Paterno died this morning

[Oswald von Wolkenstein]

I think it is very sad and that the reaction against him in light of the scandal was highly emotional. As more and more information comes out, it's clear that Paterno did all he could as an administrator and that if he had gone any further he could have made himself legally liable for harassment. I hope that they at least return his name to the trophy but thing it is quite a tragedy that he did not live to see himself vindicated.

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/22/us/pennsylvania-obit-paterno/index.html?hpt=us_c1

[JP226]

Good point, Joe Paterno, the very definition of Penn State Football, had no power beyond telling the guy he placed in the AD position that something was amiss...

[Oswald von Wolkenstein]

Good point, Joe Paterno, the very definition of Penn State Football, had no power beyond telling the guy he placed in the AD position that something was amiss...

He actually really didn't. As frustrating as that might seem. (He also had no evidence that what was alleged was true -- he wasn't in a position to go on a one man vigilante mission based on the allegations of a grad student who was gunning for a coaching job.) One thing that gets lost in all of this is that Law Enforcement was informed and did nothing -- shouldn't we be focusing some of the blame there?

[Acco]

He actually really didn't. As frustrating as that might seem. (He also had no evidence that what was alleged was true -- he wasn't in a position to go on a one man vigilante mission based on the allegations of a grad student who was gunning for a coaching job.) One thing that gets lost in all of this is that Law Enforcement was informed and did nothing -- shouldn't we be focusing some of the blame there?

I tend to agree with this, based on what I have read.

But I don't see how his death is political.

[Kitsunegari]

His name won't be vindicated because he admittedly could have done more and let this thing fester. I find it sad that there is so much sympathy for him but not the victims.

[Oswald von Wolkenstein]

His name won't be vindicated because he admittedly could have done more and let this thing fester. I find it sad that there is so much sympathy for him but not the victims.

Well, he was tried and hung out to dry in the court of public hysteria. The facts are that he was in no position to act as judge and jury in this case and he reported the misconduct immediately. He had a grad-assistant gunning for a coaching job, telling him that he witnessed something that involved another former coach committing a crime against a child. Paterno immediately reported it. Sandusky, who had been kept on as an ancillary figure by the University administration after the first alleged incident, was considered to be a philanthropist and a pillar of the community. Additionally,the previous charges were dropped against Sandusky.

What if Paterno made a public incident of this and then it turned out not to be true?

It is forgotten that the authorities who were supposed to deal with this were informed.

I hear people say that Paterno should have done more and my question is, what more could he have done? Honestly, in my mind, this is a man who was punished for following the procedure he was expected to follow and having faith that the system would work. I cannot see how Joe Paterno is to blame for Sandusky's alleged crimes and the failure of the system to address them quickly enough.

Maybe people know more than has been released to the public, but based on what we do know, it is my opinion that Paterno was treated unfairly.

Noting this about Paterno's situation in no way takes away from the victims. In many was, Paterno was simply the last victim of Sandusky's crimes.

__________________________

[Kitsunegari]

No he get out of the mandated reporter law by a loophole in PA law, he needed to make sure McQueary made a report to child protective services, calling him a victim is disgusting slap in the face to the actual victims.

[Oswald von Wolkenstein]

Tell me then what more he could have done. (Also, this whole thing literally killed him. I think that it's fair to say he was a victim of the scandal.)

[Kitsunegari]

Read my post, he should have been a mandated reporter along with McQueary.

It appears that in thePennsylvaniamandated reporting law, those individuals who work in institutional settings are provided an "out" by merely mandating that personnel such as educators pass suspected abuse information to their superiors. This distinction in thePennsylvaniareporting law creates a loophole, which is disturbing. AtPennStateUniversity, rather than holding first-hand responders responsible for reporting suspected abuse, thePennsylvaniastatute let Paterno and McQueary off the hook and gave them the opportunity to dilute the information as they passed it on to their administrative superiors.
I am not suggesting thatPennStateadministrators, including the university president, are not culpable for what occurred. Rather, I am making a case that Mike McQueary and Joe Paterno had a legal and ethical responsibility to report suspected abuse and were provided a legal escape throughPennsylvanialaw.

