Heads need to roll at Penn State.
Jerry Sandusky, alleged serial child rapist, in an undated photo from AP.
This story disturbs me so much that it bothers me to inflict it on others by sharing it. I’m too pissed off to write about it, but fortunately, Yahoo! sports reporter Dan Wetzel did such a good job that I only need repost highlights of his article and say, This.
At approximately 9:30 p.m. on March 1, 2002, a Penn State graduate assistant entered what should have been an empty football locker room. He was surprised to hear the showers running and noises he thought sounded like sexual activity, according to a Pennsylvania grand jury “finding of fact” released Saturday.
When he looked in the shower he saw what he estimated to be a 10-year-old boy, hands pressed up against the wall, “being subjected to anal intercourse,” by Jerry Sandusky, then 58 and Penn State’s former defensive coordinator. The grad assistant said both the boy and the coach saw him before he fled to his office where, distraught and stunned, the grad assistant telephoned his father, who instructed his son to flee the building.
The entirely inadequate response of the entire Penn State athletic organization to this rape within their premises makes them accessories not only to this crime, but every other rape committed by this horrible monster they sheltered.
“This is a case about a sexual predator who used his position within the university and community to repeatedly prey on young boys,” attorney general Linda Kelly said. “It is also a case about high-ranking university officials who allegedly failed to report the sexual assault of a young boy after the information was brought to their attention, and later made false statements to a grand jury that was investigating a series of assaults on young boys.”
It is actually even more than that, a stomach-turning 23-page grand jury report that could be the ugliest scandal in the history of college athletics.
The failure of Penn State officials to call in the proper authorities potentially allowed the alleged sexual predator to live free for an additional nine-and-a-half years.
I just have no words. What other crimes has the Penn State athletic department covered up in this fashion over the years? I have a feeling we’ll be hearing from more victims in the coming days. The entire athletic department budget needs to be redirected to a victims’ compensation fund.
That last sentence is one of the best ideas I have ever heard regarding such matters.
This happens alot and not to my surprise, moreso with White males and children. People are not paying attention or they just do not care. I am not saying there are no AA pedophiles, I am saying statistically speaking White males are at a whopping 97.5%; especially with their daughters. Mothers step up and pay attention; grow a backbone.
thank you. would you like to collaborate on a project? Are you a writer?
any writers out there? have a great story for you re: abuse.
I know of one previous crime – her name was Rene Portland and she was the much celebrated head coach of Penn State’s women’s basketball team for years. After they finally got rid of her, a documentary titled “Training Rules” was produced telling the story of her homophobia and how it had affected her players for years. The entire athletic department knew for a long time and did nothing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPkO-fEIHKY
I guess they figured if the Catholic Church could get away with it for decades, no reason PSU couldn’t. /sarcasm
I’m stunned people in this day and age still believe they can just tell a pedophile to “stop doing that” and it will actually work. I worked for PSU from 1999-2001 and have great respect for Coach Paterno, or at least I did until hearing about this. Hard to believe he would let this slide and not make sure that scumbag went to prison.
I’ve been told I’m being way too judgmental because I felt it was horrible that the grad assistant and the janitor both left the child in the midst of being raped. In fact, my whole FB post on this has 2 people tag teaming me about my hypocrisy in not understanding the trauma these people probably went through. No one is giving one thought about the trauma to the child. Except me, but I’m a terrible person.
Paterno, when he found out, notified the Penn State athletic director, Tim Curley, who also alerted the VP of finance and business, Gary Schultz. They in turn alerted Graham Spanier, who has denied knowledge of the sexual nature of the abuse. Paterno didn’t drop the ball, but he didn’t contact police, either. As a lifelong PSU fan, it’s sickening and I sincerely hope they will be repercussions for Curley, Schultz & Spanier.
Someone on Twitter shared this website with information for men who experienced sexual abuse as a child. Pass it along. http://1in6.org/
At the risk of sounding somewhat shallow, let me say that as sad and horrific as this criminal cover up seems to be, the revelation of this news may also represent a bit of K.A.R.M.A. for the Penn State Nittany Lions.
