E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Nabil K. Mark / AP
The family of the late Penn State football coach Joe Paterno is unhappy with the findings of an investigation into the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.
Lawyers for the family of Joe Paterno say they will do their own investigation of the late Penn State football coach's involvement with the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse case, reiterating that they disagree with a report that concluded Paterno and others withheld information that could have prevented further abuse.
In a statement emailed to NBC News, the family said it was "dismayed" by parts of the report released last week by Louis Freeh, the former FBI director who conducted an investigation for the university in the Sandusky scandal.
The Freeh report concluded that Paterno and other university leaders "repeatedly concealed critical facts" relating to assistant coach Sandusky’s child sex abuse from authorities.
Paterno's family say they will not be issuing any further comment until they have done their own review.
Below is the family statement:
Following the release of the Grand Jury findings last fall, Joe Paterno called for a thorough, fair and transparent investigation. Like everyone else, Joe was stunned at the charges that were filed against Jerry Sandusky. At the same time, Joe cautioned against a rush to judgment on Penn State and its senior officials and reminded everyone that we owed it to the victims to uncover the full truth.
The announcement of the findings by the Freeh Group is yet another shocking turn of events in this crisis. We are dismayed by, and vehemently disagree with, some of the conclusions and assertions and the process by which they were developed. Mr. Freeh presented his opinions and interpretations as if they were absolute facts. We believe numerous issues in the report, and his commentary, bear further review.
Our interest has been and remains the uncovering of the truth. We have never tried to run from this crisis or shift all responsibility to others. To help prevent this sort of tragedy from happening again at Penn State or any other institution, it is imperative that the full story be told.
After the report was released, we instructed our attorneys and their experts to conduct a comprehensive review of the materials released by the Freeh Group as well as Mr. Freeh's presentation and press conference. We have also asked them to go beyond the report and identify additional information that should be analyzed. And we have asked the Freeh Group to preserve all records, notes and other materials related to the investigation and the presentation of their findings as we expect they will be the subject of great interest in the future.
To those who are convinced that the Freeh report is the last word on this matter, that is absolutely not the case. Since various investigations and legal cases are still pending, it is highly likely that additional critical information will emerge. With that said, we want to take this opportunity to reiterate that Joe Paterno did not shield Jerry Sandusky from any investigation or review. The 1998 incident was fully and independently investigated by law enforcement officials. The Freeh report confirms this. It is also a matter of record that Joe Paterno promptly and fully reported the 2001 incident to his superiors. It can certainly be asserted that Joe Paterno could have done more. He acknowledged this himself last fall. But to claim that he knowingly, intentionally protected a pedophile is false.
The process of reviewing the report and other relevant information is going to be a complicated and time consuming exercise. It took the Freeh Group roughly seven months to conduct more than 400 interviews and review three million documents. We do not expect or intend to duplicate this effort but we are going to be as thorough as reasonably possible. In the meantime, our attorneys have asked that we not make any further comment on this matter until they are ready to provide an update on their progress.
More on Penn State investigation:
Penn State to renovate showers, locker room where Sandusky abused boys
Report finds Penn State president, Paterno concealed facts about Sandusky sex abuse
Sandusky scandal shows danger of larger-than-life boss
More content from NBCNews.com:
- Hundreds search for missing young Iowa cousins
- Artist removes Joe Paterno's halo from Penn State mural
- 'English-only' city council proposal ignites debate
- New sketch released of suspect in shooting of lesbian teen couple
- Video: Couple lives in a 240 square foot apartment
Follow US News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook
Leave a Comment:
HA HA!@ Probe this! where they going to get the little boys to PROBE? i think MR Paterno was in too deep as it was! I do not think we need more Paterno's probing anything!
Can anyone say disinterested party?
It's going to be called "The Enablers' Inquisition". They'd like to carry on the Sandusky legacy of victimization, intimidation and ruining peoples' lives.
....and I am sure there will be no bias in that report whatsoever
I can save them a lot of time and money. Here is the result of the Paterno family's independent investigation. 1) Joe knew nothing about Sandusky's behavior other than what people told him. 2) He did the right and moral thing by informing the AD and campus police chief Schultz. 3) He was not involved in any cover-up and had no influence over the actions of other administrators. 4) He deserves to have that halo over his head repainted on the campus mural.
There you have it, the results of the Paterno family investigation BEFORE they have even started it. Don't waste the time and just send ME the money for just the conclusions they are looking for.
i think you don't know what you saw...and i believe you'd make a great assistant coach...
Bluelake:
You got it. The conclusions have already been written.
The Paterno family should be ashamed. Focusing all this time and money on trying to defend their father rather than focusing on the lives he allowed Sandusky to destroy.
I'm adding a comment here solely so I can find it (for Bluelake's prediction) easily later.
Time for a 5 year suspension of the Penn. State football program. Waive the one year rule non-eligibility rule for all students who transfer, but the school must pay for its complicity.
seriously my first thought was a really poor choice of words for this article.
@ bluelake. Very astute. I figured the same thing. The Paterno family defense team will have to come up with something pretty significant to support their conclusions to change public opinion. Maybe it's just to give an illusion of doing something ala O.J.
Denial, the only haven for those who can't face the horror.
Again, not caring for the victims, but caring for the reputation of a man who let children get molested in the name of a football program.
