Analysis: What to expect at Jerry Sandusky's sentencing

In an exclusive interview with Rock Center’s Kate Snow, Travis Weaver speaks out about the alleged abuse he says he suffered at the hands of former Penn State Assistant Coach Jerry Sandusky. Weaver alleges he was abused by Sandusky more than 100 times in the Sandusky home, Penn State locker room and on trips with the Sandusky family. 

ANALYSIS

Jerry Sandusky's criminal trial did not draw the attention of the nation because there was some uncertainty about the outcome.  And though there is little reason to doubt he will be ordered to spend the rest of his life in prison when he is sentenced on Tuesday, our continuing interest in this case has little to do with the issues the court has to decide. 

Wes OliverWes Oliver is a law professor and director of the Criminal Justice Program at the Duquesne University School of Law.

Based on the jury's finding of guilt on 45 of the 48 counts, the former Penn State defensive coordinator and founder of the Second Mile charity for underprivileged kids could be sentenced to a maximum of over 400 years. But the judge is not required to sentence him to anything near that. Six of the offenses carry mandatory minimums of 10 years. This does not, however, mean that Sandusky must receive a minimum of 60 years in jail.  The judge will have to determine whether Sandusky serves his sentence for these individual offenses concurrently -- meaning simultaneously -- or consecutively.

None of the other offenses has such a low-end boundary, so the 68-year-old Sandusky could theoretically be sentenced to as little as 10 years. 


Those unfamiliar with the criminal justice system often find it bizarre that a defendant could serve time for two or more crimes at once.  After all, a prisoner serving two 30-year sentences at the same time is being punished the same as a person serving the same sentence for a single crime.  Practical realities, however, require this common occurrence.  If defendants were not routinely able to serve sentences simultaneously, a very substantial number of prisoners would be serving life sentences for offenses far from the worst in our criminal codes.

Ex-Penn State football aide McQueary files $4M whistleblower lawsuit

Sentencing guidelines in many states like Pennsylvania instruct the judge on the appropriate sentence for each individual count. For instance, the judge is required to give Sandusky an indeterminant sentence of 10 to 20 years on the involuntary deviate sexual intercourse counts.  But judges in Pennsylvania, as is common throughout the country, have almost absolute discretion to determine whether the sentences for those counts will be served consecutively. So the judge's determination of which sentences should be served consecutively will thus be the single greatest factor determining the actual number of years Sandusky receives.

A young man known as "Victim 1" and who testified against former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky is suing the university claiming it cared more for its reputation than it did about child safety. NBC's Lester Holt reports.

That means that Judge John Cleland has the discretion to give Sandusky a sentence that would permit him to be released after 10 years, just as he has the discretion to give him a sentence that could require him (in theory) to spend over 400 years in prison.  Given the number and seriousness of the counts, the lower end of this range seems improbable -- for any judge.

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For some judges, the upper end of this range would be an attractive option.  But anything greater than 25 years would mean a life sentence as a practical matter. In other words, Sandusky's life would not be changed, practically speaking, by adding another 375 years to a 25-year sentence.  A judge could see a multi-century sentence as a way to send a strong message to would-be child molesters without changing either a defendant's punishment of the state's cost of incarceration.  More cynically, a judge presiding over a case with this type of profile could see a multi-century sentence as a way to grab headlines and increase his reputation as someone who dealt severely with America's best-known serial pedophile.

But Cleland is not a grandstander.  We saw that time and again throughout the course of the criminal proceedings.  He thoughtfully considered defense motions.  Despite community pressure, he rejected a prosecution request that Sandusky not be permitted to sit on his back porch while out on bond.  His tone and demeanor were measured throughout one of the most closely watched criminal cases in the history of the country.  His sentence may approach the century mark, but a maximum sentence seems unlikely. 

The young man known as "Victim 2" in the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse case spoke out for the first time through his attorneys about how the former Penn State coach abused him and stalked him with phone messages. NBC's Ron Allen reports.

