Penn State Said to Be Planning Paterno Exit Amid Scandal

New York Times ^ | 8 November 2011 | Mark Viera & Pete Thamel

[NewinTexsas]

You were the one who asked who would make such an assumption. I just pointed out that only an idiot would think Paterno would have intimidated the janitors into not making the report.

Only an idiot would think that the Great Sundusky would bang little boys in the PSU locker room. Unthinkable.

[NewinTexsas]

You can drop the ‘seem to be’

[Tribune7]

Joe Paterno wasn't just a coach. He was a father figure, and then a grandfather figure. He ruled the NCAA with moral authority, not legal authority.

IOW, Paterno was God and a bad thing happened and it's God's fault.

His excuse was "I did the bare legal minimum, and then I didn't worry about what happened to the boys."

Oh, but that is not his excuse. In fact, I don't think he's offered one yet.

I think the reasoning for his actions is going to be the proper people were diligently watching things and had every under control, and that he didn't believe what was happening was happening.

Now, God would not make that kind of mistake but people do.

Maybe I'm dead wrong and Paterno was doing a total and cynical CYA. If so, I'm sure that's going to come out as things unfold and I'll take everything I said back.

But right now I think Paterno is a decent guy who was trying to do his best.

And if he really did "rule the NCAA with moral authority" he did a pretty crap job.

[Tribune7]

Only an idiot would think that the Great Sundusky would bang little boys in the PSU locker room.

Guess I'm an idiot in that case.

Still not as big an idiot though as someone who thought those janitors didn't report the crime because they were afraid of JoePa.

[NewinTexsas]

But right now I think Paterno is a decent guy who was trying to do his best.

FIRED!

[Scoutmaster]

Still not as big an idiot though as someone who thought those janitors didn't report the crime because they were afraid of JoePa.

How much power did JoePa have at Penn State and in Pennsylvania?

In 2003, when Paterno was 78, the University - the Board of Trustees and President - asked Joe Paterno to retire. Joe said no. (he was still there until last night) That was the year after the 2002 molestation incident.

So how much power did JoePa have in 2002? In 2003, JoePa had the power to tell the Board of Trustees and the President to take a hike.

So, yeah, I think people might be afraid of JoePa.

Last night, after he was fired, students rioted, included flipping over a large television van.

When the Ohio State coach was fired for, among other things, covering up the fact that some players swapped jewelry for free tattoos, the students didn't rio. And Penn State, when Paterno was fired for his roll in facilitating long-term sexual abuse of pre-teen boys, and for not exercising moral judgment in reporting and/or following up on the molestation of a pre-teen in the football showers, students rioted.

That's how powerful Joe Paterno was. There no more 'facts' about Tressel. There wasn't even a Grand Jury report. There were no crimes; there were NCAA violations. Here, with a Grand Jury report (which those interviewed admitted they had never read), and at twenty boys molested, Paterno's suporters violently rioted.

Yeah. I would be afraid of Joe Paterno and his followers. I can only imagine the loyalty of his coaching staff in 2002 and the lengths they would go to not to embarrass him and Penn State.

[Tribune7]

Being a legend that is difficult to fire is not the same as having the power to fire other people.

What are you saying, that if the janitor wasn't fired JoePa would have had his cultists burn down the home of the president?

Hey, maybe Paterno was responsible for getting guys like this hired.

Or, maybe he's the real power behind these guys.

Penn State has a lot of problems but Paterno was not one of them.

And as much as I'm defending Paterno, I'm very glad to see Spanier gone.