I've been thinking the same thing.
Oh, you mean like what happened to this fine chap :
The tenacious D.A. that was investigating Sandusky; - who suddenly decided to go AWOL, - and hasn't been seen from in six years...?
Say 'hello' to Ray Gricar.
Posted on 11/10/2011 11:02:18 AM PST by reformjoy
Despite what you may have heard from the vast majority of the sports media, we still don’t know for sure what exactly, if anything, Joe Paterno actually did or didn’t do in order to suddenly get fired after 61 years of incredible service to a university he almost literally built.
That isn’t my assessment as someone who grew up as a fan of the guy. That is the clear admission of John Surma, who voted for and publicly announced (in one of the most arrogant and tone-deaf press conferences in memory) that the legend of JoePa was officially finished.
Amazingly, after revealing that the assistant coach who actually witnessed Jerry Sandusky raping a young boy back in 2002 (and according to Paterno’s grand jury testimony, soft pedaled his description of the event to the head coach) and did nothing more than what Paterno did, was still employed by Penn State, Surma refused to explain the exact cause of Paterno’s firing.
Instead, he only said it was in the “best interest” of the university. When questioned as to whether this was a situation where the board simply had more information about what Paterno knew about the scandal than the public, Surma openly admitted (in an incredibly dismissive manner) that this was not the case.
To be clear, the conclusion may have been correct. But why exactly was it in the “best interest” of Penn State to unceremoniously fire the man who put them on the map on the very day he had already announced that he would retire at the end of the year?
It was clearly because the story had become far too big to have hanging around the program for at least four more games (assuming they still want to go to a bowl game after getting crushed in their last three games, which they will be).
There is no doubt that the media circus was not going away as long as Paterno was still, even as figurehead, technically at the helm.
And why was that? It is because ESPN—which now has a virtual monopoly of sports news coverage—had decided that this was the biggest sports story of the decade and that Joe Paterno was the key figure.
For the past three days, ESPN has basically blown out its normal broadcasting schedule to go with virtual wall-to-wall coverage of this scandal. Almost all of that coverage has been focused on Paterno and whether he could possibly continue as the head coach.
It would be impossible to know for sure, but it is quite plausible that Paterno’s name was mentioned at least 50 times for every one of Sandusky's, and the percentages were easily even more out of proportion when it came to video presence.
Even ESPN’s own Rece Davis sheepishly mentioned the massive disparity during the coverage of last night’s “riots” on campus (I sure hope the board of trustees is happy that they traded uncomfortable pictures of Paterno being celebrated on Saturday for those of the campus uprising).
I have no doubt that a significant percentage of Americans mistakenly believe that Paterno was fired for having been a child molester.
I want to make clear that if Paterno knew as much as he could/should have known and truly did nothing more than is currently known about his efforts to stop Sandusky’s reign of terror, then he is getting off easy. But, as is occasionally mentioned even on ESPN, we simply don’t know that yet.
But that hasn’t stopped virtually every ESPN commentator from prematurely calling for Paterno’s head (when you have so much time to fill you need to keep moving the story along, no time to let the wheels of justice turn!) during their tidal wave of endless live coverage.
ESPN has simply not been remotely fair or objective in their coverage of this story, and it is increasingly obvious that they had a profound impact on the board of trustees deciding that it was in Penn State’s “best interest” to simply end it, regardless of the known facts.
Watching their live coverage of the announcement of the firing and the student demonstrations that followed reminded me of MSNBC’s reporting of a Republican convention.
Steve Levy and Stuart Scott were literally dumbfounded that anyone could possibly be publicly supporting Joe Paterno (hadn’t they heard? ESPN had already decided he needed to go!) and they bent over backwards to diminish the credibility of the student’s fury.
At one point, after, not coincidentally, a local TV news van was toppled over and reports surfaced of students shouting “F--k the media!,” Scott and Levy asked their on-the-scene reporter in bewilderment why their business had become such a focus of rage.
The reporter responded that he thought it is was just a case of misplaced anger and a “blaming the messenger.”
The reality is that ESPN is not only largely responsible for why Penn State felt they had to fire Paterno, but they also should (but because of their monopoly, they won’t) share at least some responsibility for why Sandusky was able to get away with his alleged crimes for so long.
