I know nothing about Penn State, nothing much about the people involved other than the news reports, and precious little about college football (though I have some experience with NCAA sports).
My overall take of the situation is that this is where the crack of generational ethics opened into a cavern, and Joe Pa fell into the hole.
In the distant past, crimes against children were considered unspeakable, literally. It would soil you or shame you if you did it, if you received it, and even if you spoke about it. People like JoePa probably were of the sort where it was too vile to think or say such things and he didn’t want to think about it or know about it. Thus he did the bare minimum as required.
I’m sure JoePa tried to be a Good Person and a great coach and didn’t expect or believe that turning his head somewhat regarding this pedophile could touch or affect his stature.
That is the problem. Today, it does. In fact, to many, it annihilates his status as a coach and a good human being. This is a very good topical moral question. Can you still be a great anything if you don’t stick your neck out to protect innocent victims?
My personal belief is, no. Was he a great coach? In some ways. Was he a great person? In some ways. But it’s like a wonderful German man, a scholar, studying in his little cottage around the corner from a concentration camp filled with starving dying Jews.
At some point Gd will call on us all to do the ultimate right thing, and he will be looking to see if we have the true right priorities.
JoePa chose the sanctity of the team and college football and Penn State over the protection of tortured children.
He can never whitewash that out. I feel terrible for him.
You make some decent comments, then let loose with this as if it is some sort of fact. This is apparently your opinion. It isn't a fact. The very premise makes no sense.
Joe hated tortured children! Joe knew! Joe covered up child rape for his football team!
WTF kind of person do you think Joe Paterno was?
“My overall take of the situation is that this is where the crack of generational ethics opened into a cavern, and Joe Pa fell into the hole.”
Joe was watching them dig the hole when he fell in.