July 13, 2012

"The most powerful men at Penn State failed to take any steps for 14 years to protect the children who Sandusky victimized."

They "never demonstrated, through actions or words, any concern for the safety and well-being of Sandusky's victims until after Sandusky's arrest."
The findings of the 267-page report could be seen as evidence of a changing university climate in which the corporate brand — and a blind faith in big-time athletics—is often seen as more important than the educational mission....
In a confidential note, [Gary C. Schultz, the former senior vice president for finance and business] wrote, "Behavior — at best inappropriate @ worst sexual improprieties." He also noted, "Is this the opening of Pandora's box?" and "Other children?"...



The three administrators devised a plan, reflected in Mr. Schultz's notes, that would include telling the chair of the board of the Second Mile, the charity Mr. Sandusky started and where he preyed on children, and asking the coach to avoid bringing children alone into the Lasch building.

But after Mr. Curley later spoke with Mr. Paterno, the athletic director e-mailed Mr. Spanier and Mr. Schultz, saying he had changed his mind about the plan. Instead, Mr. Curley proposed telling Mr. Sandusky that "we feel there is a problem" and offering him "professional help."

"This approach is acceptable to me," Mr. Spanier wrote in an e-mail to Mr. Schultz and Mr. Curley. "The only downside for us is if the message isn't 'heard' and acted upon, and we then become vulnerable for not having reported it.

"But that can be assessed down the road," he continued. "The approach you outline is humane and a reasonable way to proceed."
 And here we are, further down that road, assessing the "approach" they told themselves was "humane" and "reasonable." Now, they have the worst "corporate brand" imaginable. 

59 comments:

Matt Sablan said...

Further enabling the rape of children? I think they do not know what humane means.

Michael K said...

I don't think the attraction of big time athletics is "blind." I am alumnus of USC, the best example of big time athletics in the west. Penn State was big time in an area where not much else was big time. A close friend of mine is a Penn State alum. Penn State was a very big frog in a very small pond. USC is in Los Angeles which has 50 entities as big or bigger. The USC football program pays for the rest of the athletic teams but it is not that big in the greater scheme of things in Los Angeles.

MadisonMan said...

Not a flattering portrait, and a hard read.

I hope if I'm ever in a similar situation, that I do what's right.

Scott said...

This is another example of how the culture of an institution is a powerful force for preserving the status quo. If your institution is built around cults of personality, those people had better be saints; because if they go down, the rest of the organization is going down too.

TMink said...

In Tennessee, any adult who has knowledge of the rape of a child and does not report it can be jailed.

Good law.

Trey

The Drill SGT said...

the most chilling part was that they had evidence clear enough in 1998 to let the campus police whitewash, yet 3 years later, they covered up a homosexual rape...

it's going to cost them millions and I hope time in jail for all concerned

Chuck66 said...

Its like Univ of Minnesota, circa 1998. Anything goes.

Fprawl said...

When I was a Paramedic serving a small town of 3000 in Fl, one of the other EMT's was rumored to have touched a child's groin during a first aid class showing 'pressure points'.
The rumor went around town, but nothing was done until the Porch Light on the Ambulance station was shot out one night.
The next day, he was transferred and two days later he ended up in Chattahoochee, admitting he had 'a problem', then institutionalized for pedophilia.
The thing is, he could have been innocent, and what was really needed was an investigation/corroboration from a victim instead of a bullet through our wall that could have killed one of us.
That's the rub. Getting the victim to talk.

Chuck66 said...

Michael, I've spent some time in that area. Yes, big time sports in an area that is somewhat remote.

But I don't understand how they thought reporting this would really damage the school. But they didn't even ship him away.

Alan said...

it's going to cost them millions

Are we really sure about that? It's a state university; I suspect that it will be harder getting through some of the sovereign immunity protections they have, no?

I'm an alumnus of Texas A&M (also a state school), and it took a while for the victims of the bonfire collapse to get settlements with the university because of sovereign immunity. A&M ultimately settled with the victims' families because the school wanted to do the right thing, but they could have drawn out the process much further if they wanted to.

I hope that the victims in Penn State's case are made whole, somehow. I just have my doubts about them getting a truly fair shake.

test said...

So there was never a plan to go to the police. The change after speaking with Joe was to a slightly more restrictive cover up.

UFB.

