Joe Paterno Dead at 85

It's slightly unfair to make Joe Paterno the face of those being responsible for mishandling Sandusky's child abuse.

Really... all higher ups, including Paterno, should be blamed and fired. If this incident happened to a local government branch, there would be heads rolling. Penn State is a public university, and Americans should be mad as hell that their tax dollars are going to such shoddy school management.

@eugenesaxe said:

@Sooty said:

College football lost him when he decided to abuse children.

Absolute and total ignorance. Find one person who says he touched anyone, we'll wait while you wallow in your own stupidity.

Uhm, during the scandal there was plenty of controversy about his involvement and whether he knew about what was happening in some form. Having your name involved in some way, in something like that is going to be extremely image damaging.

It's slightly unfair to make Joe Paterno the face of those being responsible for mishandling Sandusky's child abuse.

Really... all higher ups, including Paterno, should be blamed and fired. If this incident happened to a local government branch, there would be heads rolling. Penn State is a public university, and Americans should be mad as hell that their tax dollars are going to such shoddy school management.

It's funny you don't see this kind of heated argument and damning of the Catholic church even though they're done far worse to kids and actively, to this day, try to hide and protect child abusers.

The managing editor of Onward State (the source that first reported his passing) has stepped down.

http://onwardstate.com/2012/01/21/a-letter-from-the-managing-editor-of-onward-state/

Uh he's not dead.... It was just a misprint by CBS Sports....

Joe Paterno not dead

So let me repeat that. HE'S NOT DEAD

Coming from a life long Penn State fan, good riddance. Joe Pa and PSU's football program were dead to me when the extent of his inaction became known in the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse case.

@Sooty said:

@Claude said:

@Sooty said:

College football lost him when he decided to abuse children.

He didn't do anything to children. Don't be silly.

A lot of people thought he was in on it though which is enough to kill your legacy.

Guilty before proven innocent, eh?

OLD MAN WHO KNEW KIDS WERE GETTING FUCKED BY ASSISTANT DIES, MAYBE, NOT YET, BUT SOON!!! MORE NEWS AT 11!!!

Some of you people think Paterno abused children?

There's not a single report that says he ever laid a hand on a child.

Paterno dedicated his entire life to the betterment of young men.

To those of you that think it was Joe Paterno that abused those boys, I suggest you look up Jerry Sandusky.

McQuery witnessed Sandusky abusing a young child. McQuery told Paterno about it. Paterno then told his superiors(the University President and the Athletic Director).

He did what he was supposed to do. The only reason he's getting crap is that his superiors didn't do anything about it. So people think Joe Paterno should have told more people about it instead of just the two people he was legally required to tell.

who had him in their death list this year?

@Commando: yes because I know when I see someone abusing young boys in the showers I go to the people above me

and not, you know, the police

Well if he isn't dead yet I am willing to assume that he is close to his way out. Kind of sucks that he has to die with that whole molestation scandle surrounding his entire career.

@baconbits33

@Claude said:

@baconbits33: I've been told things and seen things that I didn't act on. Sometimes you make decisions and you have to live with them.

So have I, but I as a human being try to do the right thing and accept my consequences, which he did and he earned a bit of respect from me for that. However I must say that it is inexcusable what he did, he fucked up, and he paid for his crime.

Doesn't mean I want him to rot, I'm sad that he has cancer, and he's nearing the end of his life, I do hope he isn't remembered for this scandal, it wouldn't be fit for him.

He didnt commit a crime

@Animasta said:

@Commando: yes because I know when I see someone abusing young boys in the showers I go to the people above me

and not, you know, the police

Well then get mad at McQueary because he's the one that saw it and reported it to Paterno. Paterno never saw it.

@august said:

@Dagbiker said:

@baconbits33

@Claude said:

@baconbits33: I've been told things and seen things that I didn't act on. Sometimes you make decisions and you have to live with them.

So have I, but I as a human being try to do the right thing and accept my consequences, which he did and he earned a bit of respect from me for that. However I must say that it is inexcusable what he did, he fucked up, and he paid for his crime.

Doesn't mean I want him to rot, I'm sad that he has cancer, and he's nearing the end of his life, I do hope he isn't remembered for this scandal, it wouldn't be fit for him.

He didnt commit a crime

Depending on the extent of his knowledge and what actions he did or did not take (which I don't expect to come out fully until the trial) he very well may have committed a crime.

