The Penn State Scandal: Shame in Happy Valley

[sluggo]

This has already been discussed a great deal in the college football thread, but I really thought it deserved its own space, as it extends way beyond sports. I'll do my best to sum up the details so far, as it's a long and tragic story.

Penn State has long enjoyed a reputation as one of the finer colleges in America, not to mention having one of the most highly respected football programs in the history of the sport. A lot of this is credited to head coach Joe Paterno, who's led the program since 1966, produced an endless number of successful NFL players, won two national championships and more games than any football coach in history.

A lot of PSU's reputation was thrown under the bus this week when Jerry Sandusky, Paterno's defensive coordinator from 1977-1999, was indicted on *40* counts of sexual abuse of young boys over a 15 year period. But it's not really Sandusky's crimes that are generating the most outrage right now, as his guilt appears to be doubted by no one. It's the question of how so many people at PSU seemed to have been in a position to put a stop to his behavior and did nothing.

In the wake of Sandusky's arrest and release of the grand jury report, both PSU president Graham Spanier and Joe Paterno have been fired, and several PSU officials may face criminal charges ranging from perjury to failing to report crimes against minors. But the circus seems like it's just started, as the more you find out about the story, the more horrific it gets.

[sluggo]

For those interested, the 23-page grand jury report is available online, which outlines Sandusky's (known) crimes. Warning: it's brutal, and I suspect a lot of people, especially parents, would have trouble reading the whole thing. If you're interested in a shorter version, NPR has put together a decent timeline of events, which can be summarized as follows:

- 1977: after seven years as PSU's linebackers coach, Sandusky is promoted to defensive coordinator. The same year, he starts a charity called "Second Mile," a group home for foster kids and children of dysfunctional families. The charity remains active today with many notable sports figures and celebrities on its honorary board of directors.

- 1982, 1986: with Sandusky as defensive coordinator, PSU wins its two national championships under Paterno.

- 1994: the first of Sandusky's crimes outlined in the grand jury investigation takes place.

- 1994-1998: Sandusky meets and/or begins relationships with several of the boys covered in the grand jury investigation.

- 1998: An 11 year old boy returns home with his hair wet and explains to his mother that he'd taken a shower with Sandusky. The mother calls the police to investigate, and Sandusky acknowledges that he'd taken a shower with the boy, as well as other boys, but nothing further. He admits it was wrong and states he will not shower with boys again. No criminal charges are filed.

- 1999: At the relatively young age of 55, Sandusky retires from coaching before the start of the 1999 season. He is given an emeritus position at PSU, which gives him an office and access to campus facilities.

- 2000: A janitor tells co-workers and his supervisor that he saw Sandusky in the assistant coach's shower, pinning a young boy against the wall, engaged in sexual activity. The supervisor tells the janitor who he can report this to if he chooses, but the janitorial staff is concerned that they will lose their jobs if they speak out. No police report is filed.

- That same year, Sandusky releases an autobiography, written over the course of ten years by a PSU alum, to whom he claims his innocence of any wrongdoing. In retrospect, the title -- "Touched" -- seems like an awful, perverted inside joke by Sandusky.

- 2002: A young graduate student (since identified as current PSU wide receivers coach Mike McQueary) walks in on Sandusky anally raping a 10 year old boy in a locker room. Distraught, he leaves and calls his father (who went to school with Sandusky) to ask for advice. The next day, McQueary goes to Paterno's home to report the assault. Paterno in turn reports this to PSU athletic director Mike Curley.

- MCQueary is eventually called to a meeting with Curley and SVP Gary Schultz (who, among other things, oversees the campus police) to explain what he saw. He is told later that month that Sandusky's locker room keys have been taken away and the event had been reported to Second Mile. Sandusky is told that he is no longer allowed to bring children on to the campus. No police report is filed.

- 2005-2007: Sandusky meets/begins spending time with other boys outlined in the grand jury investigation.