Gee, anyone want to hazard a guess as to what conclusion the Paterno family's probe will come to? This is like asking the Justice Dept to investigate Fast and Furious!
you know, the arrogance is getting old and tired. This guy (Joe Paterno) harbored a pedophile for 11 years and probably much more. The world is watching Penn State and this story goes much deeper- trust me many people are digging for the story behind the story. Some will come out and some will not.
My point: i will have no sympathy seeing the paterno's go bankrupt fighting something which is a forgone conclusion. You are opening up a can of worms Jay Paterno and no one will feel bad for the continued bad publicity you bring on your family...
Bottom line is this... the landslide of civil lawsuits will bury the Paterno estate and legacy.
Here we have it folks, in black and white for all to see. Footballs legacy and a schools corruption for a program that taught football was higher then education. This football program put sports above education. The money involved allowed for corrupt perverts and corrupt enablers to live and breath openly.
A guy goes to college for 4 years and gets his degree and his family most likely pays for it. He gets his 28k a year job now. Then the scholar-shipped student gets a free ride and plays football and he gets a multi-million dollar contract for playing a simple game...
...a simple game all right.. of predators and enablers victimizing those free ride, soon to be, millionaires.
How perverted money can be...
....all the while the 28k a year guy is doing just fine "hoping" his child gets a scholarship to a football program at Penn state.
May I suggest that the Paterno's and OJ Simpson team up to find out about Joe Pa's role and the real killer of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman!
The unmitigated preposterous HUBRIS of this family is mind-numbing.
It's halarious to watch this family, like watching a serial killers mom declare her boy couldn't have done it.
Quit spending the victims lawsuit money doing what Joe did his whole life, covering up the ugliness in the Paterno name. It's just so GD cliche' at this point and only proves that Paternos care more about the name than helping anyone. How about spending some of that blood money helping the people the late Joe failed to help.
Just go away.
The family says:
Which is code for "We're planning to sue Freeh for libel".
That's my prediction.
Exactly. I should somehow be interested in this investigation because they are unwilling to accept the fact that their patriarch was more concerned about a football and college's reputation than children's right not to be psychologically scarred by a child rapist.
McQueary came to Paterno about the abuse incident that he witnessed and Paterno threatened his job by saying "If that's what it is about I don't have a job for you". That's all I need to know about this independent investigation.
And by performing this investigation the are showing that they are just as abnormal as their patriarch, Paterno. Why not let the situation die knowing that Paterno failed to protect children Because in doing that they would show that they rise above their patriarch's failings.
You mean Penn State, he is their agent and I highly doubt they are going to sue Penn State which surely sanctioned the press conference and the conclusions. I also assume their attorneys reviewed it before release. Plus they actually have to prove it's false, which at this point is impossible.
More likely, is they are going to pull a defense attorney at comb through every scrap to find inconsistencies with the goal of bringing Freeh's credibility to question.
They don't know what happened and their insistence that they do it fairly irritating. They want the truth, so long as it clears the family name, this truth doesn't and so they are treating it as not the truth. To bad for them their family name is wrapped around the albatross who covered up child abuse.
"But to claim that he knowingly, intentionally protected a pedophile is false."
Would it help the Paterno family accept the situation if the accusations against JP changed from "knowingly, intentionally protected a pedophile" to "knowingly, intentionally enabled a pedophile"? Either way you slice it, he knew enough to make a difference and chose not to.
aw the Tinkerbell Effect.....gotta love it!!!
Their attempt is to resurrect Paterno as the 'God' they thought he was. Too bad -- won't work. He's more like the assistant pedophile for all the secrecy to save his own skin, football & his mega $$ contract. Hope all the young men sue the crap out of the estate and leave the Paterno trash destitute. And fire the Paterno son while at it. Don't need the name on the campus.
Everyone that says someone didn't commit a crime or in Paterno's case, he did what he had to on the one report only -- sorry people. Unless you are up the butts of said person 24/7/365 -- you cannot say a person is innocent. You're going on their hearsay.
The Paterno family are acting like trailer trash as they try to drag these young men even longer through this. Paterno's family -- suck eggs. Tear the statue down and sue the crap out of the Estate. Cost them every dime. They'll spin this and sorry Paterno slimballs -- you're trash and should be treated as such. JoePa is the assistant pedophile along with the others. They aided Sandusky.
Paterno was a multi millionaire and I presume he had a great estate plan. His wealth was probably in trust and now belongs to his wife solely. There is nothing to get from that family as he is dead and you would have to draw a connection between his wife knowing and participating in the coverup. Not an easy task at all. If you recall when Enron went under the CEO Ken Lay was convicted and they were trying to claw back the money he got in that mess. He died of a major heart attack in prison and his wife inherited everything. Since they could no longer sue him in civil court to recover, he was dead, she got to keep it all as there was no connection between her and the money. Sucks I know but that is the way the system works. The only money the victims will receive is from the taxpayers of Pennsylvania when they sue the university and they have to foot the bill for this happening at a state owned school.
The Paterno family has just released a doctors statement that says that Joe Paterno had Alzheimer's for the past 12 years and didn't know anything was going on. The family is going to use one of his old "Depends" diapers that he wore as evidence of his state of mind. Unfortunately the doctor that wrote the report was Mrs. Paterno's gynecologist.
Talk about living IN DENIAL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
His body should be dug up and indicted !!!!!!!!!
For the record, Penn State had more graduates out of its football program than any other Division 1 school in the country. Joe Paterno cared about his players and the student body in general as much as, if not more than the football program. He reported the incident that was reported to hiim to the AD and the University president. If he would have done any more, he could have been sued. LEAVE JoePa rest in peace. Sandusky has been punished and will burn in hell for his crimes. The AD and Pres will be held accountable for their inaction.