Nothing about Cleland -- or the seriousness of the facts of this case -- suggests, however, that Sandusky will receive a sentence of less than 25 years.  And that means a life sentence.  So the only real question is how he will serve out that sentence.  The Department of Corrections makes this determination and thus has a much larger role than Cleland in determining what the rest of Jerry Sandusky's life will be like.

'Shameful': Sandusky victim sues Penn State

A battery of tests will be conducted to determine Sandusky's mental state, physical condition, his risk to others and the risk that others pose to him.  He will then be classified for a level of security – minimum, medium, close or maximum.  No one factor is determinative, though the serious nature of the offenses will certainly be a factor.  The availability of housing meeting his security level will determine his specific placement and in making that determination, there is no official policy to prefer a facility close to the inmate's family.  He could be placed anywhere in Pennsylvania.

The Department of Corrections will further have to determine whether measures are needed to protect Sandusky from other prisoners.  If inmates express concern for their safety, the department takes that into consideration. But  Sandusky has expressed a desire to be in the general population, at least at his present facility.  If there is a safety concern, he could be given an individual cell, but otherwise remain in the general population. Or he could be placed in what is known as a special needs facility.  In such facilities, there is greater supervision of the inmates due to their risk of victimization because of factors like age, or mental impairment.  He could also be placed in administrative segregation for his protection, which would amount to solitary confinement for 23 hours a day. The department does not, however, have a presumption that child sex offenders will be at risk for victimization merely because of their crimes.

Former Penn State University assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky speaks to NBC's Bob Costas in a Rock Center exclusive interview.  Sandusky was charged earlier this month with 40 criminal counts accusing him of sexual abuse of minors.

The Department of Corrections, over the next month, not at Tuesday's sentencing hearing, will determine what the rest of Jerry Sandusky's life is like.  Just as the result of his trial was fairly certain, so is the practical result of his sentencing.  Practically, the few issues that remain relate only to the level of his custody and will not be affected by his sentence.

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It is not surprising, though, that there is still considerable interest in Tuesday's hearing.  Despite its foregone conclusion, Sandusky's trial drew an international audience.  Our interest in the legal proceedings against Sandusky was never really about the law at all.  The Bellefonte, Pa., courtroom provided merely a backdrop for our view of this human tragedy.  Tuesday's sentencing hearing provides the last glimpse that focuses on Sandusky's role in the tragedy.  Soon enough we will turn our attention, with the trial of Penn State officials, to the role of university officials and, as a context for understanding their actions, the part played legendary Penn State football Coach Joe Paterno in this tragedy.  

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Why don't they write about Joseph "TAMPON" Timpon, the South Florida hockey coach who is finally going on trial on October 16 next week for Lewd or Lascivious Molestation of a minor in Orange County, Florida ? Many hockey parents are watching this case in Florida, New Jersey, and Colorado, which were his previous stops. Joe Tampon was telling people the case was dropped yet when the court was contacted they said it was proceeding. Just like in the Sanduskey case, people were notified 6 years before to watch this scumbag and no one listened until it was too late. Supposedly he threatened the previous rinks with prosecution for libel and slander if they spoke of this since charges were never filed since he left town. So hopefully other news sources will pick this story up to prevent theses crimes from ever happenning to children again. Google Joseph Timpone hockey molestation and spread the word before he comes to your town !!! Hopefully justice will be done in this case as well.

    Reply#52 - Mon Oct 8, 2012 12:05 PM EDT

    These posts about Jerry getting his same treatment in prison is just as sick as he. I'd have to agree with Cathy and let him serve his prison time to 23hrs lock up, letting him watch and listen to all the sick deeds he was convicted of. The wife should also be investigated, there is no way she couldnt have known what he was up too.

