This past weekend, in the first “Game of the Century” in five years, #1 LSU met #2 Alabama in Tuscaloosa, AL in the most anticipated game of the season. In a thrilling display of defensive prowess/utterly boring and incompetent showing of offense, the Crimson Tide missed four field goals, and the visiting Tigers managed to defeat the Crimson Tide 9-6 in overtime.
Man, it sure seems like a century ago, doesn’t it?
Unfortunately, that big SEC showdown has been overshadowed by an appalling, sordid tale emanating from Pennsylvania.
It all stems from charges that Jerry Sandusky, former defensive coordinator at Penn State, abused eight boys over a 15-year period dating back to 1994. Sandusky had contact with the children through Second Mile, the youth foundation he established in 1977. He faces 40 counts, 21 of them felonies.
Most of the outrage stems from a grand jury report (warning: graphic content) detailing the eyewitness account of a Penn State graduate assistant. According to the report, the then-28-year-old assistant walked into the football locker rooms around 9:30 pm on March 1, 2002 and heard what sounded like sexual activity. He looked into the showers and saw a naked Sandusky sodomizing a 10-year-old boy.
What happened next is what has caused the furor about Penn State.
The graduate assistant was seen by both Sandusky and the victim and left immediately. In the report, he is described as “distraught.” He proceeded to his office and called his father, who told him to immediately leave and come home. They decided that the assistant needed to report what he saw to Coach Joe Paterno.
The assistant testified that he went to Paterno’s home the next day and told the coach what he had witnessed. Paterno testified that the assistant was very upset. Paterno then called Tim Curley, Penn State’s athletic director, to his house the next day (Sunday) and told Curley the “graduate assistant had seen Jerry Sandusky in the Lasch Building showers fondling or doing something of a sexual nature to a young boy.”
About a week-and-a-half later, the assistant was called to a meeting with Curly and Senior Vice President for Finance and Business Gary Schultz. The assistant told those two that he had seen Sandusky having anal sex with a boy in the locker room showers. According to the report, the two administrators “assured the graduate assistant that they would look into it and determine what further action they would take. Paterno was not present for this meeting.”
The report goes on to state that Curley contacted the assistant a couple of weeks later and told him that Sandusky’s keys were taken away and that the incident had been reported to Second Mile.
The assistant was never questioned by University Police, and no other investigation was conducted until December of last year.
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” –Edmund Burke
That quote pretty much sums up the crux of this whole controversy, although “good” might be stretching it in this case. Due to their inaction, Sandusky was allowed to continue his nefarious ways for another nine years.
How could they have not notified the police?!
Curley and Schultz are both facing perjury charges. Curley testified that the assistant reported “inappropriate conduct” that made him (the assistant) “uncomfortable.” Curley denied hearing about anal sex or any other kind of sex and said it was just “horsing around.” Schultz testified that Paterno reported “disturbing” and “inappropriate” conduct in the showers between Sandusky and the boy.
There’s quite a discrepancy between “horsing around” and “disturbing and inappropriate” conduct.
Schultz also testified that the allegations were “not that serious” and that they “had no indication that a crime had occurred.”
Um… what part of “disturbing and inappropriate” conduct did you not understand? On what planet is inappropriate sexual conduct between an old man and a young boy, which Schultz admitted was reported to him, not a crime?!
Graham Spanier, recently-fired former President of Penn State, testified that Curley and Schultz described the incident as “Jerry Sandusky in the football building locker area in the shower with a younger child and that they were horsing around in the shower.”
How does that not ring any alarm bells or raise any red flags? You’ve just heard a report that an old man was taking a shower with a young child who is not his own. That’s creepy. Plus, they were “horsing around.” That’s a pretty vague term that has a broad spectrum of meanings. None of them are okay in this situation. Obviously Spanier initiated a thorough investigation, right?
Spanier testified that as of a few months ago, he didn’t even know who had first reported it. He knew something sexual had happened and that Curley and Schultz had made no indication that they were going to report it to any law enforcement or government agency, yet he did nothing.
Sandusky was not banned from Penn State property, and the supposed ban on bringing children was, according to Curley, unenforceable.
The actions of Curley, Schultz, and Spanier are inexcusable and reprehensible. How could they not notify the police or launch an investigation? The report they had indicated something serious had happened. It wasn’t like the assistant said, “Yeah, I thought I heard something last night.” No, he witnessed a young boy being raped. That is a serious crime, yet the three Penn State administrators chose to do nothing.
At best, these three are ignorant, bumbling idiots who clearly have no connection to reality. At worst, they couldn’t be bothered to lift a finger and help bring a pedophile to justice. Their reactions to this incident are galling. Child rape is a heinous crime and not something to be taken lightly. It’s not something someone would make up.
I can’t understand how they would not take this seriously. Inappropriate conduct with minors is a serious offense, yet somehow they just shrugged it off. Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that no crime was committed. What’s the worst that would have happened if the police were brought in? They would have investigated, found nothing, and everything continues as normal. There’s simply no reason not to have them look into the allegations.