Anonymous said...

It is reported that adult males caught Sandusky twice in the act. I suspect had the victims been girls the men would not have crept away, but taken immediate action. Our society values female virginity, not male virginity. Why in these cases of institutionalized pedophilia do the victims all seem to be male.

Brian Brown said...

In 1998, according to emails obtained by the Freeh Group, Paterno was told of a police investigation into Sandusky abusing a boy in the showers. In May of 1998, Curley emailed Schultz and specifically asked: "Anything new in this department? Coach is anxious to know where it stands."

After reading that and hearing Jay Paterno crazily take to the airwaves yesterday and assert "There are no new facts" my blood was boiling.

The Paterno family needs to shut up and stop pretending there is a "legacy" here that is somehow important.

test said...

"Alan said...I just have my doubts about them getting a truly fair shake."

I think this will go the other way. Penn State can't fight this in court, every day of TV coverage will cost more in the long run than the settlements combined. They'll throw money at the issue until it goes away. Of course the lawyers know this, so it's going to be a lot of money.

I was listening to sports radio this morning. A speaker said he believes the police have never identified the child McQueary witnessed being attacked. Anyone know if this is true?

WineSlob said...

The Gay PC Immunity
Was the Cause of Catholic Disunity
It Gripped Penn State
To Condone Gay Rape
Gay Community Gets Off With Impunity.

YoungHegelian said...

Sandusky's assaults on his victims at Penn State occurred when Sandusky was in his 50s to his 60s.

Are you going to tell me that someone doesn't come out as a pedophile until their 50s?

There are probably a lot more victims from Sandusky's youth who just haven't come forward, for whatever reason.

dmoelling said...

Worse is the attitude of current students to this. They refuse to face the facts. Football under Paterno took over Penn State in a way far in excess of other big football schools. State College PA is a totally one-horse town in the middle of farmland with a three lane exist off I-80 to the stadium. But if you accept that most students go to college to build social networks, then it fits.

Scott said...

Blaming gays for his rank pederasty
is a lie that is really quite nasty,
It is nastier than
Your dumb rhymes that don't scan
So as trolls go, you're really quite ghastly.

Brian Brown said...

Penn State trustees are at Worthington Scranton campus. Meeting 1:30.
Press conference to follow.

MadisonMan said...

Are we really sure about that?

I agree that it will be difficult for victims to sue a state entity. If they can disassociate the Athletic Dept from the state, maybe, but that would take some doing. Going after individuals might be easier, but individuals don't have deep pockets, or they are dead.

Brian Brown said...

While they were few in number, there were people on Twitter yesterday still defending Paterno.

Sickening.

Cedarford said...

If you look at the report, you see that there were some women in oversight that also poked the pootch...but the headlines magicaly exclude them and give men 100% of the blame.

The most powerful men at Penn State failed to take any steps for 14 years to protect the children who Sandusky victimized.

And none of the "Most powerful women at Penn State" in high levels in the Administration, on the Board of Trustees, or in senior athletics posts - has a whiff of blame or responsibility???


On the flip side, when an accomplishment is 99% by men, PC demands that the women get equal credit.
As in ....."Thanks to the men and women of the Armed Forces and many other agencies...we got bin Laden!"

traditionalguy said...

Did you hear that the new brand will be "Penn Them to the Wall and Screw Them State."

And Beaver Stadium is being renamed Hard On The Beaver, from the famous line , "Weren't you a little hard on the Beaver last night?"

Carol said...

I think these old guys were just so grossed and revolted out by homosex that their immediate response was to bury their heads in the sand.

That's homophobia or something, right?

Brian Brown said...

By the way, is there a bigger gutless weasel in the world than Graham Spanier?

The President of a University shouldnt' be bowled over by an 80 year old football coach.

Hope Graham goes to jail.

Cedarford said...

Scott said...
Blaming gays for his rank pederasty
is a lie that is really quite nasty,
It is nastier than
Your dumb rhymes that don't scan
So as trolls go, you're really quite ghastly.

=================
Sorry, gay and pederast go together like peanut butter and jelly.
Have for thousands of years.
Many gay heroes, like Oscar Wilde and his rent boys, Harvey Milk...were pederasts.

