Any man that would turn a blind eye to the rape and sexual molestation of a child deserves no accolades. In fact they deserve serious criminal punishment. Paterno got off easily considering that he's dead now. The fucker died a cushy death surrounded by his family and got away from all of this. His statue shouldn't be removed, it should first be publicly defaced and then melted down and sold for scrap. The "legacy" that this man sowed deserves no less. He's a vile human being and his memory and "legacy" deserve to be spat, pissed, and shit on. He might not have molested a child, but the simple fact that he turned a blind eye makes him just as guilty.
As for the University I hope that the people that just let it ride pay. Be they the Dean or anyone else, I hope they pay. If there is some justice in the world they will.
@JasonR86: Your argument carries no logic. How does the removal of the statue take away any blame from the University? They had a statue of a guy who turned away and put football ahead of the wellbeing of students and they shouldn't remove it because they weren't blameless???? One doesn't effect the other. If they're taking steps to rectify the situation don't you think it's pretty logical to get rid of a statue of the most visible person involved in the scandal?
@JasonR86: Your argument carries no logic. How does the removal of the statue take away any blame from the University? They had a statue of a guy who turned away and put football ahead of the wellbeing of students and they shouldn't remove it because they weren't blameless???? One doesn't effect the other. If they're taking steps to rectify the situation don't you think it's pretty logical to get rid of a statue of the most visible person involved in the scandal?
Am I the only person that has actually fucking read what he wrote? He's clearly stated a few times that he's okay with the statue being taken down.
@JasonR86: Your argument carries no logic. How does the removal of the statue take away any blame from the University? They had a statue of a guy who turned away and put football ahead of the wellbeing of students and they shouldn't remove it because they weren't blameless???? One doesn't effect the other. If they're taking steps to rectify the situation don't you think it's pretty logical to get rid of a statue of the most visible person involved in the scandal?
Am I the only person that has actually fucking read what he wrote? He's clearly stated a few times that he's okay with the statue being taken down.
I think like three people have. Thanks for being one of them.
@JasonR86: I agree that the blame goes beyond the football program. I think the heat is aimed at Paterno because he's not alive to tell us who was privy to this, so he makes an excellent scapegoat. The statue does deserve to get torn down; hell, that who school needs to be scrubbed clean, but that isn't going to happen.
From an outsider who has no real stake either way: It seems a lot of bad decisions where made because "they" put the football program ahead of other concerns. Punishments like this seem appropriate not only for that school but as a reminder to other NCAA school to not protect people who do these things.
@JasonR86: Your argument carries no logic. How does the removal of the statue take away any blame from the University? They had a statue of a guy who turned away and put football ahead of the wellbeing of students and they shouldn't remove it because they weren't blameless???? One doesn't effect the other. If they're taking steps to rectify the situation don't you think it's pretty logical to get rid of a statue of the most visible person involved in the scandal?
Am I the only person that has actually fucking read what he wrote? He's clearly stated a few times that he's okay with the statue being taken down.
Maybe you should read the entirety of his comment where he somehow equates the removal of the statue to the University claiming innocence in the whole affair.
@JasonR86: Your argument carries no logic. How does the removal of the statue take away any blame from the University? They had a statue of a guy who turned away and put football ahead of the wellbeing of students and they shouldn't remove it because they weren't blameless???? One doesn't effect the other. If they're taking steps to rectify the situation don't you think it's pretty logical to get rid of a statue of the most visible person involved in the scandal?
Am I the only person that has actually fucking read what he wrote? He's clearly stated a few times that he's okay with the statue being taken down.
Maybe you should read the entirety of his comment where he somehow equates the removal of the statue to the University claiming innocence in the whole affair.
Either you've misunderstood my meaning or I wrote what I meant poorly. Removing the statue serves as much a public statement as anything else. By removing the statue the school is making an attempt to demonize Paterno and the football program in the eyes of the public. It is a very public gesture. The statue symbolizes the crimes that took place. There is meaning behind the statue's removal. I'm fine with that. It doesn't deserve to be there. Paterno's actions, and the action of everyone associated with the football program, deserves to be demonized because they were truly horrendous. The problem I have is that the school, an entity that is as much to blame for allowing the rapes to occur as anything else, was the one who took that symbolic action. It is a way for the school to win favor back from the public as well as turn the attention away from the school and put it squarely on Paterno and the football program. That removal makes a statement; this statue that symbolizes a legacy and huge program is the culprit. That football program powerhouse was the problem. It's hypocritical. The part that bothers me the most is that people are buying it. Ask any person on the street to link a name to Sandusky and you'll get Paterno. These rapes have somehow turned into a football program problem and it is so, so much bigger than that.