    Put him away so his name is never heard again... no news, no books, no articles. Lock him in the dark in solitary confinment, otherwise we are just feeding and addinng to his sickness.

    bye, bye Jerry and wife hopefully... are there any children of his own that way assualted ? They never say...

    • 1 vote
    Reply#53 - Mon Oct 8, 2012 12:18 PM EDT

    Did he(Sanddusky) hold the big footall players,ages 18 to 23 and are grown men capable of kicking his azz if they didnt want to do those things,by gun point.I still dont see any laws broken,sounds like a few college kids came out of the closet every now and then for a peak.I know when i was 18 i was fully aware of right and wrong and even crazy homo stuff.And not even blackmail to keep me in college or promises of a scolarship or contract with a pro football team,would make me go down or take it from behide.

      #53.1 - Mon Oct 8, 2012 1:01 PM EDT

      WTF101 - You are SO ignorant of the facts. Penn State football players were NOT involved in this. Sandusky just happened to be an EX-football coach and chose his victims from The Second Mile foundation. A foundation that HE created.

        #53.2 - Mon Oct 8, 2012 2:20 PM EDT
        Reply

        Theirs lots each of us can do on getting these types of people locked up. The loop hole these sexual abusers use in their favor. Is the Statue of Limitation in their state. They know a young child will not come forward till years later. They use words where the young child is scared to tell their parents. These sexual abusers are good at their evil game.

        It's not hard for each of you on looking up the Statue of Limitation of sexual abuse of a child. What is a better time then now on writing your politicians in your state and getting it changed. Using this Sandusky Penn St. as an example.

        Thousands of these sexual abusers of small children walk free because of this loop hole of Statue of Limitations. Knowing they can do these evil things again and again.

        • 2 votes
        Reply#54 - Mon Oct 8, 2012 12:31 PM EDT

        y did psu throw millions of supporters, alumni, the kids who play the games under the bus? they ddint commit any crimes, y did they let the ncaa put millions of supporters, alumni, kids who play the game ,in jail???????????????????????????????????????? i just dont understand how one person commits a crime and millions of innocent people are punished , i have never understood this, must be coward conservatives who made this decision to punish millions of innocent people

          Reply#55 - Mon Oct 8, 2012 12:34 PM EDT

          Dont get me wrong,i cant stand child molesters in anyway shape or form,and in my opinion should be executed.But isnt he accused of having sex with college boys ages 18 to 22.To me that sounds like the young men are old enough to either fight him off if forced on.Definately old enough to know the difference between right and wrong.And if blackmail was the motive to use against them,that sounds like b.s.It sounds like the boys wanted to come out of the closset and make a little lawsuit money.

            Reply#56 - Mon Oct 8, 2012 12:35 PM EDT

            What rock did you just climb out from???? And what about just locking him in a dark room and throwing away the key, feeding him through a hole in the wall for the rest of his pathetic life????

            • 1 vote
            #56.1 - Mon Oct 8, 2012 12:39 PM EDT
            Reply

            A great judge once said (paraphrasing)

            He needs to be thrown in jail until the jail rots on top of him, then build a new jail around him and let that one rot too!

            • 1 vote
            Reply#57 - Mon Oct 8, 2012 12:46 PM EDT

            Since he has taken no responsibility for his crimes he should never walk as a free man. He will forever be a threat to children because he thinks what he has done is normal and he has a family that is just as sick as he is that has covered for him and would not blink an eye if he resumed his deviant behavior.

            • 3 votes
            Reply#58 - Mon Oct 8, 2012 12:57 PM EDT

            Burn him...I'll bring the matches...

            • 2 votes
            Reply#59 - Mon Oct 8, 2012 1:00 PM EDT

            Prison is where your sentence truly begins . . . There is no place to hide in prison. The prisoners run the place. They'll do whatever they like with Sandusky.

            • 1 vote
            Reply#60 - Mon Oct 8, 2012 1:11 PM EDT

            You watch too much television.

            He'll wind up in protective custody...

