I think it’s strange that McQueary reacted by telephoning his father after witnessing the shower incident. But I get the feeling that McQueary, McQueary’s father, and Paterno were just passing the buck. Each one simply told somebody else, to let that person then decide whether or not to notify the police, or to keep the information in-house.
Maybe there is a perverted “loyalty” within the football program that made them act this way. Or maybe they were scared of the politically-incorrect aspect of exposing a homosexual pedophile within the university community. (I wonder if it would have been handled differently if Sandusky had been seen sodomizing a 10-yr old GIRL?)
You don’t have to be the eyewitness of such a serious crime to be the first one to report it to the police. Paterno could have, and I believe SHOULD have, immediately given the available information to a law enforcement agency. It sounds like Paterno knew that McQueary was the eyewitness to a sex crime involving a 10-yr old victim, and knew that Sandusky was the suspect. That’s enough to start an investigation. The Grand Jury indictment is curiously vague about what McQueary told Paterno on Saturday morning. But I bet the information and circumstances were enough to make a reasonable person feel that the police should be notified.
The statements given recently by university officials makes it sound like a big cover-up.
McQueary was just a graduate assistant. He was a kid. Paterno is a legend, and Sandusky is the legend’s protege. He probably had no clue what to do. I think calling your father in that situation is a logical response. “Dad... you can’t believe what I saw!! What do I do??”