One of the most brilliant PR jobs ever was the gays using the liberal media to redefine all those gay Catholic Priests deep into pederasty with mainly willing gay adolescents as the "Pedophile Priests" and convincing the public that the priests suffered a perversion that had NOTHING to do with homosexuality.

Well played, gay media manipulators! Well played!

It appears Sandusky went for true under 12 boys, bona fide children..so unlike the gay priests and their teen dreams....Sandusky was an actual pedophile.

Another cautionary tale in this is the elevation of Coach as God by a pack of alumni, booster, and administrative jock-sniffers that give coaches all they want if they are winning and brining in the revenue.
And so many of those "revered" coaches for life get older, more and more into scandal or abherrent behavior or willing to excuse it with subordinate cronies and VIP boosters they have known for decades- then scandal erupts.

karrde said...

I don't know what my response would have been if I had been involved in this brouhaha.

I do have a few questions, though.

Would anyone have a different response to sexual-abuse-of-children-condoned-by-University-officials if the abuser were female and the victims male? If the abuser were male, but victims female? If abuser were female and victims were also?

WineSlob said...

'Twas Not Catholocism but Gayness
That Led Them to Many an Anus
Brought Down the Church
In a Financial Lurch
'Twas the Gayness that Really Was Heinous.

traditionalguy said...

The Fathers and Sons
connection pops up everywhere as a major issue from the Oedipus complex, to the honoring of the Patriarchs, to the most powerful scripture contained in the Bible which is Jesus' parable of the prodigal son.

And also we know Jesus' revelation that that God has a son and who calls Him Father and he wants us to be reborn as His sons calling God Our Father.

So Sandusky touched the third rail of most human souls when he defiled young boys while pretending to be their new father.

That was a crime of all crimes being perpetrated systematically with Penn State's full aiding and abetting for at least 14 years.

What a Football Cult they are!

edutcher said...

This is what happens when institutions forget their purpose.

Penn State became a brand when it was supposed to be an institution of learning.

William said...

The Catholic Church prelates and the Penn State people behaved very badly. They deserve all the criticism they get, but I can't help but think that the criticism is directed more at the institutions they represent than at the pervs and the people who enabled their crimes.....There's something sinful about covering up a crime for the sake of football, but if Paterno had directed a few successful films it would be a different story. See Chaplin, Polanski, and Allen. The Hollywood establishment enables child rapists......And there can be no such thing as sex abuse for someone who holds the right political opinions. Name me one leftist who has faltered in his love for Daniel Ortega. Fifty percent of the women in South Africa claim they have been raped. Name me one American politician who has criticized the South African President Zuma for being a rapist.

Scott said...

"'Twas the Gayness that Really Was Heinous."

So if Sandusky was playing with little girls, it would have been more or less okay, huh. Family values and all that.

traditionalguy said...

As for a learning institution, Penn State has been the base of Michael Mann of the the triad of Global Warming Hoax data creators done as political acts non scientists carrying Phd's and Professorships as a cover for their propaganda production grants.

Do you mean that institution of learning? The one that teaches Deception and Lies with a Joe Paterno level of determination to fool everybody with fancy stage settings and the demanding question, " How could you ever believe anyone could be as evil as have been proven to be?"

MadisonMan said...

Okay, so I'm looking at this story. Why on Earth does the figure caption say Louis Freeh (R). (R)?

Is it really saying he's Republican, or is it cropped from an image where he's on the right? Bizarre!

Anonymous said...

WineSlob is hitting them out of the park.

Richard Dolan said...

"This is another example of how the culture of an institution is a powerful force for preserving the status quo."

It's really just the iron law of every bureaucracy in action: first and foremost, protect the institution and the instiutional insiders. It's an excellent reason to be highly skeptical of bureaucracies or proffered bureaucratic solutions to real-world problems (but only skeptical - sometimes there is no better alternative).

Anonymous said...

@Scott
I think if Sandusky was caught raping little girls the odds of it being reported would be greater. The fact that this was adult male on child male made it untouchable in the homophobic sports world.

Craig said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

Penn State's football program needs to be banned from the NCAA for a minimum of 10 years.

Craig said...

http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/refworld/rwmain?page=search&docid=4565da244&skip=0&query=hoan%20kiem%20lake

David said...

The amazing thing is that this really should not have been a difficult call at all. What he did was a crime. Or if you doubt the evidence potentially a crime. Report to the police and let the matter take its course. Keep Sandusky out of the program and away from kids.