              #60.1 - Mon Oct 8, 2012 1:28 PM EDT

              You watch too much television.

              And it would seem you don't watch enough!

              He'll wind up in protective custody

              Oh . . . you mean like that priest Father Gagan? . . . did him alot of good now didn't it.

              Think before you speak! . . . it's a well known fact WHO runs the prisons.

              • 1 vote
              #60.2 - Mon Oct 8, 2012 1:55 PM EDT

              @badAnimal, PTByrd is not that far off, what he said may come true if special precautions are not taken:

              John J. Geoghan a convicted pedophile in a similar high profile case was placed in general population and the results were widely reported.

              TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
              August 24, 2003

              pedophile priest John J. Geoghan, whose case helped set the stage for the resignation of Cardinal Bernard F. Law of the Boston archdiocese, died yesterday shortly after reportedly being attacked in the state prison here.

              Joseph L. Druce, 37, who was serving a life sentence at the Souza-Baranowski prison, was charged with murder in connection with the former priest's death, according to District Attorney John J. Conte.

              Mr. Geoghan died at UMass Memorial - Health Alliance Leo-minster Campus after being strangled at the prison shortly before noon, Mr. Conte said, adding that he will seek a murder indictment.

                #60.3 - Mon Oct 8, 2012 2:02 PM EDT

                John J. Geoghan a convicted pedophile in a similar high profile case was placed in general population and the results were widely reported.

                Just for the record, he was never in the general population. He was in protective custody twenty-three hours a day and another prisoner occupying the same row of cells jammed the priests electronically controlled cell door, entered his cell when it was time for his recreational hour and beat him to death before guards could open the re-jammed door.

                Geoghan's case was a perfect example that nobody's safe anywhere in prison . . . even in protective custody. The prisoner's literally dictate what happens in there. That's a fact. Any prison guard will tell you that as well.

                • 1 vote
                #60.4 - Mon Oct 8, 2012 7:12 PM EDT
                Reply

                Sandusty would walk as a free man if he did these things in Kansas and Missouri because of the Statue of Limitations of Child Molestation in them states. 5 years in Kansas, 3 years in Missouri. A good example for each of you to check your state. Kansas use to be 2 years.

                I promise you, if you have social service department confirming the act and the Judge knowing from the information the act took place. The adult child molester will walk free from the Statue of Limitation. The only thing the Judge can do afterwards, is be in tears apologizing to the parents.

                I happen to be one of these parents and not the only parents at the time.

                • 1 vote
                Reply#61 - Mon Oct 8, 2012 1:29 PM EDT

                The worst part is I don't think he (Sandusky) thinks that he did anything wrong! No remorse no feeling of guilt nothing.

                The best he can hope for is life without parole (based on consecutive sentences). Honestly if he were paroled even when he was 90 I believe someone would try to kill him.

                • 1 vote
                Reply#62 - Mon Oct 8, 2012 1:50 PM EDT

                @Con-science No one is defending Paterno - just stating the facts that he did notify the head of University Park Police about the incident (Gary Schultz).

                He should be at fault for "passing the buck" to trusted superiors who were more qualified in handling the situation. The whole grand theory that Paterno tried to cover up anything for the sake of his football program just isn't supported by any "evidence"out there, and would be complete conjecture.

                Curley and Schultz are much more culpable, but sadly will get off easily in the public's eye simply because they're not "big names". The more people try to point the finger at someone who is no longer alive to make a defense, the more they exonerate the (living) people who need to be held accountable.

                And seriously - how about this inept law enforcement? What thorough police report (1998) ends with "Told Sandusky not to shower with children anymore. Case closed." ???