- 2009: The mother of one the boys files a report claiming her son was abused by Sandusky. The school district bans Sandusky from its campuses and a police report is filed.

- 2010: The grand jury investigation begins. McQueary testifies what he saw in 2002. One of the victims testifies that prior to his testimony, he received phone calls and voice mails from Sandusky, his wife and and a friend of Sandusky's.

- 2011 (Present): On Nov 5th, the investigation becomes public, setting current events in motion, including the firing of Paterno, which sets off a mild reaction on campus.

[sluggo]

From here, you can only scratch your head and wonder how this could possibly go on, and how much we might not know yet.

- Clearly, Sandusky used the Second Mile program as sort of a recruitment system for him to prey on little boys. Was he abusing boys from the start and we just don't know about it yet, or was it a behavior he started later in life, as he achieved more success and status within PSU? I'm sure we're going to hear more about this going forward.

- I can almost understand how McQueary might have felt overwhelmed by the whole thing. Here's a kid who was barely starting his career, who walks in on one of the school's most respected figures -- and a friend of his father's, no less -- sodomizing a little boy in the locker room. I think we'd all like to believe we'd do the right thing there, whether that was beating the crap out of Sandusky or just getting the kid out of the room. But I could almost understand how McQueary just freaked and saw his life flash in front of his eyes, wasn't sure what to do, ran out of there and called his father for advice. I'm not saying it's right, but knowing human nature, it doesn't shock me, either.

- Far more horrific was the behavior of Curley and Schultz. McQueary tells them he saw Sandusky -- who's already been caught in an inappropriate situation with young boys years before -- raping a boy. How do they possibly not report this to the police? Their reaction is to take his keys away and ban him from bringing kids on campus? I hope these guys go to jail and never get let out.

- Then there's Paterno, and you only wonder how much he knew. In retrospect, Sandusky's abrupt retirement in 1999 raises eyebrows -- did JoePa dole out his own private justice after Sandusky's 1998 incident? Did he tell Sandusky "you've been with me for 30 years so I want to show some loyalty but this shit won't fly, so turn in your resignation so you can retain some status with the school or I'll fire your ass"? When they tell Paterno in 2002 that this guy who's no longer on his staff was witnessed raping a young boy, is Paterno obligated to spearhead the investigation?

Of course, the problem was that a bunch of people just wanted to pass the buck and let someone else deal with an icky, ugly problem that would only tarnish the school's reputation. This only made it that much easier for a couple of people to sweep the whole thing under the rug. As the saying goes, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing," which was probably never more true than in this case.

The idea that no police reports were filed in 2002 and that Sandusky was still allowed to roam the PSU campus for years and continue running his "charity" is a tragedy of immeasurable proportions. Everyone involved, Paterno included, deserved to be fired, as every single one of them failed to fulfill a basic moral obligation to protect those children. Anyone involved in covering the thing up or failed to report the crimes to the police need to answer for their actions.

[sluggo]

The latest news is that McQueary has been placed on some kind of administrative leave, he won't be coaching this weekend but he remains on the staff.

Why isn't he being fired? I have to wonder if there's a legal concern, that he was the one guy who actually reported seeing something, and that he might have a lawsuit if he gets fired after reporting the event to school authorties. They also might need him for later testimony and want to keep on board.

[sluggo]

I'll also cut and paste the following that Cubit posted in the college football thread, about a former PSU player who, if you can believe it, is trying to raise funds for Sandusky's legal defense.

"I think it's a great idea to rally the troops to support the team as much as anyone else," Tesner said. "At the same time, we're being very careful to make sure that we respect and understand the families that have been affected by all this. We're not making a statement of innocence or guilt."

No, but another former Nittany Lion said he hasn't forgotten Sandusky, even as the former assistant coach stands accused of having sex with young boys.

Sam Stellatella, a three-position player in the 1950s, has donated money to Sandusky's defense and urged other former players to do the same.

