I truly feel that Paterno and everyone else involved chose football, money and legacy over the well being of children.
Since the scandal, several college coaches (active and retired) have expressed amazement that other members of the Penn State staff were unaware of Sandusky’s proclivities. Some have opined that it would be almost impossible for his perversion to remain a secret for so long, given the hours that a coaching staff spends together, and the long tenure of many of the assistants at Penn State.
It’s also rather curious that Sandusky suddenly retired at the height of his career, and still had full access to the Penn State football complex. His departure smacks of someone who had the university (and Joe Paterno) over a barrel and it probably marks the start of the cover-up that would go on for more than a decade. Everyone was afraid of tarnishing the reputation of Paterno and the Penn State football “brand,” so they let a child molester run amok for another ten years.
One final thought: it’s interesting to see how the sports establishment is now glossing over the scandal with Paterno’s passing. On ESPN radio this morning, ABC/ESPN sportscaster Brent Musberger said the good that JoePa did “far outweighed” his “temporary lapse in judgment with an assistant.” Those were his exact words. A lot of young men around State College, PA had their lives destroyed because of that lapse, and that is now a central part of the Paterno legacy.