                • 2 votes
                Reply#63 - Mon Oct 8, 2012 1:54 PM EDT

                That adulterous piece of crap put his penis in lil' boy's butts to the point that he made them bleed. For that, and all your selfishness, I hope you rot in hell, Jerry. You piece of shi*, you forever affected those young children! It is because of you and others like you that I am paranoid about the safety and well being of my lil 8 year old boy. I am forever asking him if everything is okay, and if anyone touched him or violated him. Too bad those young kids didn't have someone in their corner looking out for them, by and large. You piece of shi*! Children are not for your sexual amusement. You should have mentored them, talked to them, raised them up to believe in their talents...but all your did was rape them. Rot in hell you bastard!

                • 2 votes
                Reply#64 - Mon Oct 8, 2012 2:08 PM EDT

                And it should be stated : Children are not for sexual amusement- period and end of story!

                • 1 vote
                Reply#65 - Mon Oct 8, 2012 2:09 PM EDT

                How about a half-time show at a Penn State football game fearuring Sandusky and a pack of horny apes?

                • 1 vote
                Reply#66 - Mon Oct 8, 2012 2:14 PM EDT

                Just sicking!

                • 1 vote
                Reply#67 - Mon Oct 8, 2012 2:19 PM EDT

                A Handy Resource: The Biggest Media Myths of the Jerry Sandusky Scandal

                Submitted by John Ziegler on Sun, 09/23/2012 - 14:59

                For the Uninitiated: The Biggest Media Myths of the Jerry Sandusky Scandal

                Since details don’t seem to really matter anymore, here is the “Cliff Notes” version of how the media created a false narrative (which they refuse to correct) in the Jerry Sandusky scandal. You might think of this as “Why Nearly Everything You Think You Know About the Penn State Story is False.” Please feel free to share it as a resource with those whose minds you are trying to open about what really happened here.

                In the basic order in which they occurred, these are the biggest media-created myths…

                Mike McQueary saw a young boy getting raped by Jerry Sandusky in a Penn State shower.

                (McQueary saw no such thing and has said under oath that he saw no such thing. Sandusky was found not guilty of this charge at trial and there are many valid reasons to doubt McQueary’s story and the way in which it has been interpreted.)

                Mike McQueary told Joe Paterno he witnessed a rape of a young boy.

                (McQueary himself has said that did not come close to happening and has never said under oath that he ever told anyone at the time all the specifics he now claims he "witnessed.")

                Joe Paterno did “nothing” with the information McQueary gave him.

                (Paterno immediately contacted and met with both his superior and the person in charge of the campus police and then had them meet with McQueary. Penn State then contacted Sandusky’s employer about the McQueary incident.)

                Joe Paterno’s testimony proves he “knew” at the time McQueary saw something “sexual.”

                (While Paterno used those words in his testimony, it is not clear what he really intended to mean by them. There is also circumstantial evidence that Paterno may have been “fed” those words by McQueary or someone else because he needed to refresh his memory of the ten year old conversation at the age of 84. It should be noted that in the report on Paterno's police interview he gave just before his testimony there is no mention whatsoever of McQueary having told him something of a "sexual" nature.)

                Mike McQueary is a credible witness.

                (McQueary’s story has changed significantly both publicly and privately. It has shifted each time seemingly based on his self interest at that particular moment. He also has a history of making false accusations and engaging in highly inappropriate sexual conduct himself. McQueary had an incentive to give investigators what they wanted because he might have been charged with "not reporting," and now has an incentive to lie in order to maintain his "whistleblower" lawsuit against Penn State.)

                The charges against Tim Curley and Gary Schultz were legitimate.

                (They were clearly charged with perjury because, if they weren’t, McQueary’s testimony, since they largely contradict it, would have been essentially hung out to dry. As for the “not reporting” charge, it is not even clear that they were “mandated reporters” under a poorly written law and, even if they were, it is hard to understand how they were charged and Dr. Dranov, who spoke to McQueary the night of the episode, and McQueary himself, were not.)

                Gary Schultz testified that McQueary told him it was “sexual’ in nature.