Thanks in part to the shoddy reporting on this case, most people don’t seem to realize that this story didn’t just suddenly emerge out of nowhere.
Allegations against Sandusky have been public for years and yet, despite the fact that ESPN has insisted all week that this is the biggest story to maybe ever hit college sports, I don’t recall ESPN ever bothering to devote any significant time or resources to the long-emerging scandal.
It was only after a grand jury, which had been in existence for years, finally handed down indictments (including to an Athletic Director who is still somehow technically employed by Penn State) during a time period when baseball is over and the NBA is in a lockout, that they suddenly decided that this story would make fantastic programming for a week.
Here is where Paterno’s own legend/celebrity ended up causing his undoing.
If he had just been a normal college coach, the wall-to-wall coverage would never have been able to sustain itself, because the viewer interest simply wouldn’t have been there.
Can you possibly imagine ESPN spending a full week on whether the coach at Missouri had done more than legally required to stop a guy who hadn’t coached there in 12 years from committing horrible crimes no one likes to talk about? After one day of dismal ratings, ESPN would have immediately moved on.
Then of course there is the old media fallback explanation of “hypocrisy” (used most often to justify more coverage of Republican sex scandals than the Democratic variety). Paterno, the reasoning goes, needed to be held to a higher standard because we thought he was so much better than everyone else in this rotten business.
It all resulted in a perfect media storm of selfishness and disgrace. One that resulted in the worst ending to a real-life fairy tale in my lifetime and which quite possibly will provoke Paterno’s eventual death.
When that inevitably happens, I won’t be holding my breath for ESPN, the self-appointed moral arbiter of sports (when convenient for their bottom line) to take any of the same type of responsibility for his destruction as they rushed to put on Paterno’s for someone else’s heinous crimes.
So what?
It’s not a strawman arguement, it’s the whole point of the article, which names the names and gives example. There are plenty who are trying to pin this all on Joe. Find the scapegoat, make it go away.
Why? Were they in on it too? Don’t want it to get bigger, implicate more people? Keep us distracted on the symbol, the figurehead? Joe got hung on his own petard...he lost his job. There are others that need long jail sentences and the death penalty.
I don’t know why that is so lost on this board.
You cannot intimidate famous people into silence with threats of physical violence - all Paterno would need to do is go to the press and then any hint of violence against him would ensure the intimidator was finished.
The only way to intimidate famous people into silence is by threatening to expose things they do not want exposed.
“I want to make clear that if Paterno knew as much as he could/should have known and truly did nothing more than is currently known about his efforts to stop Sandusky’s reign of terror, then he is getting off easy. But, as is occasionally mentioned even on ESPN, we simply don’t know that yet.”
Really??? Because Joe Pa’s own Grand Jury testimony and statements about the event pretty much confirm he did nothing more than is currently known about this situation, at least in terms of what he should have done. Whether or not he covered up for Sandusky back in the late 90s when the original investigation into allegations happened is yet to be seen.
This guys in dream land if he thinks Joe Pa has been unjustly fired. Yes, in credit to his lifetime of work at PSU it would have been nice to let him retire, and save face, but there was no way, with what he has admitted to in regards to this, that PSU could let that happen.. I’m sure the board would have liked to, but even the board has to know that they were facing being absolutely shut off from alumni and foundation money overnight if they held onto Joe Pa through the season.
Joe Pa wasn’t the only one let go, and won’t be the last. It is sad that this is how his career will end, but you cannot excuse allowing abuse to go on just because you win football games.
Honestly I think there is way way way more to this story, the fact Sandusky could walk into a school and take a child out without parental consent at will tells me there is a WHOLE lot more to this that hasn’t even hit yet. For that to happen, folks in the school had to be complicite.. likely folks in the Police and DA office had to be complicit... The sheer scope of what looks like was going on up there in State College, seems to be pointing to me anyway that Sandusky may not have been a lone wolf, but that a larger subculture of pedophiles protecting and feeding their own exists there.
Indeed it is.
No one is saying that Paterno and Paterno alone should be the scapegoat.
All of his critics are saying that this should be investigated no matter where it goes and that Paterno should not just get off the hook because he's won a bunch of games.
When you say that his critics want to "hang it all on Joe" you are arguing against a straw man.