NavyRetired.......first thanks for your service. But the rest of your post sounds as if you either didn't hear or read the Freeh report or think the report is full of lies and distortions. I'm not questioning your statements about the graduation rates etc. but I do question that he didn't participate in the coverup or as you said "he could have been sued". I think the lawsuits are about to start and Paterno's name is going to go further into the mud and his legacy will always be about this first.
Joe Paterno cared more about a college football program than protecting young boys from anal rape, in his facility, by his staff member.
nuff said about Joe's "caring."
Amen If you are Navy then you know that any ranking officer would be on the beach or out for allowing allegations like this to go unattended even if reported. The command is always in command if it happens on your watch. Thus those in authority take complete action so that the issue is addressed. In this case a much younger and very clear thinking Paterno turned away knowing that nothing was being done while the attacks were likely continuing. He cannot duck by passing the buck. PERIOD.
While I can understand how this family got used to Paterno being looked at as some kind of God and it is sad that he turned his back on the truth in order to protect his legacy, PLEASE - lets not make this worse by dragging it out and making fools out of the whole family.
The mob mentality and frenzy is alive and well in the 21st century. Less than a 150 years ago, we gathered in effective numbers to convict innocent black men of horrible crimes with public opinion and hang them. A century or so before that, we did the same with innocent men, women (and sometimes children) falsely accused of witchcraft by publicly burning them alive. It is a basic human animalistic reaction to viciously kill one of our own that we may perceive as a threat to the pack.
Sandusky has been arrested, tried, convicted and soon to be sentenced for his crimes against our most vulnerable. We must now look for those that may have aided or abetted a cover-up that allowed Sandusky to abuse even more innocent children (for years after the first report). This will prove to be an exhaustive investigation that must go back several years. I believe that all of us wish to see the responsible parties brought to justice. I believe that our system of justice is one of the best in the world. A system that demands that the accused be allowed to defend himself and address his accuser.
Such a system does not support trying a dead man. It does not allow punishment for his family regardless of any preconceived illegal actions on his part. It does not allow punishment for thousands of innocent parties directly affiliated with Penn State (or it's athletic department) by dismantling it in part or whole.
Punishment is reserved only for the guilty individuals proven to have a direct part in this travesty and who are able to address those charges against them. We are all entitled to our opinions. Most of us know the value of unsubstantiated opinions.Those that wish to punish the entire University for crimes of the few should take their drums home with the knowledge that modern society no longer supports basic animal behavior exhibited by far too many of today's citizens.
The Paterno family is free to attempt to clear the family name. They may even have strong evidence that other investigations chose to ignore. Maybe not. The choice and burden is theirs, not ours.
@Lolly1192
And I'm sure there was no bias in the Freeh report either.
Yea, I'm sure this investigation won't be too biased.
Maybe they can get O.J. to help - I think he gained a lot of experience from his other investigation.
heard...they use Dottie Sandusky method of detecting...around penn state...
Here is the question I want to ask the Paterno family, particularly Jay Paterno:
We lived in PA, our daughter and son-in-law went to Penn State, and I taught for Penn State, so, up until this scandal was an ardent Penn State supporter in every way. We watched all the games and used to see you, as a young boy and then man, on the sidelines with your dad. Now for the question:
If your father found out that Sandusky was having his way with YOU (or one of the Paterno GRANDCHILDREN) in the shower, would he have mulled it over, reported it to his 'superiors' and then let the subject drop? I seriously doubt it........ he would have throttled the SOB on the spot!!!! But, it was not YOU, it was someone's son who did not matter to JOE, ALMIGHTY JOE, who simply did not care enough to even ASK what was happening with the investigation. HE DID NOT CARE......
ANY human being would care IF HE OR SHE HEARD ABOUT A DIRTY OLD MAN WITH A YOUNG BOY IN A SHOWER, but not JOE. HE only cared about the next game, the next bowl game, the next recruiting season and $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$! Can you say millions and millions of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$! I hope you and the family are enjoying spending it all. AND I hope you are sleeping well at night, knowing that it is in your bank account. What a miserable excuse for a family! My sympathy to all the victims, it is too bad they ever heard of Jerry Sandusky, Penn State, and especially Joe Paterno.
And the Paterno spin continues. The man was a tyrant and the Penn State admin were wimps and at his beck and call. They all make me sick. There was not a pair of balls among them.
Very well said, Mary....you raise very interesting points.
Paterno's family ought to be hanging their head in shame instead of trying to defend their fallen god coach. Their pride, arrogance and lack of conscience is one reason Paterno cared more about football $$$ than he did about stopping a predator.
I have to agree with you, KARLSTEVENS......conducting "their own investigation" to me, sounds like another "cover up" by those close to Jo-Pa. An "investigation" like this sounds very fishy to me. You have to be BIASED, and NOT OBJECTIVE, but this would NOT be the case, if they "conducted" their own "investigation".
Jo-Pa has now met his MAKER....and would have to answer to the REAL AUTHORITY on this type of MALFEASANCE.
The mob mentality and frenzy is alive and well in the 21st century. Less than a 150 years ago, we gathered in effective numbers to convict innocent black men of horrible crimes with public opinion and hang them. A century or so before that, we did the same with innocent men, women (and sometimes children) falsely accused of witchcraft by publicly burning them alive. It is a basic human animalistic reaction to viciously kill one of our own that we may perceive as a threat to the pack.