Nope. The Penn State police department came out and said he did everything he was legally supposed to do.

He completed his legal obligation, but maybe not his moral obligation.

@Dagbiker said:

@baconbits33

@Claude said:

@baconbits33: I've been told things and seen things that I didn't act on. Sometimes you make decisions and you have to live with them.

So have I, but I as a human being try to do the right thing and accept my consequences, which he did and he earned a bit of respect from me for that. However I must say that it is inexcusable what he did, he fucked up, and he paid for his crime.

Doesn't mean I want him to rot, I'm sad that he has cancer, and he's nearing the end of his life, I do hope he isn't remembered for this scandal, it wouldn't be fit for him.

He didnt commit a crime

Depending on the extent of his knowledge and what actions he did or did not take (which I don't expect to come out fully until the trial) he very well may have committed a crime.

"I ain't dead yet, motherfucker." -- Richard Pryor Joe Paterno

Still kind of disappointing that we're in a world where news outlets will jump on a story about a person's death when they aren't even dead yet. I'm assuming they were hoping he would kick the bucket by the time they were finished with their piece? Gross.

@august said:

@Dagbiker said:

@baconbits33

@Claude said:

@baconbits33: I've been told things and seen things that I didn't act on. Sometimes you make decisions and you have to live with them.

So have I, but I as a human being try to do the right thing and accept my consequences, which he did and he earned a bit of respect from me for that. However I must say that it is inexcusable what he did, he fucked up, and he paid for his crime.

Doesn't mean I want him to rot, I'm sad that he has cancer, and he's nearing the end of his life, I do hope he isn't remembered for this scandal, it wouldn't be fit for him.

He didnt commit a crime

Depending on the extent of his knowledge and what actions he did or did not take (which I don't expect to come out fully until the trial) he very well may have committed a crime.

Nope. The Penn State police department came out and said he did everything he was legally supposed to do.

He completed his legal obligation, but maybe not his moral obligation.

Now the family is confirming his passing...

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7489238/joe-paterno-ex-penn-state-nittany-lions-coach-dies-85-2-month-cancer-fight

" With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more." quote from paterno.

yeah it takes hindsight to stop child abuse. what a creep.

It's very easy to sit behind your computer and write about how enraged you are that Joepa didn't do more to stop sandusky. He made a mistake by going to his superiors instead of going to the police with the story. Joepa was a great coach and a great human being who enriched the lives of a great deal of people. But I'm sure none of you have made a major mistake so please condemn him for this and don't look at the rest of the great things he did with his life.

@Tangerines said:

It's very easy to sit behind your computer and write about how enraged you are that Joepa didn't do more to stop sandusky. He made a mistake by going to his superiors instead of going to the police with the story. Joepa was a great coach and a great human being who enriched the lives of a great deal of people. But I'm sure none of you have made a major mistake so please condemn him for this and don't look at the rest of the great things he did with his life.

We've all made mistakes but Joe's mistake cost some children the chance of a normal life.

@Bam_D_Leprechaun said:

who had him in their death list this year?

You make a death list?

@Tangerines said:

It's very easy to sit behind your computer and write about how enraged you are that Joepa didn't do more to stop sandusky. He made a mistake by going to his superiors instead of going to the police with the story. Joepa was a great coach and a great human being who enriched the lives of a great deal of people. But I'm sure none of you have made a major mistake so please condemn him for this and don't look at the rest of the great things he did with his life.

He was a fucking football coach. He has probably made little difference in anyones' lives besides telling people where to stand while the talented players themselves would probably have whatever level of success regardless considering if they didn't have Joe they would still probably have a good enough coach and their own skills to guide them. He had a chance in his career to actually help save people from abuse and let them live normal lives, He didn't. If I was in his situation I would go out of my way to make sure that fucker never saw light again. Is he a great coach? Yes. Is he a good human being? No.

@Mikemcn said:

@Bam_D_Leprechaun said:

who had him in their death list this year?

You make a death list?

Yeah I was thinking the same thing.

But yeah it's official. He's dead now.

@CaptainCody said:

So an old man who abused children died of oldness. Cool story, bro.

God, you people don't even watch the news, do you?