                (Schultz’s testimony is, frankly, bizarre, and perhaps the greatest proof that there was no “cover up.” Having retired two years earlier, he obviously has forgotten almost everything about what happened many years before, but, even more incredibly, his description of what McQueary told him is obviously based on what he IMAGINED might have happened in the shower after hearing McQueary’s “no details” account of the shower scene.)

                Joe Paterno admitted guilt with his “I wish I had done more” statement.

                (This is simply an absurd and self-severing media interpretation. He said, “With the benefit of hindsight,” that he wishes he had done “more.” This is nothing other than a statement of the obvious which should/should have been stated by literally hundreds of other people in this case. If the head of American Airlines said the same thing about 9/11, would anyone seriously take that as an admission of “guilt”?)

                Joe Paterno knew everything that happened in State College and ran all of Penn State.

                (Paterno was obviously powerful, but he was not “all powerful” and, especially as he aged, did not “rule” Penn State. For instance, the baseball field was placed across the street from the football stadium against his wishes and his hand written note during Sandusky’s retirement negotiations saying that he should not be allowed to bring kids on campus was ignored.)

                Jerry Sandusky’s retirement was related to the 1998 criminal investigation of him.

                (Contrary to numerous media reports even after the release of the Freeh Report, the investigation actually concludes the exact opposite by specifically exonerating Paterno from having knowledge of any allegations against Sandusky before telling him he would never be the head coach at Penn State, which facilitated his retirement.)

                Joe Paterno was fired because of his role in the scandal.

                (It will become clear that the key moment in the events which led to the firing of Joe Paterno was the cancellation of his final Tuesday press conference, which cut off his chance to change the emerging media narrative and made it clear that Paterno’s job was in great peril. That decision was made by one person with an obvious vendetta against Paterno, board member John Surma.)

                The student riot which followed Paterno’s firing was because of anger over the football team being harmed.

                (There is just no evidence to support this media-created narrative. Only a few students rioted, there are strong indications that the media actually urged them to do so, and it is not a coincidence that a television truck was the largest object of their ire. Most students were upset at the lack of due process for a guy they saw as a grandfather figure.)

                The Syracuse pedophilia case didn’t deserve the same treatment as Penn State’s.

                (Please. The Syracuse case involved a prior botched investigation, a current assistant coach, victims which came directly from the program, an actual tape proving the allegations, and a head coach who called the victims money grubbing liars. Had ESPN wanted to make it just as big as Penn State, they easily could have, but a huge percentage of ESPN workers went to Syracuse.)

                “Everyone” in State College knew that Jerry Sandusky was a pedophile.

                (The reality is that no one knew Sandusky was a pedophile because he had done such a good job of “grooming” the entire town. He had dozens of foster children, numerous adopted children, and founded the largest troubled children’s charity in the state. Sandusky created a “big lie” that no one, not even his wife, suspected was a façade.)

                This was a “Penn State” scandal.

                (Of all of the entities that failed in their obligation to protect children, Penn State was far behind the various law enforcement agencies involved in the 98 investigation, the Second Mile charity, and the parents/guardians/teachers/coaches of the victims.)

                The Freeh Report was a legitimate investigation.

                (The investigation never even spoke to any of the five Penn State people closest to the story and its outrageous conclusions are not remotely backed up by the meager evidence that it found.)

                The Freeh Report’s allegation of a cover up makes even basic sense.

                (The report never even tries to explain why it is that Paterno, who was essentially supposedly acting as a “Mafia Don” in this cover up, allowed his employee Mike McQueary to testify as he did or why Paterno himself didn’t simply say, “I don’t remember.” It also never addresses why Tim Curley, who had a young boy who was frequently exposed to Sandusky went along with the cover up, or why Curley, who supposedly had his life destroyed by a Paterno-led cover up, issued a statement at Paterno’s death praising his “honor and integrity.”)

                Joe Paterno had any reason to fear “negative publicity” from reporting Sandusky.

