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?
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.