@Subjugation said:

You're right, he didn't. However, if you have knowledge of another breaking the law and don't do anything about it, people become frustrated and rightly so. You aren't committing a crime, but you know what was going on and could have helped stop it. Paterno isn't a criminal, but he could have stopped one.

So he's Spiderman but when he got bit by the radioactive spider it gave him cancer instead of superpowers?

The Onion article on JoePa's death. Too soon?

http://www.theonion.com/articles/joe-paterno-dies-in-hospital-doctors-promise-to-te,27125/

I only pray that Joe Pa may ignore the cries of molested children in the kingdom of Heaven for all eternity. 

@Claude said:

@CaptainCody said:

So an old man who abused children died of oldness. Cool story, bro.

He did not abuse children. For fucks sake, dumb ass fucking people.

But, he knew about it and made no attempt to stop it. Which in my mind is just as bad.

@Claude said:

@CaptainCody said:

So an old man who abused children died of oldness. Cool story, bro.

He did not abuse children. For fucks sake, dumb ass fucking people.

But, he knew about it and made no attempt to stop it. Which in my mind is just as bad.

@Butler said:

@Subjugation said:

You're right, he didn't. However, if you have knowledge of another breaking the law and don't do anything about it, people become frustrated and rightly so. You aren't committing a crime, but you know what was going on and could have helped stop it. Paterno isn't a criminal, but he could have stopped one.

So he's Spiderman but when he got bit by the radioactive spider it gave him cancer instead of superpowers?

Scumbag spider - gives cancer instead of superpowers.

@Claude said:

@ozzy369123 said:

@Claude said:

@CaptainCody said:

So an old man who abused children died of oldness. Cool story, bro.

He did not abuse children. For fucks sake, dumb ass fucking people.

But, he knew about it and made no attempt to stop it. Which in my mind is just as bad.

RIP Joe Paterno.

No freaking kidding. The guy won countless awards for sportsmanship and achievement, not to mention being the only Division I-FBS coach to reach 400 wins (he had 409). He made Penn State football in my eyes. The guy was a fucking legend and did fantastic things for that school and NCAA football in general.

@CaptainCody said:

@Tangerines said:

It's very easy to sit behind your computer and write about how enraged you are that Joepa didn't do more to stop sandusky. He made a mistake by going to his superiors instead of going to the police with the story. Joepa was a great coach and a great human being who enriched the lives of a great deal of people. But I'm sure none of you have made a major mistake so please condemn him for this and don't look at the rest of the great things he did with his life.

He was a fucking football coach. He has probably made little difference in anyones' lives besides telling people where to stand while the talented players themselves would probably have whatever level of success regardless considering if they didn't have Joe they would still probably have a good enough coach and their own skills to guide them. He had a chance in his career to actually help save people from abuse and let them live normal lives, He didn't. If I was in his situation I would go out of my way to make sure that fucker never saw light again. Is he a great coach? Yes. Is he a good human being? No.

Your argument lost its validity when you had to insert the word "probably" so many times. I'm not saying he was a perfect human being I'm just saying that people should not be so critical of him. Just because he was "a fucking football coach" does not mean that he did not have a significant impact on his community. He made a mistake and owned up to it by saying he wished he had done more. But I'm sure that if you were in his position you would have been the great hero captain cody, slayer of sandusky.

@Tangerines said:

It's very easy to sit behind your computer and write about how enraged you are that Joepa didn't do more to stop sandusky. He made a mistake by going to his superiors instead of going to the police with the story. Joepa was a great coach and a great human being who enriched the lives of a great deal of people. But I'm sure none of you have made a major mistake so please condemn him for this and don't look at the rest of the great things he did with his life.

Hitler made the trains go on time and got Germany out of an economic quagmire.

GODWIN'D!

@Empirepaintball said:

@Claude said:

@ozzy369123 said:

@Claude said:

@CaptainCody said:

So an old man who abused children died of oldness. Cool story, bro.

He did not abuse children. For fucks sake, dumb ass fucking people.

But, he knew about it and made no attempt to stop it. Which in my mind is just as bad.

RIP Joe Paterno.

No freaking kidding. The guy won countless awards for sportsmanship and achievement, not to mention being the only Division I-FBS coach to reach 400 wins (he had 409). He made Penn State football in my eyes. The guy was a fucking legend and did fantastic things for that school and NCAA football in general.

