I have thought from the beginning that many people should be charged criminally - Spanier, Curley, and Schultz at a minimum. There’s also Corbett and Ray Gricar, whose mysterious disappearance certainly doesn’t make things any clearer. The University and perhaps the state are in this up to their eyeballs.
I do not know whether Paterno told Curley not to pursue anything. My initial reading of those e-mails was that Paterno wanted them to pursue notification and Curley was the one who changed his mind. Logically I have not been able to wrap my mind around the fact that Paterno would’ve simultaneously reported it to his superiors (no matter how incompetent or symbolic, still his superiors), set up contact with the witness (McQueary), and still try to cover it up. You’d have to believe that he changed his mind after the initial meeting, which is certainly possible. It just seems more likely that Curley, Spanier, and Schultz were the ones involved in this.
I think that a passing reference to Paterno in the e-mails doesn’t clear anything up regarding what role he played in the aftermath. I’d have to check back to what he said initially, but I remember it being reported that there were at least two meetings with Paterno, Curley, and Schultz, so this could have come after that.
but I remember it being reported that there were at least two meetings with Paterno, Curley, and Schultz, so this could have come after that.
Then Paterno perjured himself in his grand jury testimony.
First, he said that he spoke with Curley, and only Curley, that one time at his house. He said he didn't know whether his report to Curley went to anyone else at Penn State.
Part of Paterno's testimony:
Q: You indicated that your report was made directly to Tim Curley. Do you know of that report being made to anyone else that was a university official?Mr. Paterno: No, because I figured that Tim would handle it appropriately.
Schultz testified that he met with Paterno, so either Schultz or Paterno perjured himself.
Plus, you have to believe that when Curley came back to Paterno to discuss the proposed three-point resolution, Curley didn't tell Paterno that Schultz and Spanier were in the loop. Otherwise, Paterno perjured himself when he said that he didn't know of any other university officials that knew of Paterno's report about Sandusky.
We know from emails and grand jury testimony that Schultz and Curley knew about the 1998 investigation. We know from the review of Paterno's schedule in the Paterno Library on the PSU campus that in 1998, Paterno's only cancellations of any events during the entire year started by cutting short a fundraising trip two days after the police first listened in on Sandusky (but before the police notified Sandusky), and continued with canceling a family vacation and every other appointment until Gricar announced that Sandusky would not be prosecuted. Then, Paterno went back to his scheduled fundraising and recruiting events and didn't miss another one the rest of the year.
We've been told that Sandusky was then told by Paterno that Sandusky would not follow Paterno as head coach.
Given that Curley and Schultz knew about the 1998 incident, Paterno's scheduling changes during that 1998 investigation, and Paterno's telling Sandusky he would not succeed him, I find it difficult to believe Paterno didn't know about the 1998 incident in 1998.