Paterno knew only that McQueary said it happened, i.e. hearsay evidence.
Re: “Paterno knew this vile scumbag was raping boys in the shower and did nothing.”
For Paterno to “know” this, under what the law defines as admissible evidence in court, he would have had to see it himself. If it happened, the only person who knew about it (as defined by law) and whose testimony to that effect would have been accepted by a court was McQueary. Paterno knew only that McQueary said it happened, i.e. hearsay evidence.
I once acted on a credible-sounding allegation from a very prominent pro-life Web site that an identifiable doctor and hospital left a baby (as defined by law, not the pro-life camp) to die. I sent a copy of the Web page to the state’s hospital regulatory agency, which investigated and found the accusation to be false. The pro-life site was lucky to not be sued for libel (along with the actual source of the allegation) by the doctor and hospital they named. The site also lost my trust because the owner never responded to my E-mail to the effect that the accusation was found to be false.
This is something one must consider before one goes beyond what one is supposed to do according to the law and/or organizational policy, which Paterno did. There is an ideal point between complicity through total silence, and engaging in what might turn out to be libel, slander, or the moral equivalent of a lynching—anybody remember the Durham Dirtbag and the Duke 88 who jumped on Mike Nifong’s bandwagon?
Paterno knew only that McQueary said it happened, i.e. hearsay evidence.
Paterno knew that this had to be reported to the proper authorities. Paterno knew it had not been reported. McQueary knew it had not been reported. They knowingly looked the other way while PSU officials broke PA law. OTOH, McQueary got his coaching job and Joe went on the set the record for most NCAA football victories so all was good in Happy Valley.
In most cases involving molestation of a child, you're required to report it when you have a credible claim. Hearsay doesn't matter.
Also, Pennsylvania State law requires that if you don't report it yourself (in a school setting), that you inform your supervisor and that the President or head of the school or institution report (I can give you the site to the specific statute; it's in the GJ presentment). So Pennsylvania state law doesn't just permit hearsay disclosures of child molestation, it requires them in school settings.
Finally, if Joe couldn't report it, how could his supervisor? It would be hearsay for his supervisor. If his supervisor heard it from Joe, it would be double hearsay.
And if you're concerned about "credible-sounding' allegations, (a) err on the side of reporting, in the case of child sexual abuse, and (b) Paterno already knew that Sandusky had been showering with little boys and had been investigated back in 1998 for multiple incidents. Seems as if this claim would have been . . . credible.
the problem with your analogy is that you can’t compare your “website” to Paterno’s source.
McQueary is an ex-psu quarterback. He was the GA at the time.
If JoePa thought him to be a questionable source, I’m not sure why he would still be on the sidelines today.