                (He didn’t like Sandusky, Sandusky was a former coach, and Paterno’s sterling reputation would have given him any benefit of the doubt in 2001 if Sandusky would have been turned over to authorities. As the Syracuse case shows, Paterno, who never gave a damn about “negative publicity,” had nothing really to fear anyway.)

                Joe Paterno had real knowledge of the 1998 investigation and lied about it.

                (The email evidence that Paterno “knew” about 1998 is incredibly thin and potentially not even related to him but rather Sandusky. It also would have been technically illegal for Paterno to be informed of the details and even Freeh admits that there is no evidence that Paterno was ever informed of its conclusion.)

                Penn State had any responsibility for what happened in 1998.

                (All Penn State knew was a vague and fairly mild allegation was made and that a law enforcement investigation, thanks to a report from an “expert” who concluded that Sandusky was not a pedophile, determined that no charges should be filed. What were they supposed to do? Presume that a local legend not charged with a crime was actually guilty and therefore destroy a massive children’s charity?!)

                There was a major problem with Penn State’s “culture.”

                (This was simply a concoction by Louis Freeh intended to be his back up in case the alleged “cover up” evidence didn’t pan out. Penn State’s statistical record on football academics was one of the best in the nation for decades and Paterno’s former players universally support the notion that he put academics/character over anything else.)

                The fact that Penn State didn’t fight back proves that they are “guilty.”

                (Most people simply don’t understand this basic chain of events: Surma and the BOT unanimously decide to prematurely fire Paterno mistakenly thinking that it will “end” the story, the students riot and are castigated unfairly, killing their resolve to fight back in the future, the alumni object strongly to the BOT’s action and eventually elect three new members, the BOT needs to justify the firing of Paterno and they commission the Freeh Report, Freeh gets paid $6.5 million by the BOT and knows exactly what they and the media want, Freeh issues an absurd report which the Penn State administration has zero incentive to refute it and the media fosters the idea that any fight back shows Penn State doesn’t “get” it, this leads the statue being taken down in an effort to placate the NCAA which decides to take advantage of the reality that they can create whatever punishment they want without any opposition from Penn State or the media.)

                The NCAA sanctions are remotely logical/appropriate.

                (Not only did the NCAA have no jurisdiction over a criminal matter, but the sanctions made absolutely no sense. Taking away victories for something that had nothing to do with gaining a competitive advantage is simply absurd, but even more ridiculous is the notion that Penn State had any culpability starting in 1998 because a botched law enforcement investigation they had limited knowledge of resulted in charges not even being filed. It also appears as if the NCAA didn’t even remotely understand that Freeh Report, as their president has laughably claimed that it had subpoena power, which it in no way had.)

                Those who don’t want to “move on” are blinded cult members.

                (The ‘move on” movement is a sure sign that the true story has not been allowed to be told here. How in the world is it remotely just to punish severely before all the facts are close to being in and then claim that it is now time to “move on” because the punishment has already been decided? How does that not sound like something right out of the book 1984?)

                No media celebrity has taken up the other side of the story, so it must not exist.

                (We now live in a world where celebrity is everything and the weight of a given perspective is directly proportional to the fame of the person providing it. But famous media people inherently have something to lose and the massive media momentum and outright intimidation on one side of this story has prevented anyone from this group, already not known for their courage, from having the guts to even give the other side a remotely fair shake. There is just too much risk involved.)

                The truth is a significant factor in what gets reported by the news media.

                (While public trust in the news media is at all-time low, it is still much higher than it should be. Thanks to economic pressures and the ability to determine almost instantly which stories “pop” and which don’t, ratings are all that matter in the modern media, especially the sports media. This is why the “fall of Joe Paterno” is far more desirable a narrative than the “Jerry Sandusky is a pedophile” story and why it is exponentially more exciting than the “potential fall of a Syracuse coach who isn’t as famous and who nobody ever really expected very much from anyway.” The sad reality of modern life is that a complicated truth simply can no longer remotely compete with a simple story that will sell.)