(Also, this whole thing literally killed him. I think that it's fair to say he was a victim of the scandal.)

For which he has himself to blame.

[Oswald von Wolkenstein]

Read my post, he should have been a mandated reporter along with McQueary.


For which he has himself to blame.

But both McQueary and Paterno claimed that they did report with full disclosure the incident to Curly and Spinner. And in fact it is those two administrators who have been indited for suppressing information. So again, I fail to see where Paterno acted inappropriately.

[Kitsunegari]

But both McQueary and Paterno claimed that they did report with full disclosure the incident to Curly and Spinner. And in fact it is those two administrators who have been indited for suppressing information. So again, I fail to see where Paterno acted inappropriately.

They would have been obligated to report directly to child services in most states, instead they passed the buck to their immediate superiors in the Penn State hierarchy (which is allowed in Pennsylvania). So, illegal: no, unethical considering the how the severity of the charges: yes.

[Oswald von Wolkenstein]

They would have been obligated to report directly to child services in most states, instead they passed the buck to their immediate superiors in the Penn State hierarchy (which is allowed in Pennsylvania). So, illegal: no, unethical considering the how the severity of the charges: yes.

They didn't pass the buck. They did exactly what they were supposed to under the system. Especially in Paterno's case, as he personally witnessed nothing, it would have be preposterous to take the case into his own hands. I mean the buck was also passed to the police and they did nothing. So I fail to see any of this as Paterno's fault or evidence that he failed to do all that he could have and should have.

[Gaidin]

Nothing to mourn. Nothing to celebrate. After fourty years of almost pure celebrity status to anyone who paid any attention to college football in the slightest, he managed to die a normal person because he didn't take that extra step.

[mrmouth]

As more and more information comes out, it's clear that Paterno did all he could as an administrator and that if he had gone any further he could have made himself legally liable for harassment.

So instead of that, you let children get raped? And that is actually being nice.

Joe Paterno’s life ended today, but it began to end long ago.

It began to end when he decided to let Penn State football be a vehicle for serial child-molestation at the hands of his trusted assistant. It continued to end in the infinite moments thereafter, every time he failed to speak up, failed to act, failed to protect, and failed to care.

Nothing in his life was more important than his grim, cowardly silence. There is no counterbalancing the moral ledger, or any mitigation by anything related to football. For years, he looked the other way while children were being assaulted, and his program was being used to enable the crimes.

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/01/...s-not-paterno/

[Oswald von Wolkenstein]

So instead of that, you let children get raped? And that is actually being nice.

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/01/...s-not-paterno/

Hinsight is amazing especially when people cannot see it. Paterno had no proof that kids were being raped, he had allegations. And he reacted appropriately to those allegations. Why is that so hard to understand?

[Kitsunegari]

Hinsight is amazing especially when people cannot see it. Paterno had no proof that kids were being raped, he had allegations. And he reacted appropriately to those allegations. Why is that so hard to understand?

Again, that's only the case if you consider the legally required minimum appropriate. In other states he would be facing criminal charges for not stepping up as a mandated reporter.

[Oswald von Wolkenstein]

Again, that's only the case if you consider the legally required minimum appropriate. In other states he would be facing criminal charges for not stepping up as a mandated reporter.

It's rhetorical to call it the "legally required minimum" -- it was in fact the standing and quite legal protocol at the university. The law did not change because of the Penn State case or even because this was a loop hole - the law change to give employees the right to call the police themselves without being punished at work for not following the chain of command.

[Kitsunegari]

It's totally justified though, the idea that Paterno would have been punished because of reporting this is laughable in light his stature.

[2-D Ron]

What a World we live in where a Paedo is mourned.

[Phier]

What a World we live in where a Paedo is mourned.

Are you trolling, are you uninformed, or do you really think Paterno was diddling little boys?