Paterno either knew what was going on at some level (perhaps not the heinous nature of the acts) or he was shielded from knowing by the football-first mentality that exists in Happy Valley.
Either way, it was a culture that had to come to an immediate end. This action won't ease the pain of the children who were victimized, but not taking action most certainly would have added to their pain, IMO.
I've been thinking the same thing.
Oh, you mean like what happened to this fine chap :
The tenacious D.A. that was investigating Sandusky; - who suddenly decided to go AWOL, - and hasn't been seen from in six years...?
Say 'hello' to Ray Gricar.
“Joe Paterno’s quite limited role”
LIMITED ROLE????
You find out someone is having sex with underage boys in your showers, and you just tell your boss and move on... LIMITED? His inaction (and the inaction of others) in this situation lead to at least 8-9 more years of abuse going on!
Frankly I suspect Joe was well aware of Sandusky from at least the late 90s and He and PSU helped cover it up back during that investigation.
LIMITED ROLE, please. Joe Pa, played the game, he covered his butt legally and washed his hands... Yes, he’s the highest profile head up there at PSU, but he isn’t the first nor will he be the last gone over this.
You are told boys are being sexually molested and you don’t call the cops?? Come on.
The things that went on up there, both on PSU campus and off, show me this is bigger than PSU. It also makes me wonder if Sandusky is a lone wolf or not, the more that comes out, the more I think we are looking at a possible subculture of pedophiles at work up there in “happy valley”.
I’m not hearing that. The commentary I’m hearing and reading is all focused on Joe. Keep that spotlight on him. The media wants to take him down and let the rats scurry away. It stinks.
Whatever Joe gets, those above him deserve 10X worse. Joe is gone, he got his. There seems to be no desire to turn that spotlight on to anyone else far more deserving. They don’t want to seem to move on. Until I see that I remain very skeptical of anyone who’s still ranting about Joe. There’s alot of people out there willing to protect a potential pedophile ring for some reason.
I don’t know all the facts of the case so I am keeping my power dry. But I have read that Joe retired (fired) the perp years ago. However it was Penn States’ policy (not Joes’) to allow him use of university facilities. I have also read that Joe was told the perp was “horsing around” in the shower with a kid (not raping) and Joe reported it. That is what I have read, not sure if it is true. Someone screwed up big time, maybe a few someones I just have not figured out who yet. Could be Joe, I just do not know who YET. But I do not trust the media to report the story fairly and accurately just yet.
He hasn't gotten his. Paterno deserves to die in prison.
Morally, he is just as guilty as his superiors, not 10% as guilty as his superiors.
So be it.
It isn’t the media at fault here, it is those who covered up a crime!
“we still don’t know for sure what exactly, if anything, Joe Paterno actually did or didn’t do in order to suddenly get fired after 61 years of incredible service to a university he almost literally built.”
We know for sure he didn’t go to the cops, and that’s enough for me.
Try EVERYONE hiding the truth, but espically Paterno, who had the most power on campus and did nothing!
Me too. What I do know is that the grand jury pointed a great deal of the blame to Curley and Schultz, JoePa’s superiors. They had knowledge of things well beyond the others and deliberately disobeyed the law in not reporting it.
Curley, Schultz and Wadell the univ./2nd Mile lawyer are at the center of all this. they’re the ones who need the scrutiny right now. JoePa is gone and until we hear more there is nothing to be accomplished with a continued spotlight unless someone wants to distract from the others.
“I’ll wager a months pay that Paterno will not be with us a year from now. That’s what happens in cases like this.”
Ancient hyperachievers like Paterno, and plenty of regular joes too, die quickly after retiring anyway. He wasn’t lasting too many more seasons had he been able to pick his own retirement, either. If he does die from shame, though, it’ll be his own fault, not ESPN’s.
I absolutely don’t see it that way, and the grand jury didn’t see it that way either. The facts of the case don’t bear that out.
What a load. What Paterno admitted under oath to in the Grand Jury report is enough for him to be fired immediately.
“Whatever Joe gets, those above him deserve 10X worse”
I don’t get this notion that Joepa has superiors. He is a God on that campus. Grand high football poobahs like him run their own imperium in imperios. Do you really think some paper-pushing academic bureaucrat in the athletic department has more responsibility than him? Ha!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.