Sandusky has been arrested, tried, convicted and soon to be sentenced for his crimes against our most vulnerable. We must now look for those that may have aided or abetted a cover-up that allowed Sandusky to abuse even more innocent children (for years after the first report). This will prove to be an exhaustive investigation that must go back several years. I believe that all of us wish to see the responsible parties brought to justice. I believe that our system of justice is one of the best in the world. A system that demands that the accused be allowed to defend himself and address his accuser.
Such a system does not support trying a dead man. It does not allow punishment for his family regardless of any preconceived illegal actions on his part. It does not allow punishment for thousands of innocent parties directly affiliated with Penn State (or it's athletic department) by dismantling it in part or whole.
Punishment is reserved only for the guilty individuals proven to have a direct part in this travesty and who are able to address those charges against them. We are all entitled to our opinions. Most of us know the value of unsubstantiated opinions.Those that wish to punish the entire University for crimes of the few should take their drums home with the knowledge that modern society no longer supports basic animal behavior exhibited by far too many of today's citizens.
The Paterno family is free to attempt to clear the family name. They may even have strong evidence that other investigations chose to ignore. Maybe not. The choice and burden is theirs, not ours.
We certainly cannot blame the entire university for what went on with Sandusky; however, those who had even the slightest knowledge of it, and that included Paterno, are all to blame. It was clear that no one cared one iota for those kids; it was all about winning the game. No doubt Paterno's family wants to put a different spin on it but the fact remains that Joe knew about it and made no effort to stop this sick pervert.
CommonSense101, very well said.
lmao here. Letting a criminal do their own investigation and the outcome will be, "Not Guilty".
The name Paterno and Sandusky both make me ill to my stomach.
If I had knowledge of or personally seen Sandusky having sex with a little boy, as McQueary and Paterno had, I would have nothing to do with Sandusky, regardless if he was legally charged or not.
How can you continue to associate with someone like that for many years following this? He should have been jailed socially if he wasn't jailed legally.
BP the grape
McQueary was the one that reported the crime to his boss Paterno. It was in the hand of Paterno to follow through and have Sandusky removed, investigated, instead, Paterno put money and fame above the safety of these kids, and I for one believe that if you socialize with a pedophile, you are most likely to be one yourself, and i believe that Paterno was an old purv as well.
Criminals hang with criminals and other criminal types, pedophiles do the same as we have seen online rings of people that are into this sick and twisted shyt.
How about just not issuing any comment from here and start accepting the facts for what they are? There is nothing that their biased report will find that is going to change anything and like Bluelake posted above, I'm sure there findings will be very similar to that.
Yes Joe did alot for the school but that ALL went away when he decided not to press the issue further and do what was right, but rather protect the school and the program. He didn't directly hurt the kids but his inaction allowed for more hurt to be handed out by sicko Sandusky and is just a notch below that. The sooner these idiot deniers accept that the sooner we can start addressing the issue without the extra noise and interference.
At a minimum:
Football program suspended = yes (5yr min) Fines = yes Loss of fed and state money = yes Senior Admin Fired = yes Jail time for Senior Admin = yes All references (statue, ect) to Joe Paterno removed = yes University Pay to transfer student athletes = yes
It is time
@Paul-765975
No more than the Freeh report was. Funny how people don't question the outcome when it is what they want or were expecting.
The Freeh report was nothing more than an attempt by the university to verify that they took action against all of those responsible and that their actions were justified and to protect themselves from wrongful termination lawsuits. But since it says exactly what you all want to hear you just accept it as readily as you will deny the Paterno investigation if you don't like what it has to say.
Talking about bias is friggin laughable when you are all too willing to accept it when it supports your own bias.
Go away Scott.
I agree Mary except it's too bad they ever heard of especially Jerry Sandusky. Joe had the responsibility of making sure Sandusky was removed but Sandusky was the actual child molester who had no business doing what he did, he had no business having children or adopting them. He knew he had this urge long before he acted on it and should have controlled himself but he didn't. He should rot in prison and I hope the rest of his life is miserable, it's a shame he wasn't arrested and convicted decades ago.
Give it up. JoePa is just as guilty as the rest and now his family just wants to protect their money when the civil suits start. They should just lower their heads in shame over all of this and fade away.
I agree. I think they r doing this to just protect themselves. They should just fade away and try not to stir up anymore bad press as it is. The fact is that Paterno harbored a pedophile rapist for over a decade.
Thank you Mary.
My wife has been asking the same question for several days/weeks and usually at a high volume because she is so upset about Joe's silence with the continued presence of Sandusky in the Penn State athletic facilities.......was he blind? Is that the excuse?
JoePa has already been found guilty in the court of the public. The family is stupid to keep this dragging out. There is nothing they can do to change the feelings of the public now. Best to let it die out.
Sandusky is in jail, Paterno is dead. The American public will forget about all of this in a week if they are allowed to.
He's been found liable by the former head of the FBI; not the public.
For shame on the Paterno family for scrambling to hang on to Paterno's status. Where is their concern for the future of the victims of the predator that Paterno coddled and enabled and protected?
The Paterno family has clearly gone loopy.
The former head of the FBI is not a court or a judge. The public is effectively judge, jury and executioner when it comes to determining reputation.
The findings of the report only serve to bolster the public's opinion.
The family should go away and hide somewhere. They can't help the victims anymore than any of these posts asking for them to.