Not to take away in any way from the seriousness of these allegations against the former assistant football coach, let me just say this. For many years, the Powers That Be at Penn State have literally propped up Head Football Coach Joe Paterno when they knew he was well past his season to coach anything–not even little league football. Why did they do this? My guess is that they kept Paterno in the game so that he could break a record that is not likely to ever be broken again–a record held by a black man, Gramling University’s Eddie Robinson who up until last week was the winningest football coach in Division I football. IMO, the Powers That Be at Penn State must have whispered among themselves many times and over many years the following statement: “Now we can’t let a black man hold on to that record forever, now can we? Let’s keep JoePa in the game a little longer.” The fact is Penn State could have and perhaps should have respectfully “retired” Paterno years ago when the college’s winning record plunged to an all time low for three or four seasons in a row. Afterall, this is what most competitive college football programs do. Why should Penn State be any different?
So again you might ask, why is this KARMA? Well, the revelation of this cover up is KARMA because it is cosmic payback to the Powers That Be who LOOKED THE OTHER WAY at Paterno’s ineffectiveness and kept him in the game just as they LOOKED THE OTHER WAY (Paterno included) when they knew they harbored a suspected child abuser(assistant coach Jerry Sandusky)in their coaching ranks and then tragically allowed this deplorable man to leave the University unsmeared and assume–of all things– leadership over an organization designed to help at risk boys. So in simplier words: The KARMA for Penn State is that they finally got caught in their own hypocrisy.
Ironically today, Paterno’s expression of “shock” over the allegation against his former coach sounds just a little bit condescending to me. Despite looking the other way, Paterno will likely keep his well earned title as the winningest coach ever, and the Penn State officials charged in the child abuse coverup may very well get off scot free. Nevertheless, Penn State’s “clean record” will forever be tarnished, regardless of the outcome of this tragic abuse case. Sadly for those young abused boys, KARMA’s payback to Penn State may have just been a little late coming.
I could agree with every single thing you say in this comment, with the exception of the idea that there is racism involved in their wanting Paterno to get the record is over the top and has no evidence to support such a thing. I have worked here for 12 years and have never, ever, ever, ever seen any evidence of racism as you are characterizing it. Why does it have to be racism and not just hubris in wanting that record for Paterno? If you have evidence of that, produce it.
That said, I am heartsick about this. I want the whole administration to go. They knew about this and cared more about their own positions and salaries than about children being raped. Disgusting.
Wow. I have never done this… You are a complete idiot. A FUCKING MORON. Your grasp on reality is so thin and your knowledge of the real truth is staggeringly tiny.
Paterno was kept on, against the ‘wishes’ of many involved because he could win some games from time to time and he put asses in seats. And donors donating.
The thought that anyone was upset about ‘a black man’ having a record is ridiculous beyond mention. No one gives a shit about the color of a winner. They just care that he wins.
I’ve always had a positive opinion of Joe Paterno, until this. I’m disgusted with everyone’s (in)actions, and saddened and disappointed by his. I’ll see your “heads need to roll” and raise it to “asses need to be prosecuted.”
I am sucked out of breath by news outlets calling this a “scandal”. Pardon me if I say this isn’t a scandal. This is several young boys’ lives possibly ruined when they needed help the most. And precious little discussion about them. This is why I have become increasingly uncomfortable with the fact that thousands of grown ass adults make their daily livelihood dissecting glorifying and obsessing on an academic extracurricular activity for 18-22 year old young men. And we are surprised when people dress up like silver cowboys, trade touchdowns for tattoos, and make a phone call rather than a pancake block when they allegedly witness a child being abused.
I am with ruemara. That grad assistant is now the Receivers Coach at Penn State. She is not wrong to point out he sold out a child to save his job and prospects too.
I’m with Ruemara too — what kind of person would see that going on and not stop it? Or at least call the freaking cops?
@ MelBivDevoe, I disagree about Paterno’s culpability. He should have called the cops too or at least made damn sure someone else did. The whole sorry lot of them should resign in disgrace.
Disgusting. And sad. Very sad. In the grad student’s defense, he probably didn’t know what to do – he should have beat the dickens out of the perpetrator – but, being young I suppose he telephoned his father and asked him what to do. Father being freaked out, didn’t want son killed or injured and told him to hi-tail it out of there. The whole thing is just horrible.
How did our society get so warped that we don’t know how to respond to obvious evil? I went to a benefit, where women were defending roman polanski and the rape of that 14 year old girl; I felt like asking them how they would feel if it were there 14 year old daughter getting anally raped. A columbia college professor was having sex with his 20 plus daughter and people were arguing that it was ok because she was over the age of 18. Sure, like she won’t be warped for life because her horny father took advantage of her love and dependence on him.
What the dickens is going on with America?
I know that the kids were in foster care, but were they Black?