"I told him he's going to need a million dollars to defend himself," the 73-year-old Stellatella said. "He called me back and said, 'What am I going to do with this money?' I said, 'Use it for your lawyer because you're going to need it.' "

Stellatella sent Sandusky $100. He wrote personal letters to other members of the 1959 Liberty Bowl team that defeated a Bear Bryant-coached Alabama team and asked they also donate. He does not know how much money was raised.

"I know some of the guys sent money," Stellatella told The Associated Press. "Here's the thing, these are horrendous charges against him. But he's still entitled to his day in court. Everybody's prejudged him. He's done horrendous damage to Paterno and (athletic director Tim) Curley and the football program. I don't listen to the news and I don't read the reports of what he did because I would get too upset.

[Cubit]

Good summary, Sluggo.

[Brian Rubin]

Penn State has long enjoyed a reputation as one of the finer colleges in America...

Seriously? I'm from PA, and the only reputation I ever heard about it was one of the biggest drinking colleges in the country. ;)

Anyway, continue...

[gameoverman]

A couple of things seem to be missing here.
- The DA who decided no charges should be filed in 1998 disappeared in 2005. He destroyed his hard drive at that time too.
- McQueary, after reporting Sandusky's abuse of a child, is given an assistant coaching job which he has until now. Notable because the given reason police were not brought in is because McQueary was not viewed as a credible witness. So falsely accusing a retired coach of child molestation doesn't spoil your chances of promotion- good to know!
- The janitor who allegedly saw the shower abuse in 2000 now suffers from dementia and thus can't testify to anything.

Speaking of dementia, this Sam Stellatella guy's offer of $100 is sad and comical at the same time. Hopefully he has family looking out for him.

[sluggo]

A couple of things seem to be missing here.
- The DA who decided no charges should be filed in 1998 disappeared in 2005

Yeah, there's a lot of stuff I left out, including this.

In 1998, the Centre County DA, Ray Gricar, decided not to press charges against Sandusky when he was first accused of inappropriate behavior. He remained DA until 2005, when he left his office one day, disappeared and was never seen again.

In 2004, the Attorney General of Pennsylvania, who it's not unreasonable to think Gricar might have spoken to about the case, was now-PA governor Tom Corbett. It is perfectly reasonable to think that the governor of Pennsylvania knew all about this stuff years ago.

All of this might be coincidence. But you can't help think that a lot of the reluctance for people to take action was out of fear of their own lives going under scrutiny, that everyone's got bodies buried somewhere and want to leave them undisturbed. If you're a conspiracy theorist, you'll have a field day with this one.

[Greatatlantic]

The latest news is that McQueary has been placed on some kind of administrative leave, he won't be coaching this weekend but he remains on the staff.

Why isn't he being fired? I have to wonder if there's a legal concern, that he was the one guy who actually reported seeing something, and that he might have a lawsuit if he gets fired after reporting the event to school authorties. They also might need him for later testimony and want to keep on board.

If I read the report right, McQueary's testimony is the only thing that nails Curley and Schlutz. They are currently charged with perjury, not child endangerment or some other crime related to the 2002 incident. They testified to the grand jury (under oath) that McQueary did not mention specific sex acts. In fact, both of them said McQueary's report did not show any specific crime had occurred. The grand jury found McQueary reliable, but not Curley or Schlutz. Otherwise, McQueary is guilty of perjury, though the incentive to prosecute him would be much less. Frankly, what they knew, what McQueary said, and what McQueary actually saw is right now a "he said, she said" mess with a lot of people taking the grand jury findings as fact.

Which makes McQueary an excellent example for whistle blower protection laws. His testimony may help convict Sandusky, but from the larger perspective his contradictory testimony is against his superiors. The question of why he did not demand more than what Curley and Schlutz said was done is really one we do not have the information to answer. Perhaps they made it sound like what he saw was not a bigger deal, and he believed them. Or, maybe he never did state rape (meaning penetration) in 2002. He merely claimed he saw Sandusky showering in close proximity with a young boy. This itself is pretty bad, but not a slam dunk criminal conviction as the 1998 case that never went to trial wasn't about easily identifiable sex acts but "merely" showering... and hugging during the shower...