The family can help the victims showing compassion for the victims by accepting that an independent investigation found overwhelmingly convincing evidence of a coverup by Paterno, his staff, his superiors. Instead, the family is only attempting to perpetuate the coverup.
common sense and reason amongst educated adults has found him guilty of harboring a pedophile....
They are just continuing the JoePa legacy of protecting their ASSets. He trained them well.
I think they're doing it for legal reasons, so they can keep as much of the assets as possible.
@Sally Clark
No, he's been found liable by an INDEPENDENT investigator (this has nothing to do with the FBI) working for the university which is trying to protect itself.
You all criticize the Paterno family for trying to protect him but where is the criticism of the university for doing the same thing? Apparently it is ok for them to do it since you agree with the findings, I believe hypocrisy is the appropriate term
Dismayed by some of the elements of the released report? Well I'm sorry they can't handle the truth. They need to just accept the facts behind this whole nightmare of a case and just take it as is.
They can claim all they want that Joe wasn't guilty of anything, but the fact is that he knew what was going on and chose not to go the extra bit to make sure that all was being done that should have been done. He was an enabler and an accessory to the crimes committed.
Sure, a great leader on the grid iron, but what about leadership off the field?
In my book, the whole lot of them listed in the report as on the "inside" of the whole travesty are just as guilty as the pedophile.
I say this a s a PSU alum: The Paterno family needs to drop it, accept Joe was a flawed man and move on with their lives. The events of the past year have been devastating for everyone involved. And, frankly, I think Freeh's report closes the door and, unfortunately, leaves Joe's legacy in tatters. Given 400+ people were interviewed and an untold amount of information was uncovered, it's pretty difficult to see anything else could come forward that could ever reverse what was already discovered. It's going to take people a very long time to accept Joe failed those children by being an accessory in the cover-up. I can imagine his family doesn't want to believe it or come to terms with that fact. I don't want to accept it either, but it appears the facts are what they are and the man we looked up to as a heroic grandfather was not that. It's appalling and inexcusable the four men at the top conspired to cover this up while children's lives were being mercilessly destroyed. Shame on them all.
Devin C....I understand where you are coming from and I respectfully disagree....It is far too easy to implicate a dead man to indemnify others who could still be in a position of power.
I absolutely understand the Paterno family's point of view and appreciate their personal need to see this horrible event through. They lived with him day in and day out over the years and should know this man inside out. If I were his wife I would be combing through all of his personal papers and diaries. I would do everything I could to make sure that his legacy were portrayed in truth. Perhaps the will find a hidden secret and that he could have done more. Perhaps they will find that he did everything in his power to limit access of a pedophile to children and failed.
I agree with you shame on any and all who would have covered up for a monster in their midst....But the family of a dead man certainly has a right and reason to do their own search for his true character.
"Perhaps the will find a hidden secret and that he could have done more."
You are incredibly naive to think such a 'find' would be disclosed or even owned up to in any way.
Ya know, everything aside from turning the pervert over to police... that would just be mean of him wouldn't it?
The police knew in 1998 before Paterno ever knew anything....wonder exactly why they didn't do anything or why Joe reporting it to them later would have made any difference.
Touche.... just a whole lot of FUBAR going on in this situation...
Brokenarrow....unless he witnessed an assault what more could he have done but inform those who could investigate? why didn't the police or the University conduct an adequate investigation in 98? Was it to Paterno to hire investigators to root out the sins of a pedophile? I am horrified about what Sandusky was able to get away with and I have such a heart ache for his victims...What I don't get is how do they draw some imaginary line to Paterno if he did indeed follow the protocol with the information that he had? The search is for truth. If the family comes up with evidence to dispute even one of the claims in this report then the whole report can be suspect.
The fact of the matter is that Sandusky perpetrated a tremendous criminal history....He is a rapist, pedophile and a despicable human being. Why do so many wish to see others fall with him unless they participated in his crime? The fact is our "laws" protect the bottom feeders like Sandusky. If there is no smoking gun criminals get away with all sort of depravity. Sandusky and his arrogant demeanor is evidence of that fact. He will only sit in prison and cheer as the sturdy reputations that surrounded him fall.
Oh please, he should of been shouting it from the mountain tops....and the rest of them too. His wife did not know...come on....they are all guilty and that is why I wish to see them fall. And if the protocol did not uncover this and put a stop to it then the protocol needs to be changed. Good god how pathetic.
Change2009...The only one who has been found guilty is Sandusky. He has been found to be a monster and vile pedophile in a criminal court. If the State wishes to pursue criminal charges against any others they should ante up and start sending out the arrest warrants. Nobody who participated in this crime should go free. But to start indiscriminately just naming people who should have done more...all they have to do is prove it...and yes they will probably have an easier job proving something terrible about dead man than any other who is still alive to defend themselves.
TXmom, I think Paterno lost any chance he had of coming out of this better when he went to court last year. They asked him about 1998 and 2001 with McQuery. He went on to say that he didn't know anything, except maybe a rumor. Considering all the other witnesses and emails, we know that to be false. He definitely had a number of discussions over the years, so to be completely ignorant of it for more than a decade is pretty bad. He continually went to his superiors and help cover it up.
Oh please txmom, as it has been told repeatedly Paterno was the most powerful man at PSU, with obscene perks and benefits. He threw the president out his house when they told him it was time to retire. There was mural with Paterno wearing a damn halo and people treat his statue like a religious icon. He was the center of personality cult of the most damaging kind. People like you who deliberately ignore the facts of the case and attack those us who accept reality is a prime example why such cults are dangerous.