                  Reply#68 - Mon Oct 8, 2012 2:22 PM EDT

                  We the people are expected to pay this "taker of souls" room and board and give him 3 squares./ I do not want to pay his way through life.

                  " HANG HIM BY HIS BALLS"

                  • 2 votes
                  Reply#69 - Mon Oct 8, 2012 2:25 PM EDT

                  Someone posted that he would enjoy his stay in prison, but there are no children there! He may like giving it from behind but only to boys, not men. I hope they brutally rape him multiple times daily, and not just with parts of their bodies!! Lots of really big things!!

                  • 1 vote
                  Reply#70 - Mon Oct 8, 2012 2:25 PM EDT

                  Makes me sick. I hope the judge makes sure the only time he leaves that prison is in a body bad. Far to many people walk away with a slapped wrist and it's disgusting. In the town I grew up in a man raped and sodomized his "best friends" 5 year old daughter. He spent 4 years in prison and is now out on parole. These sick p.o.s need to stay in prison.

                  • 2 votes
                  Reply#71 - Mon Oct 8, 2012 2:31 PM EDT

                  Chances are they are going to give this sorry piece of social filth a couple of years, that is the culture we live in. After all it is inappropriate behavior with a child and not homosexual rape. Can't offend the gays can we. This is Obama and Bidensworld now and all this filthy and decadent is acceptable. Your children will be politically prostituted right out of your arms with NAMBLA "below eight or it is too late" agenda. I am sickened so deeply at America's drop in morals, you worry about big TVs, cell phone, and all that glitters, fast sleek cars, and you sell your future. You let this filth tell you there's no GOD, look what we have achieved, and done it on our own. Sounds like "Tower of Babel" doesn't it. well it is just babel we get out of Washington, so yea it is. Vote for me, Vote for me, and sodomise you later, in more ways than one. Sick, just sick. This sorry garbage needs to be placed into general population, get himself what he gave and terrorised all these young boys, a taste of his own torment. His wife who also helped him in his escapades needs to be procecuted as well, and all that surrounded him during his trial. Folks in the south know that social decadence is a festering wound, gaping and infected institutionalized by Washington. Misery is what is being brought upon us by design. May GOD help us.

                  • 1 vote
                  Reply#72 - Mon Oct 8, 2012 2:59 PM EDT

                  This pervert didnt do these things alone. The old reprobates that used the so called charity, as their own candy store, are free to go and do likewise again. There is never just one of them. It took many ,many years for the stink to get so bad that a single person will go to the pokey. The sordid Franklin coverup story, tells of young boys and young men being flown all over to service the big shot perverts(alledgedly) Google the story. The lesser servants get to go to jail. The others hide behind their wealth and lawyers.

                  • 2 votes
                  Reply#73 - Mon Oct 8, 2012 3:12 PM EDT

                  It makes my blood boil to know that the welfare of the prisoner is taken into consideration when placing them.... If someone is found GUILTY of a violent crime - who gives a rats arse about the "safety" of the scumbag in prison. In the case of Sandusky, how about giving him life and his cell can be the prison shower! I hope he gets it over and over and over again and lives many years having this happen every single day.

                  • 2 votes
                  Reply#74 - Mon Oct 8, 2012 3:22 PM EDT

                  MSN just posted a poll question about the sentence he should receive and 3% said Probation and Treatment. I clicked on results thinking NO ONE would vote for that but of course some idiots don't have a brain. 3% of I don't care how many. Are you freakin kidding me? Please tell me that was some sick joke.

                  • 1 vote
                  Reply#75 - Mon Oct 8, 2012 3:32 PM EDT

                  No one like Sandusky should be shown any mercy! Throw the book at him and not just to make an example out of him but to give him what he deserves. Creep!

                  • 1 vote
                  Reply#76 - Mon Oct 8, 2012 3:32 PM EDT
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