Man, this thing really strikes me as a failure of systems. The information is there, somebody just had to put it together, which finally happened in 2008 when the district attorney responded in a 2008 report and found numerous former victims largely from '94-98.

That being said, Sandusky is pretty much nailed with or with out McQueary. To many former victims now in their 20's have testified.

Just thoughts that occur to me as I read about the situation.

[Hugin]

Seriously? I'm from PA, and the only reputation I ever heard about it was one of the biggest drinking colleges in the country. ;)

Anyway, continue...

I don't know much about Penn State as a school overall, but it had an excellent graduation rate for its football players and few if any NCAA violations. For a big time program like that it was pretty notably clean, up till this.

[triggercut]

Penn State is one of the finest research institutions in the country. Yes, there are students there who are young, and they drink. Happens at Harvard, too.

Penn State is one of 61 NCAA universities who are members of the AAU.

US News & World Report ranks them 45 in the country, which is very high for a state land grant university.

No idea what Brian Rubin is talking about.

[Fishbreath]

The perceived reputation of a university increases with the distance of the perceiver. This isn't because the university changes quality, but because a lot of students go to nearby universities, so when you're nearby too you hear all the stories of debauchery from the local students.

[sluggo]

I think Brian was just poking fun. I don't think he really believes it's not a well respected school. :)

[sluggo]

If I read the report right, McQueary's testimony is the only thing that nails Curley and Schlutz. They are currently charged with perjury, not child endangerment or some other crime related to the 2002 incident. They testified to the grand jury (under oath) that McQueary did not mention specific sex acts. In fact, both of them said McQueary's report did not show any specific crime had occurred. The grand jury found McQueary reliable, but not Curley or Schlutz.

Yeah, that's my read of the situation as well. Without McQueary, they can't get Curley or Schultz for sweeping the whole thing under the rug, which is what I'm guessing the state is gunning for here. It's not enough to just send Sandusky to jail, they want to nail other people for letting it happen.

[Mike O'Malley]

I did my undergrad at Penn State. It's a good, solid engineering school. It was an educational, fun experience. I certainly wouldn't classify it as a den of scum and villainy.

The Sandusky situation is disgusting. I love Joe Pa, but he was part of a system that failed at a moment when it most needed to succeed. To characterize this neglect as some kind of Penn State institutional practice is absurd- it's not at all part of university's character.

[Brian Rubin]

The perceived reputation of a university increases with the distance of the perceiver. This isn't because the university changes quality, but because a lot of students go to nearby universities, so when you're nearby too you hear all the stories of debauchery from the local students.

Pretty much this, yeah.

I think Brian was just poking fun. I don't think he really believes it's not a well respected school. :)

I kinda was, but I know it's a good school all around.

[Lh'owon]

How the fuck can you walk in on someone raping a child and not call the police? Makes me sick.

[Zepo1a]

Joe Pa reported it to his superiors, they are the ones who did nothing. Joe Pa got a bum rap.

Joe Pa didn't witness anything. He was passing along 2nd hand information, which could have been true or untrue, yet he still reported it.

[sluggo]

I think one of the ironies of this whole thing is that Penn State has long had a reputation for "doing things the right way." When other schools get hit for recruting violations, boosters paying off players, etc, PSU is one of the schools that likes to trumpet their standards, how they graduate their players and stay clean. This week, we've heard about how the kids aren't even allowed to wear hats indoors or use iPods in the locker room.

But raping kids and not reporting it to the police, that's OK. :(

[Eilonwy]

Anyone who knew about this and didn't report it to the police deserves whatever rap they're getting.