Here's where a good lawyer could have helped. If nothing else, then to give them some spine and someone to blame for disclosing. Did the University have a general counsel? Did they even think to consult? I can't imagine that competent outside counsel would do anything else but tell them to disclose asap. But apparently they did not want any unpleasant advice.

Think of this next time you hear someone say there's no need to have lawyers around.

Ken said...

And let's not forget that this institution was publicly run. This could not have happened in the private sector, but is routine in the public sector.

Hats off to all the idiot lefties who want more powerful public institutions.

David said...

traditionalguy said...
As for a learning institution, Penn State has been the base of Michael Mann of the the triad of Global Warming Hoax data creators done as political acts non scientists carrying Phd's and Professorships as a cover for their propaganda production grants.


Makes you wonder about that "investigation," doncha think?

MadisonMan said...

This could not have happened in the private sector

Right.

Methadras said...

If you have a Penn State degree, you should burn it for the fail it is.

MadisonMan said...

Methadras, you'll forgive me if I don't take your advice.

Guildofcannonballs said...

I screamed "Fuck Penn State, Fuck Penn State, Fuck Penn State" at Sandusky and that shit school he represents (now and forever) when they soiled Camp Randall many years ago.

I hope the football team gets taunted with the truth of their child-raping by every single team they face in the future on EVERY. SINGLE. DOWN.

Sandusky, at minimum, deserves to die and I hope he burns in Hell.

Guildofcannonballs said...

Cut it off.

ndspinelli said...

Where's Shouting Thomas?

Jose_K said...

Cedaford bet me to it
The most powerfull people or men women

Sydney said...

Cedarford said:

Another cautionary tale in this is the elevation of Coach as God by a pack of alumni, booster, and administrative jock-sniffers that give coaches all they want if they are winning and brining in the revenue.

This is the crux of the problem. The same behavior would have happened at any of the big sports powerhouse universities.

What amazes me is how personally the alumni of Penn State I know seem to take it. It's as if their entire identity is tied up in that football program. I have to say, if my small private alma mater had a scandal like this, it wouldn't impact me at all. Now, if they told me everything they taught me about biochemistry was wrong, and a lie, I might be upset.

Joe said...

Penn State's football program needs to be banned from the NCAA for a minimum of 10 years.

I believe the football program should be suspended entirely.

The entire board of trustees should be fired.

rcocean said...

Can I join the anti-Penn state lynch mob - or it too late?

I love feeling self-righteous.

Tari said...

Line them all up against the wall and shoot every single last one of them. To have any knowledge of what Sandusky was doing, and to not respond by (a) immediately kicking him in the crotch and (b) then calling the cops - is unconscionable.

In Texas we'd probably just have shot him, football or no football...

test said...

"Joe said...

The entire board of trustees should be fired."

Absolutely. If they had a shred of honor they'd have resigned after firing Granier and Paterno.

rcocean said...

I say shooting is too good for them. I suggest forcing them to watch "The View" over and over again.

Roux said...

If the assistant coach would have seen Sandusky raping a 10 year old girl in the shower, would he have done anything?

Mel said...

Alan said: I hope that the victims in Penn State's case are made whole, somehow.

It's too late for that, Alan, their wholeness was taken from them and if it had been reported 5 minutes later, their wholeness would still have been taken from them. No amount of money will fix that.

And please don't think that means I think the University staff was right not to say anything...they should all be prosecuted for obstruction of justice and as for Paterno, lung cancer is a helluva painful way to die.

jr565 said...

In Tennessee, any adult who has knowledge of the rape of a child and does not report it can be jailed.

Good law.

I agree it's a good law. But, in the case of Mcqueary and Paterno, they did report it. Mcqueary reported it to Paterno, and then Paterno said to report it to his higher ups and Mcqueary did that. What he reported though is up for debate. Did he say he saw "raping going on" or something more vague.
All around the country there are colleges that have protocol in place to deal with crimes of these nature (things like rape of women on campus for example) and in many cases they are insufficient.
(Though in the case of Curley, it sounds like even after being told what needed to be done, he decided not to do it anyway).
I place less blame on Mcquearly and even less on Paterno than on Curley and Shutz, though obviously neither of the former is blameless. They should have done more.