That guy was pretty great despite the bad press that surrounded him towards the end of his life. Hell, I live in France and only have a small interest in football and still knew who he was. We should remember him for all the good things he did

good riddance to an enabler of child molestation!

@WickedCobra03 said:

Well if he isn't dead yet I am willing to assume that he is close to his way out. Kind of sucks that he has to die with that whole molestation scandle surrounding his entire career.

LOL! "Damn, it sucks that those fucking raped kids had to get raped and stain this beautiful man's career. Fuck those kids!"

Jesus Christ, some of you people are absolute morons.

There's one Gpa I wouldn't 69

@Dallas_Raines said:

@WickedCobra03 said:

Well if he isn't dead yet I am willing to assume that he is close to his way out. Kind of sucks that he has to die with that whole molestation scandle surrounding his entire career.

LOL! "Damn, it sucks that those fucking raped kids had to get raped and stain this beautiful man's career. Fuck those kids!"

Duder, woah! I am not saying that the kids in this don't matter, but as far as we know, he didn't actually do any of the molesting, even if he might have been involved in cover ups, now basically his entire career came down to the past few months. Like he has to be pissed that his entire career will now been more widely known for molestation scandals rather than his time as a football coach.

Wow people in here have no class, he didn't abuse children idiots.

@Empirepaintball said:

@Claude said:

@ozzy369123 said:

@Claude said:

@CaptainCody said:

So an old man who abused children died of oldness. Cool story, bro.

He did not abuse children. For fucks sake, dumb ass fucking people.

But, he knew about it and made no attempt to stop it. Which in my mind is just as bad.

RIP Joe Paterno.

No freaking kidding. The guy won countless awards for sportsmanship and achievement, not to mention being the only Division I-FBS coach to reach 400 wins (he had 409). He made Penn State football in my eyes. The guy was a fucking legend and did fantastic things for that school and NCAA football in general.

remember Woody Hayes? the guy that built Ohio State?

yeah, now he's famous for punching a kid in the throat during a game.

Paterno will be forever remembered for harboring and protecting a child molester. and that's the way it should be.

WHO FUCKING CARES HOW MANY FOOTBALL GAMES HE WON. HOW MANY CHILDREN WERE RAPED ON HIS WATCH?

@Unknown_Pleasures:

Hmm, I wonder who has less class overall...people who speak ill of the dead, or the people okay with dozens of kids getting raped. Seriously, though, you college football fans are pretty fucking nuts.

so pen state was like the vatacan and now there pope just bit the dust.

My lady felt bad she wasn't sad at all about his death. Too bad he had to get involved with touching the kids.

@Dallas_Raines: Seriously?....no one is okay with what happened dude its just a lot of people in this thread are being ignorant and disrespectful....what a lot of people in this thread seem to forget is the Paterno reported the incident to his superiors but they didn't take any action....if they followed up on Paterno's report and looked into Sandusky then they could have stopped it....its true that Paterno could have done more about it and he even owned up to that, but its not like he did nothing about it like several people in this thread are saying.....He's also done a lot of good for the university and for the players he coached, its just sad that the scandal is going to overshadow all the good he did.

@Dallas_Raines said:

@Unknown_Pleasures:

Hmm, I wonder who has less class overall...people who speak ill of the dead, or the people okay with dozens of kids getting raped. Seriously, though, you college football fans are pretty fucking nuts.

Obviously I'm not okay with kids getting sexually abused. Who the hell would be? I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that we're just saying that Joe Paterno did a lot of good for a lot of students and student-athletes. @Unknown_Pleasures said:

@Dallas_Raines: He's also done a lot of good for the university and for the players he coached, its just sad that the scandal is going to overshadow all the good he did.

This is exactly what I'm trying to say. This guy did so much good for the people who he coached.

@Dallas_Raines said:

@WickedCobra03 said:

Well if he isn't dead yet I am willing to assume that he is close to his way out. Kind of sucks that he has to die with that whole molestation scandle surrounding his entire career.

LOL! "Damn, it sucks that those fucking raped kids had to get raped and stain this beautiful man's career. Fuck those kids!"

That's not even close to what he said.

I'm not even a fan of college football, but I still don't think Paterno deserved all the shit he's gotten (in this thread, no less). He did make a mistake by not fullfilling his moral obligation, I won't deny that, but by no means does that make him an "enabler:.