[Zepo1a]

And yes, I'm fucking upset he got caught up in this stupid witch hunt

[Stepsongrapes]

Joe Pa reported it to his superiors, they are the ones who did nothing. Joe Pa got a bum rap.

Seriously? What if he (either the grad student or Paterno) heard about the couch delivering a vicious beatdown to a kid instead? Don't you think everyone would call 911 (or hopefully even physically intervene in the case of the grad student) ASAP? Hell, how about if he was raping a co-ed?

Yet, when it comes to the embarassing topic of pedophillic rape, the whole crew clams up.

[AlanT]

I think he knew in '98, and I really don't think he's getting any kind of bum rap.

[mrmolecule88]

JoePa had decades to retire gracefully. Fuck him.

[Zepo1a]

Take the "what if" shit somewhere else.

[sluggo]

I think this is the aspect of this mess that's going to be debated the most: What was JoePa's obligation here?

You have to believe that Paterno was made aware of Sandusky's shenanigans in 1998, and it's easy to envision that Paterno may even have asked Sandusky to quietly retire over it. When McQueary tells Paterno what he saw in the locker room in 2002, what's Paterno's obligation? Sandusky doesn't work for him any more. Does he have to follow up beyond reporting it to school police?

As cheesy as I feel quoting a comic book, "with great power comes great responsibility." Paterno was one of the few people on that campus who had the power to make sure justice was done. He should have followed up with someone to make sure a police report was filed. He should have asked someone if they knew who the kid was and if he was alright. He certainly should have stepped in when he saw Sandusky on the campus with kids in later years and put a stop to it. All evidence suggests he did none of these things.

This was a chance for Paterno to be more than a football coach. This was a chance for him to be a true leader and fight for kids who couldn't fight for themselves. He failed. I don't think he deserves criminal charges, but I think he failed in a role as someone who should set an example for the university and deserved to be fired.

[John Many Jars]

Spelling error --- it's bum rape

[Tim James]

Joe Pa reported it to his superiors, they are the ones who did nothing. Joe Pa got a bum rap.

Joe Pa didn't witness anything. He was passing along 2nd hand information, which could have been true or untrue, yet he still reported it.

I empathize with you, but his problem isn't with criminal law or administrative law (university/bureaucracy policies). He broke a moral law: namely, failing to go the extra mile to protect children.

I hate that there's bloodlust for the big name celebrity. I hate that people are treating it as a leadership failure, as if it's just one bad apple at the top. I hate that people think the right statutes and rules are all we need to stop this.

Because the real issue is that nobody at any level -- McQueary, his dad, JoePa, the high school, the janitor, or the top Penn State officials -- wanted to take the extra step to make sure children were safe. That is broken on a human and cultural level. I think that lesson is being lost in the huffing and puffing.

My theory is because it's easier for people to process. They don't want to believe society is this morally bankrupt, so they write it off as a dirty organization protecting its name. That as soon as we kick out the bad guys, we can wrap things up and no more children will ever be hurt.

But the real person to internalize and reflect on is McQueary. He's at our level. Think about what you'd do if you encountered that situation in the showers. Then ask your friends. Would you do something or would you wimp out and rely on the chain of command? You wouldn't think our society would need to reflect on this, but apparently it does.

[Mark Asher]

I think he knew in '98, and I really don't think he's getting any kind of bum rap.

Yeah, I find it very hard to believe that the 2002 incident was the first time Paterno had heard stories about Sandusky and children. The guy was being investigated by grand juries going back to the early '90's. I think Paterno either willfully wanted it covered up or was in denial, or was flat out incompetent due to age.

He had to go. Firing him was the right thing to do. I don't think he got a bum rap at all.

And what gets me is his arrogance up to the very end, telling the board they shouldn't discuss Joe Paterno for even a single minute. Why did he think he got to tell them what to do? Probably because he did tell them what to do for years.

Hey JoePa, kids got raped in your facilities under your watch. You're getting off easy if all you do is lose your job.