@JasonR86: Of course removing the statue makes that statement but there is still nothing wrong with that. When ever anyone gets in trouble for anything the actions that they personally take to try and rectify the situation carry a lot more weight if their doing those actions of their own accord and not because a higher power is making them do it. It still doesn't change anything and the entire school still carries the dark cloud with them and I don't agree that this puts the blame solely on the football program but I also think the football program should carry the majority of the blame. The main problem with the University is the same problem that exists in every University in that they treat their football coaches like gods and pretty much give them free reign to do whatever they want. Whoever was involved in the cover up no matter if they were involved with the football program or not has been severely punished and is not associated with Penn State any longer. The University is doing the right thing by doing what every University should be doing and making sure they put academics front and center. It's unfair for us on the outside to just assume that every high level employee of the University knew what was going on and it's asinine to call them hypocrites and say things like they should tear down the University to facilitate healing. I don't have any problems with how their president is dealing with the situation.
@JasonR86: Of course removing the statue makes that statement but there is still nothing wrong with that. When ever anyone gets in trouble for anything the actions that they personally take to try and rectify the situation carry a lot more weight if their doing those actions of their own accord and not because a higher power is making them do it. It still doesn't change anything and the entire school still carries the dark cloud with them and I don't agree that this puts the blame solely on the football program but I also think the football program should carry the majority of the blame. The main problem with the University is the same problem that exists in every University in that they treat their football coaches like gods and pretty much give them free reign to do whatever they want. Whoever was involved in the cover up no matter if they were involved with the football program or not has been severely punished and is not associated with Penn State any longer. The University is doing the right thing by doing what every University should be doing and making sure they put academics front and center. It's unfair for us on the outside to just assume that every high level employee of the University knew what was going on and it's asinine to call them hypocrites and say things like they should tear down the University to facilitate healing. I don't have any problems with how their president is dealing with the situation.
They straight up stated by their actions that people higher up knew about the crimes by firing the old president and athletic director. It's naive to think that a man who worked in the football program, on the faculty, and ran a charity through the school ran under the radar and that only the football program staff had the wherewithal to notice. What people aren't getting is that Sandusky wasn't just a football guy and that this wasn't just a football problem. The University as a whole needs to pay. Just as academics should be left alone, as you stated, so should the student-athlete. Those students, whether their endeavors are one of knowledge or sports, were innocent. However, the people who knew, from the lowest staff member to the highest paid administrator, needs to have their names and faces raked through the coals as much as Paterno. Making Paterno the only scapegoat is crazy and unfair.
@JasonR86: The problem extends past this school, I would argue all division 1 schools have a similar problem in regard to the coaches, players and associated persons having too much power/too much praise. Here, in Nebraska, we have the same issue with players and coaches reaching beyond what they're there to do, and that is, teach, play and learn.
Though, seriously, if the NCAA meant a damn thing, I would have stated no NCAA-associated play, for any sport, for a decade. Let that sit in their damn craw and show as a real example to the rest of them.
I say tear down the statutes, remove his name from the buildings, erase his wins so he appears in no record books. And as for the athletes...this is the time where they show what the sport is about. Do they overcome and deal with not having post seasons for 4 years? Or do they bail because they don't think their peers can overcome. Either way, life is not fair and never has been. When you make a choice or a series of choices you live with the consequences. All the players now have to make a choice again and roll the dice about going or staying.
@JasonR86 Are you even reading what I write? I said that everyone associated with the scandal has been punished and removed from the school. Yes there were not football people who were aware of what was going on and they had been removed and they are in no way laying all the blame on Patero even though except for Sandusky he should take the lions share of the blame. He was the highly respected an trusted coach whose job it was to watch over the football program and put the students first. He was also the most visible member of the regime and the school needs to remove any trace of that regime if they want to move forward. I also fail to see Goethe student athletes are being attacked by the university in this situation.
@JasonR86: I agree that the blame goes beyond the football program. I think the heat is aimed at Paterno because he's not alive to tell us who was privy to this, so he makes an excellent scapegoat. The statue does deserve to get torn down; hell, that who school needs to be scrubbed clean, but that isn't going to happen.
I think this is at the root of what is going on right now, although a lot of people can't see past the football aspect of this. PSU fans are mad that the school hasn't fought any of this and on the surface is making football and Joe Paterno into the scapegoat, but that's probably exactly what the school wants. They want to isolate this as a football problem and not a systemic problem with the university. Behind the scenes, Penn State University has much bigger fish to fry and much bigger battles to fight against much stronger entities than the NCAA who have the power to levy penalties that make the NCAA sanctions look like a parking ticket. To those entities, PSU is going to want to say "It's a football problem and we've fixed it." From what I know, the football aspect of this is more or less done now, but for the university as a whole, there's a long way to go and things could still get much worse in the months ahead.
Destroy the statue, put the head on a pike, stick it in the center of campus for one year. After that year, nail it to a wall of the athletic director's office as a reminder. The guy enabled crimes against children, so to hell with his years of hard work. Paterno abetted child rape through inaction and had the nerve to preach the importance of character? Make an example out of him for all time.
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