to shoot her.

He said at the time he did not want to hurt Phillips' opportunity for going to the pros. Phillips of course continued his abusive ways and got into significant trouble with the law later.

Osborne a "saint" - hardly.

However, the scope of Paterno's Influence is astounding.

If somebody else is shown to have or have had this kind of power, they need to be smacked too.
I wonder how much power Bear Bryant and Adolph Rupp had. It was a lot, but was it this far?

In addition, I don't care what somebody else did or does in regards to Paterno, that is flat out no excuse! As I said, I would want ANY program or coach shut down.

Actually I would like to get big time college sports out of the colleges. They package up $3 to $5 M a year for the sports program at our local university. I would like to see the tuition reduced with those dollars for all students.

And now is back as NE's Athletic Director. He's a HERO!


:sarcasm:

seems to mean to some people. It trumps all of their other values.

What always amazes me is how quickly they turn on their own teams, coaches and players if the teams lose - like rabid dogs.

A lot of people should really get a life.

it is EXTREMELY disturbing

that a lot of people seem surprised that Joe Paterno acted like a big time football coach. I mean, that's what he was, correct? And it was probably not unknown to his higher ups that he acted like...a big time football coach. You don't get to be a big time football coach without acting like a big time football coach.

Of course, people ALWAYS seem surprised me when people who are very successful in a competitive field turn out not to be Mother Theresa. Hell, I doubt even Mother Theresa was Mother Theresa. You don't get known in your field without throwing a few punches and burying a few bodies, no matter how much people would like to believe otherwise.

it's impossible to be a "big time football coach" without having broken the law and condoned unconscionable acts?

:shrug:

And, btw, i don't think anyone was expecting him to be Mother Teresa..'

:eyes:

Did she enable child rapists and pedaphiles also?

nt

when people equate the actions of monsters like Paterno with "success".

Mr. KamaAina can!

Let his "boys" get away with nearly anything and even encouraged them to be destructive.

:eyes:

Says it all. Says a lot about our society, as well.

What a disgrace...

program that I can't imagine why anyone would want to continue honoring him.

Ass! :argh:

for decades - with his knowledge. and Curley, as in this email exchange, accepted that Paterno could do just that.

here's an email exchange from that time that's telling. (from the article, above)

Triponey said she was pressured by Spanier and athletics director Tim Curley to lessen the sanctions on football players. After meeting with Paterno and other officials in August 2005 to discuss Paterno's concerns, Triponey summarized Paterno's attitude toward student discipline in an e-mail to Curley and others.

Triponey kept records of all such correspondence. She wrote that Paterno wanted discipline to be left to the coach; that he believed the school's code of conduct should not apply to any events that take place off campus and that those incidents should be handled by the police and not affect a student's status; that the program should be closer to the bottom of the Big Ten in addressing discipline matters; and that the school should not inform the public when football players are found responsible for committing serious acts of violence.

Curley's response to her, via e-mail: "I think your summary is accurate." Curley, through a spokesperson, declined an interview request.

Triponey said she also received enormous pressure in a 2005 case involving standout linebacker Dan Connor, who was accused of making harassing calls to retired assistant coach Joe Sarra. One night after a football game, Triponey said Spanier and Curley came to her house because Paterno told Spanier that he had to make a choice between his vice president of student affairs and his football coach. According to Triponey, Spanier said that if he ever had to make that decision, he would side with his vice president.

except, that's not what happened. Triponey was forced to resign.

Why, on this very board we had people claiming he wasn't important and was really the victim in this whole ordeal.

Perhaps a few more people can make posts about how awesome playing football was in high school to set us straight.

because it is a seriously deranged sort of organization that allows a pedophile to continue to target children in order to shield their reputations.

...and an additional 4 year bowl-ban.

But this shit is classic dog bites man.

It's common knowledge that coaches and boosters turn a blind eye to players running wild off the field and sometimes even try to shield them from consequences when they break the law. The fact that nobody gave a shit about this four year old story until now is evidence of that.

After the initial flap over the Jena Six died down, subsequent reporting on it showed that many people in Jena had made excuses for Mychel Bell's violent behavior because he was such a talented athlete.

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/01/the-truth-about-jena/6580/#