1998, Paterno told Sandusky that there was no way he was going to be PSU head coach. It was no secret that Paterno & Sandusky did not get along. If Joe really had all this power, I think he would have had Sandusly removed completely from PSU football then. Also, Sandusky was permitted by Spainer to have an office in the LASCH Bldg. Joe despised that, but realized he had no control. The halo over JoePa's head was placed there after his death & it was reported by the artist, Michael Pilato, that he removed his halo after speaking with Joe's family. He did not want to be remembered as a saint...he was simply a man who shaped many young men into outstanding men. His halo was replaced with a blue ribbon, symbolizing his support to the victims of child abuse.
In Pennsylvania, any school employee is a mandated reporter of suspected child abuse. I do not even work for a school, but because we provide before and after school care we are mandated reporters as well, just like EVERY employee in a college in PA...that includes Joe Paterno and the rest who were told of child abuse occuring on school property, at the hands of a school employee...our training DVD states that your responsibility does not end with reporting suspected child abuse to a superior, that any employee who has knowledge of child abuse has the responsibility to report it to the state authorities, including police and/or child welfare services if their superior at work does not act upon a report of child abuse...yes sandusky is the only one found guilty...YET...there are other who will be charged and will likely be found guilty as well, and if he had not died, Paterno may have been prosecuted as well.
TX Mom.
Dumb, by your reasoning no one should ever report a crime unless they physically witnessed it.
Good lord, thankfully most people are the other side of that argument and report suspicious behavior so many other people don't have to go through what those kids did, so murders, rapists, burglars are brought to justice with the help of folks who may not have witnessed an actual crime, but give cops the break they need to investigate one. He could have fricken used Crime-Stoppers if his balls were that tiny.
And I am going to go out on a limb hear and guess that Papa Dickwad told his team over and over again, to push above, do more than required on the field, while he did less in real life, where it actually counted, at least for a lot of little boys.
Had he done that, witness #2, the one McCreary witnessed getting assaulted, would not be unknown. For all we know, the kid killed himself or is out there as an adult doing the same thing. But thanks to Pappy Dickwad, no one will ever know.
Easy to condem the dead since they can't defend themselves against all the media hype. Don't get me wrong if the man would have been judged is a court law I would say all child molesters & those cover up such crime should face the death penalty, However, I would like to see the evidence presented first & not judge a person by the media.
As for Joe's family, sound they are seeking the truth for themselves instead of relying on gossip & lawyers setting up for a law suit. Sorry I don't think an enitire family should have to suffer because of one bad apple.
"Gossip?" Have you even bothered to read the report, which contains emails from all of the guilty parties involved. What part of the cover up don't you get? Paterno and company COVERED UP THE abuse for FOURTEEN YEARS. Do us a favor and educate yourself by reading the report instead of writing ill-informed comments with no basis in fact.
"Saint Joe" did not remove Sandusky for one very obvious reason....he was worth LOTS OF MONEY TO PENN STATE! Sandusky was more than just a decent defensive coach...had he been fired or dropped from the roster, St Joe might not have been able to be 'the winningest coach in history'...! He was allowed to abuse children as long as he produced income for Penn State.
The welfare of children meant nothing in comparison; by any means the 'Penn State machine' could not, and should not stop.
The atmosphere of 'win by any means' is wrong, Joe Paterno is wrong for putting more importance on that than they did people. It was wrong, and it must stop.
Joe Paterno's family is delusional; they're grasping at straws trying to desperately hold on to a false picture of a man (and probably, there's copyright issues they want to protect for future earnings). In some ways, I feel very sorry for them, but if it was one of THEM being sodomized in the men's shower, none of this would be happening now.
Dropkick, the only way Paterno had the power and clout to throw the President of the shool out of his home when they told him he needed to retire is that Paterno was probably holding their failure to call the authorities on Sandusky. This is blackmail at its finest. Yes he was the one who talked the President out of having Sandusky arrested, but they are the ones who will take the fall for not reporting it. This allowed Paterno to stay in power long after his expiration date.
@txmom32
The problem of course is that once the witch-hunt begins few people give a rats ass about the truth as we can see by the majority of the comments here.
Just check out the comment above mine if you doubt it. Once they decide who is guilty they'll come up with pretty much any unsupported BS and state it as if it were fact. Blackmail? Give me a @!$%#ing break.
you know..,it's gon'a be a bad day...for the dumb dumb deniers...around penn state...say it ain't so joe...
you know.... its's kinda weird.... when people... separate a sentence... with a bunch ..... of periods.... instead.... of just.... typing ..... normally....
i have attention span disorder...i find this helps slow learners... like my self... concentrate on what is said...how's the catfish noodle'n season going for ya' in oklahoma...
Well then, fair enough. And no, I'm not from Oklahoma, though I do know the town you are referring to :-)
Paterno isn't around to defend himself. Leave it alone.
bs.
No, but he was around long enough to harbor a pedophile for 14 years. Nine of the ten cases that Sandusky was found guilty of occurred after the first 1998 case that Paterno had hushed up. All of this needs to be brought out. After all, people still talk about Hitler's atrocities and he's dead. The comparison is intentional.
Leave it alone? Do you realize he helped cover up a pedophile for 14 years? Do you realize he could have stopped it by going to the police in 1998, which he did not do, although he was mandated by law to do so, and that as a result many more boys were raped by Sandusky? Where is your concern for the boys instead of some coach who covered it up? Shame on you.
