I don't think the anger over Paterno is about him being involved in a "cover-up", so much as his negligence. Paterno got a report of Sandusky "horsing around" with a young boy in the shower, as he put it. Whether the school thought this was something that needed to be report to the
real police or not, they thought it was serious enough to tell Sandusky not to use those facilities or bring young boys to them anymore. Yet, we have witnesses saying that Sandusky was still allowed to do just that, even after this decision was handed down.
Paterno must have known that, and apparently didn't do anything to stop it. I don't know that I would call that a cover-up, but it certainly seems negligent to me.
negligence does not have the same moral stink as does a cover=up.
I don’t know all the facts of the case, and so have refrained from any judgment on JP, who is no longer here to defend himself.
He is in God’s hands now, and justice will be done. Count on it.