[kenberg]

There is the long term pattern, there is the specific and horrific event witnessed in the shower, there is the original investigation of other charges. Reasonable people will want some answers as to just how this could all have happened. One need not be a confirmed cynic to suspect that some of these answers, if they appear, will not be easy to take.

As the nation grows more sedentary we make gods of our athletes. It's as if we outsource our need for exercise. For quite a few reasons this is not a good idea.

[blackshoe]

"Caedite eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius" -- Arnaud Amalric, Papal Legate, at Béziers, Languedoc, in what is now France, 1209 A.D.

[blackshoe]

BBC News said:

Fired Penn State football coach Joe Paterno's name has been taken off a championship trophy amid the child abuse scandal rocking the university. League commissioner Jim Delany said it would be "inappropriate" to keep Mr Paterno on the Big Ten trophy.

By the time these guys get through, Joe Paterno will have never existed.

[PassedOut]

blackshoe, on 2011-November-14, 16:54, said:

By the time these guys get through, Joe Paterno will have never existed.

A non-person (as we say in the UP), I suppose.

[jdeegan]

Some people have certain urges which no one can gainsay. Controlling such we could celebrate, but for the the common good we just have to look the other way.

[y66]

I wonder how this will end for Paterno. Americans are often forgiving of someone who admits error and makes a sincere effort to make amends. Surely this is still possible, even for Paterno. But I can't think of any examples in recent history where someone has done this in a credible way. McNamara perhaps, but that was just too late to matter. Great people have such weird ideas of what greatness is.

[aguahombre]

I might be wrong, but from what I have read JP would find it too late to throw himself on the mercy of the public and be believable. He seems to consider himself a collateral victim, and I don't think he can unring that bell.

[mike777]

One wonders what all of these guys were thinking the last few years when they knew the Grand Jury was looking into all of this.

For instance the President never told his bosses, the trustees of the University, anything at all?

While the grand jury itself is secret you can certainly tell your bosses something. You can look for the kid who was raped and try and help.

You can get the rapist off the campus.

You can alert the local police and warn the local community.

[billw55]

mike777, on 2011-November-15, 14:59, said:

For instance the President never told his bosses, the trustees of the University, anything at all?

As I have stated, I strongly believe that, like many others in this case, the trustees have known about the situation for quite some time. Who will fire them? I would guess they are appointed by the governor, but not sure.

[cherdano]

billw55, on 2011-November-16, 07:28, said:

As I have stated, I strongly believe that, like many others in this case, the trustees have known about the situation for quite some time. Who will fire them? I would guess they are appointed by the governor, but not sure.

My thinking would be that it is routine to share good news with trustees, but not to share (non-public) bad news. So I wouldn't be surprised if the trustees never heard about this from the president. Obviously they should have heard about it when the Madden article appeared, or maybe they heard about the ongoing grand jury investigation.