If it was one of HIS children being sodomized in the shower, do you think he'd have just 'left it alone'...?
Yah, I didn't think so.
Hey Jake ------ How does one defend a case like this? You jest, no?
PLEASE just stop!! Nobody outside of Pedophile U cares about Joe Paterno anymore! He is a absolute failure as a human being when it mattered the most. Nobody cares about the number of wins he got, nobody cares how many millions he donated to Pedophile U, and nobody cares how much good he did for that community. What we do care about is the fact that he willingly and knowingly supported and enabled Sandusky to anally rape and sexually abuse children! THAT is what we care about so please, take all of the money Joe was able to extort out of Pedophile U last November and S T F U!
Just keep asking the question until you get the answer you like. My kids try that all the time.
whats so "shocking"? ............its real simple, Jerry blew and Joe knew.............
Good for you Paterno family... Never liked Joe Pa as a coach. However, I now sympathize with this family. Clearly the product of a direct media campaign. Never seen so much hate for someone who really didn't do anything wrong. Thoughts and prayers are obviously with the people affected by this, especially the kids. It's bologna media that prevents kids from doing this in the first place (spirals into a witch hunt against someone who didn't have any part in these crimes - regardless of what you think he did not). Put Sandusky in the deepest darkest hole in the world and let him die, but in the same breath show some respect for the dead. This man was an elderly man when all this happened if you want to blame anyone blame Penn State for allowing this man to continue to hold that position of power in a frail mindset. You somehow forget the aging has negative consequences on the thought process. Maybe he undervalued the severity, or maybe he really believed Sandusky's innocence. Either way lay off the man. Just because he didn't do what a Saint would've done doesn't make him evil you morons.
I can see where you're coming from on this and I'd like to say that I disagree with you. Tell one of the victims that.
If that was one of your kids who was molested/violated, would you still feel the same way, as one of the "morons"?
I don't care your age or your state of mind, if you can handle such a post of power at an institution of the sorts, than you can bare the responsibility. Please don't bring his mental condition into this. He was perfectly competitent in sports and his associations with the school and all the glory it brought him, but can't be held mentally accountable for the horrid actions of his staff/former staff?
Give me a break.
funny then that he still made decisions till the end, even rengotiated his contract, and had FINAL say on all matters relating to the football program. To pass it off as he was senile or had dementia of some kind is just ridiculous.
@jhav
Paterno ruled on that campus with an iron hand dictating to all when HE was going to step down. Of course all of the Paterno family members and kin basked in the warm limelight of JoePa's celebrity. Sue loved it; Jay loved it. Who in the family would dare say to this egotistical old man "gramps maybe you ought to slow down and smell the roses".?
So .. we can put you down for the pro kid rape side ....
Eric - shame on you.
more bs...he absolutely did something wrong. amazes me how many are willing to look past this in the interest of college football. get your priorities straight and be glad it wasn't one of your kids.
He was 70 in 1998. He hushed up the investigation in 1998. At least nine more boys were raped after that. I bet their families don't think "he did nothing wrong". Take off the blinders and throw out the Kool-Aid!
People like jhav can't believe Joe did anything wrong. It makes perfect sense to them that an adult male would think coaching a football game is more important than stopping child rape. They probably don't understand why it's a crime to sell child porn if you didn't actually do the filming.
jhav - He DID actually do something wrong. He covered up for a pedophile for the sake of keeping his almighty football program intact. He didn't give a damn about the kids that were being hurt. The Paterno family's "investigation" is just an exercise in denial. The culture of college football in this country has gotten way out of control, and it has to do with money. When a seasoned coach will look the other way while his assistant is buggering little boys because it might hurt the program, then that's just as sick as what Jerry Sandusky did. You can rationalize it all you want, but that doesn't change the fact that JoePa failed as a human being.
Paterno doesn't get a free pass just because he died. And dead id dead. There isn't any afterlife or spirit that has any cognizance about what is now going on in court or MSNBC's comment thread. Too bad he did die. I would have loved to see him behind bars, just like his accomplices will soon be.
I laughed when I read the title of this article.
Good Luck, Paterno Family. Joe was guilty as sin for the cover up. With all the money he was paid to keep that football money-making machine going, came responsibility. He was the most powerful person at PSU. That's why the limp-dk President, Athletic Director, and other criminals consulted with him first. He did nothing, but cover for a child molestor. Period! Now, the family wants to blow some of the millions he took as head coach, in an effort to clear his name!! NO WAY! HE's GUILTY. IF he were alive, he'd face crimnial charges.
SANDUSKY is in prison................the rest of the STORY speaks for itself as far as a cover-up with Paterno involved.
I hope the kids involved are getting the help they need............SURELY this rehashing of news can't be productive.
LET"S BURY IT with the WEEKLY TRASH !!
Well, they will certainly have enough money to pay for it.
to buy a cover up or confuse the facts,, fact was for joe, and his family football comes first,, the children he just wanted to go away, even still his family wont see the truth. sad. oh and the families report wont be worth TP.
Of course Joe P. was calling for a thorough investigation. By that time it was blown-up on every internet feed and tv show and there was no way to bury it, so he might as well get in front of it (in the past this type of news would have been local mostly and easy to cover up). Of course he probably did not think the investigation was going to go as deep as it was (showing his potential involvement with concealing the crimes) and hoping that Jerry would be brought to trial and convicted quickly with just the current evidence they had.
