Had that been one of his grandsons I bet he would have done more.
I went to PSU once upon a time ...
Paterno ALWAYS looked after his players - even when they did wrong ...
Todd Blackledge got drunk one night at a bar - Paterno benched him and made him go to counseling. After that, Blackledge got his starting job back ...
Paul Lankford was involved in a robbery and got caught [first offense]. Paterno bailed him out and told him to man-up to the offense. Lankford pleaded guilty and Paterno testified for him. Lankford got suspended sentence and was kicked off the team for a year. Paterno said if Lankford kept his nose clean, he would re-instate Lankford [which he did]. Lankford went on to a career in the NFL after graduating.
That is why this incident is almost unthinkable by Paterno - he always made people take responsibility for their actions. Yet, he gave them second chances when they fulfilled their punishments ...