Those three are not the only ones who deserve blame here. Joe Paterno failed in his duty as well. There is simply no excuse for his inactions.
Now I know he is a beloved icon of college football, but that means nothing here. This has nothing to do with football or how many wins he has. Paterno failed his civic duties and his moral responsibilities. In his defense, he certainly did more than Curley, Schultz, and Spanier, but he did not do enough.
Paterno met his legal obligations by reporting it to Curley, but this incident happened almost ten years ago. During that time, Sandusky was still allowed access to football facilities, with reports even stating that he was present as recent as last week. If you had a report that a man was raping children in your locker room, AT THE VERY LEAST wouldn’t you do all you could to deny him access? Paterno did no such thing. Plus, if a guy you reported raping a child and has been banned from bringing children on campus is still coming around, that’s probably a good sign that someone dropped the ball in the chain of command. Wouldn’t you be somewhat curious as to why this guy is still free and able to use the facilities? Wouldn’t you make some inquiries about what’s going and what happened or didn’t happen?
Ivan Maisel, writer for ESPN.com, tries to use age as a defense, writing, “Paterno, like many in his generation, failed to grasp that society no longer handled such indecencies behind closed doors.”
Gimme a break! Indecencies?! That’s putting it mildly. A boy was raped. If that’s how Paterno’s generation handles things, then I’m glad I’m a member of my generation. Did they not report major crimes back in the day?
Another popular argument used to defend Paterno is that by notifying Schultz, he did notify the police because the University Police were under Schultz’s purview. That just doesn’t hold water.
Schultz was the Vice President for Finance and Business, not the chief of police. On the Penn State police organization chart, Schultz’s position isn’t even listed. Yes, the police are part of the organization that Schultz led, but so are nine other units and their various sub-units. He’s not a police officer. He’s a bureaucrat.
If this were anybody but Paterno, nobody would be making such a ludicrous argument. If you uncovered a plot to attack America, would you tell an FBI agent or Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner?
The fact is, Joe Paterno did not bring the matter to the attention of the police. Schultz isn’t a member of the police force. Paterno never spoke to any detectives or officers. Even if he felt he had reported the matter, after seeing Sandusky free and not wearing an orange jumpsuit, he did not pursue it further. Again, this all happened in 2002. If it was 2003 or 2005, and Sandusky was still coming and going as he pleased, wouldn’t you take it to the police?
I can understand the actions of the graduate assistant, but I can’t condone them. Over time, his inaction becomes inexcusable.
Witnessing a young boy being sodomized must have been a traumatic event, and certainly not something the graduate assistant was expecting when he walked into the locker room that fateful Friday night. Seeing a naked man in his late 60s having anal sex with a young boy is disturbing on so many levels. It’s not something you are prepared for, and the shock can affect one’s ability to think and act clearly and calmly.
That being said, I have two big problems with the assistant. One, the guy was 28-years-old. He’s a man, not some kid. When I first heard that a graduate assistant reported the incident, I figured it was some 22- or 23-year-old kid who was fresh out of college and still relatively new to the world. Seeing such an act would certainly have quite on impact on such a young guy, and it’s natural that he would seek the counsel of something older whom he trusts, his dad in this instance. A 22-year-old would be relieved at reporting what happened to Joe Paterno, a living legend with plenty of clout and a sterling reputation. Surely he would know what to do, and that would be a big burden lifted from the young man’s shoulders. However, the guy was 28. He’s old enough to be able to function despite the shock and do what needs to be done. Yes, he reported the incident to Paterno, but he’s old enough to take responsibility and follow up. He’s experienced enough to know what to do in a situation like that and not to be so in awe of a man like Paterno that he just assumes everything will be taken care of, which leads me to my next point:
How did he not bring it up again over the years? Okay, so he tells Paterno and thinks that he’s done his part and that it would be taken care of. What did he think when Sandusky kept showing up over the next nine-and-a-half years?! Wouldn’t that raise an alarm? Wouldn’t he think, “Wait, this is the guy I saw having sex with a boy in the shower and reported it to Coach Paterno? What’s he doing here? Shouldn’t he be in jail?” I’d certainly ask, and if I felt that nothing had been done or that it had been swept under the rug, I’d go to the police about it.
There is plenty of blame to go around here. Sandusky deserves all that he gets and more for the despicable acts he committed. Spanier, Curley, and Schultz deserve plenty of scorn and must be held accountable for doing absolutely nothing. Paterno and the assistant at least reported the incident up the chain of command, but they failed to press the issue and make sure that their reports were acted upon.
All of this negligence allowed a serial molester to go free for another nine-and-a-half years. Who knows how many instances of abuse he was able to perpetrate that could have been prevented had any of those five men at Penn State simply informed law enforcement.
This is a sad, dark day not only for college football but for America. We must do better.
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