Congressman describes Paterno report findings

Allentown Morning Call ^ | 2-8-13 | Peter Hall

[FlJoePa]

Lehigh Valley Congressman Charlie Dent said Penn State's culture is not to blame for Jerry Sandusky's decades of child sexual abuse, according to a review of the university's internal investigation by Joe Paterno's family.

Dent, in a telephone interview Friday, said he had read summaries of the review commissioned by the late head football coach's family. The review is set to be published Sunday morning.

"To blame the culture of Penn State for Sandusky's crimes is a horrible mistake," Dent said Friday, characterizing the findings of one of the experts commissioned by the Paterno family. "To blame the culture of Penn State or even the football program … is not supported by the facts."

Former FBI Director Louis Freeh led an investigation commissioned by Penn State into the school's handling of sexual abuse allegations against Sandusky. The National Collegiate Athletic Association used that investigation in determing sanctions against the school and its football program.

Dent said the review cements his conclusion that Penn State has been "horribly mistreated" by the NCAA. After the college sports governing body hit Penn State with a $60 million fine and stripped the one-time Big10 powerhouse of football scholarships last summer, Dent called on NCAA president Mark Emmert to keep the money in Pennsylvania and restore opportunities for student athletes.

"The entire Penn State culture was punished based on this report," Dent said, adding that he will call for congressional hearings on the NCAA's decision.

Dent said the Paterno family's review comprises reports by four experts, including a former U.S. attorney general whom Dent would not identify. "The former attorney general says the Freeh report is seriously flawed, very flawed," Dent said.

[alarm rider]

Look, Saint Joe was not. He was an old man who stayed way too long, was surrounded by syncophants, yes men, glory long gone and the inability to realize that a grown man that he hired was buggering young boys. So, spin it there Penn State, but the truth is that it happened. You can run, spin, cry the blues, but you cannot escape the fact that you and your school will be forever tainted.

[SengirV]

If you truly are holding out judgement on Paterno, then you are one of the few Penn Staters who I’ve talked to, who are.

Most are like the one above claiming it was “illegal for JoePa to know about 1998” Like that is some kind of proof. Most grasp for anything and everything as an excuse. I’m sure they are salivating over this report as a justification for their beliefs. Are you?

[NittanyLion]

If you truly are holding out judgement on Paterno, then you are one of the few Penn Staters who I’ve talked to, who are.

Really? Because I talk to a lot and the majority of them have a hard time reconciling the man's lifelong record with what Louis Freeh claims he did, but simply admit they don't know. Which, after all, is the point of the Paterno team's response.

Louis Freeh doesn't get his next paycheck by producing reports stating that the facts in evidence don't allow for conclusions any more than climate change scientists get government grants by saying they're not sure if it's real. So Freeh drew conclusions based on facts not in evidence and his own inferences, likely intended for use by the university to improve its internal governance. But the NCAA and the public took Freeh's report as gospel and have used it to substantially devalue Paterno's estate and Penn State at large.

Could Freeh's conclusions be true? Yes, it's possible. Can anyone know with enough certainty to make definitive statements or take punitive action? Absolutely not.

[SengirV]

Shocked, the report says JoePa is as pure and innocent as anew born baby. As if there was ever any doubt as to the conclusion.

Enjoy your “proof”. Whatever it takes to get to sleep at night I suppose.

And if people thought penn staters were obnoxious before, after they thump their chests for weeks over this, it will reach whole new levels.

[NittanyLion]

Enjoy your “proof”. Whatever it takes to get to sleep at night I suppose.

What an absolutely bizarre statement. In the post you replied to I actually allowed that he might have done these things when I wrote, "Could Freeh's conclusions be true? Yes, it's possible. Can anyone know with enough certainty to make definitive statements or take punitive action? Absolutely not."

And then you come back with what amounts to a personal attack claiming I'm a closed-minded person looking for anything that supports my belief. When the fact of the matter is that you're the one with the obvious axe to grind. I'm not sure what your own motivation is, but it's clear you're more interested in attacking strawmen then actually debating.

[Alaska Wolf]

We just want the truth

The truth is PSU administrators and officials shamefully failed to protect innocent children.