Paterno knew and his greed and avarice enabled Santurkey to damages those boys. Football I love but its a game to me a business to him and Penn state. Forget Paterno, jail Sandusky for life, and ban football from Penn State for ten years, Done! And the Paterno family should be doing what they can for the victim's instead of trying to prop up the old man's rightfully ruined reputation.
God (yes God Bless) this country we will need it!
the paterno family should just shut the f up. your dead patriarch chose to protect his legacy and the football program over protecting children being anally raped by a homo child molester. if it was up to me all of you would be in prison and i would dig up your hero and put his carcass in prison as well. enough.
Gee, I wonder what their findings will be.
To be fair, I can understand his family being in denial. I am just so sick of the indignation from his deluded fanboys, like Matt Millen.
Matt Millen is no fanboy. He's thrown the coach under the bus numerous times. He needs to turn in his PSU diploma & get one from Pitt.
This issue is quite clear. The Penn State Officials, Paterno and his management, feared that the scumbag news media would destroy all of them and the football program if they put Sandusky in jail. Let me make this clear. If they did the right thing and put Sandusky in jail on the first day, they feared (and knew) that the mainstream news media would destroy the University with a continuing campaign of hate articles against the School and Paterno. A timely reporting that would save lots of kids would destroy lots of older kids. Basically, Penn State was faced with letting the news media destroy them today or maybe tomorrow. Yes, the news media screwed these kids! The news media created the environment where news media control was more important than managing the facts. That should scare people. News journalists help create lies and misinformation. They are the lowest life form in the US. They are Truth Terrorists. You may wish to ask your Legislator to execute any news journalist who lies.
What incredibly skewed logic. Penn State and it's football program are not worth a single one of the victims - no matter who uncovered the story, no matter the fallout for Linebacker U.
Wow - you must be on the board of trustees at Pedophile U.
No, if Paterno and company would have done the right thing back in 2001, they would have thrown Sandusky in jail, he would have been given a life sentence, and the media would have focused on Jerry Sandusky, not Pedophile U and Joe Paterno. Hell, they would have probably written stories of how refreshing it was that they handled it correctly.
Sadly, Joe Paterno and friends were selfish cowards that put football at the top of their priority and that enabled children to get anally raped and sexually abused.
Oh really, so for YOU the scum involved in this case is the media?
Thank you for that insight into your personality and behaviors.
How would coming forward hurt "older kids"? These older "kids" you speak of are adults, the same adults that stood behind JoePa and even had a vigil for him. what about a vigil for the victims? I feel no need to protect those that care more about a stupid, pointless sport than they do about disadvantaged kids who were RAPED by Jerry Sandusky, who was protected by his buddies. The media are heroes in this situation imo for shaming those that are unworthy of honour. That includes any "older kid" that still defends the molester protector a.k.a. Joe Pa. His family need to hang their head in shame, change their last name and fade into nothingness for that is what their patriarch deserves. May he burn in hell.
That's gotta be a troll or Bill James. Wait...
When all else fails blame the media - kind of like killing the messenger. Poor logic. The last refuge of the guilty.
Jamie - pull your head out of your rectum and look around. Your post has to be one of the worst I've ever seen. So what if reporting the crime caused trouble for the football program? Maybe the football program needed to be put under the microscope and the problems fixed, but instead PSU chose to try to hide it.
"He certainly could have done more... but to acknowledge he knowingly protected a pedophile is false." What BS, if he had done more, this pedophile would have been stopped years ago. No amount of spin or paying lawyers to cover their assets is going to change the simple facts; he knew it, he did little to stop it, it went on.
After they're done with their own JoePa investigation, maybe the Paterno family can help OJ look for the real killers!
Yup. OJ is gonna find the real killer too!
The best post...just as likely to happen.
"It is also a matter of record that Joe Paterno promptly and fully reported the 2001 incident to his superiors" He reported it to his superiors? Why didn't he report it to the police? "But to claim that he knowingly, intentionally protected a pedophile is false." He reported it to his boss, not the police. From that point forward he WAS shielding Sandusky, he knew something inappropriate had taken place and he didn't do anything to ensure it didn't happen again. I call that intentionally shielding a pedophile which makes him almost as bad as Sandusky.
Will they expect us all the be surprised when their "independent" review says Paterno was innocent?
He DID report it to the police. He reported it to the person in CHARGE of the police department & actually thought that person would do his job.
So let me make sure I understand you, wryview, you're making excuses for a man who hid little boys being raped in the shower by an old man. Is that really who you want to cast your lots with?
Joe Paterno's first and only interest was in the welfare of the Penn. State University football program. It was not in the interest of the kids he was allowing to be molested, it was not in his own family, or even in the benefit to the school, overall. That's why he was FIRED.
Big money has corrupted college sports and made the schools corrupt. When you are earning over a million dollars a year to keep the money pouring in, you will do anything, even selling out little children.
Its time to take the money influence out of our universities and make them places of higher education, not of corruption.
dirp - you are so right. Here's a thought. No college football coach can make more money than the highest paid academic professor on campus. No more full-ride scholarships for athletes, no more TV money, no ticket prices higher than $10.00, and the athletic department should be under the supervision of an independent (i.e., not employed by the university) committee. As for Penn State's football program, shut 'er down.
How can someone associate with a perv like Sandusky, after knowing what he did? It doesn't matter if the cops said there wouldn't be any charges. Would you want to work around a guy who likes having sex with young boys???