The architect of Joe Paterno’s defense: Jerry Sandusky, center, was once one of the great icons of the Penn State football team, a defensive coordinator who helped define the school’s reputation as a defensive powerhouse before he retired in 1999. Now, his association with the team seems like a giant black mark. Sandusky was arrested Sunday, facing dozens of charges in a sexual abuse case involving eight different boys over 15 years. He wasn’t the only person on the hook: Athletic director Tim Curley and the school’s vice president for finance and business, Gary Schultz, are also expected to be arrested for an alleged cover-up. Paterno himself won’t be charged — when made aware of a case of abuse, he reportedly went to Curley and informed him about it. A tough day for Penn State fans. source
Sandusky, Curley and Schultz are innocent until proven guilty. Regardless, the last two days are the worst in the history of what was once a proud Penn State football program.(Harrisburg, Pa.) Patriot-News columnist Bob Flounders • Discussing the major scandal revolving around Penn State’s football team this weekend — the arrest of Jerry Sandusky, a former Penn State defensive coordinator charged with allegedly sexually abusing numerous young boys over the years, and the reported cover-up by the Penn State athletic program. “Perception can be a program killer, whatever the truth turns out to be,” Flounders notes. “And now Penn State football might have a horrific perception problem. It might affect recruiting classes. It might affect [head coach Joe] Paterno’s legacy. We tend to focus on what happens last with legends.” source (via • follow)
I understand that people are upset and angry, but let’s be fair and let the legal process unfold.Penn State coach Joe Paterno • Making a statement on the situation with Jerry Sandusky, his former defensive coordinator who is facing charges over some pretty awful sexual abuse allegations. How much did Paterno know? Here’s what he claims: “I was informed in 2002 by an assistant coach that he had witnessed an incident in the shower of our locker room facility,” Paterno noted. “It was obvious that the witness was distraught over what he saw, but he at no time related to me the very specific actions contained in the Grand Jury report.” But ultimately, the extent of the allegations was far beyond what Paterno even imagined: “If this is true we were all fooled,” he claimed, “along with scores of professionals trained in such things.” source (via • follow)
Heads roll at Penn State: Two top officials at the school charged with perjury in the Penn State Jerry Sandusky sex-abuse scandal — Athletic Director Tim Curley and Vice President for Finance and Business Gary Schultz — will step down from their jobs as a result of the scandal, which football coach Joe Paterno answered to on Sunday. EDIT: Updated with link to story.
Touched: The Jerry Sandusky Story.
This is the name of the book written by embattled former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky in 2001. From Amazon’s description of the book:
Touched is the story of Jerry Sandusky’s life in his own words. From his childhood to his professional career, this book goes behind the scenes to explore the successes and challenges that Jerry Sandusky has faced in life, both on and off the football field. After graduating from Penn State in 1966, Sandusky went on to coach collegiate football for 34 years. Thirty-two of those years were with Penn State, as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach under Joe Paterno, until his retirement in 1999. The book also explores Sandusky’s involvement in children’s charities, including the founding of his charity, “Second Mile.”
For more on the Sandusky allegations, check out ShortFormBlog’s post.
There are a small number of book titles off limits for biographies. “Touched” is one of those titles.
Paterno out as Penn State coach NOW. While we were debating, a pretty big piece of non-political news developed. Paterno lost his job via a vote by the Penn State board. He will not coach another game. Also, the president of the university, Graham Spanier is out as of right now. (photo via Patriot-News photographer Joe Hermitt)
Penn State student tells ESPN firing of Joe Paterno was justified, gets shouted down by other students.
Love that the guy admits being worried about being out there despite his “strong minority” opinion, but keeps talking to the ESPN reporter anyway. This guy gets it.
The grad assistant (and now assistant coach) who allegedly witnessed Jerry Sandusky sexually abuse a young child in a Penn State shower will not take part in Saturday’s football game for safety reasons. Here’s the statement from the university: “Due to multiple threats made against Assistant Coach Mike McQueary, the University has decided it would be in the best interest of all for Assistant Coach McQueary not to be in attendance at Saturday’s Nebraska game.” McQueary has faced criticism for not doing more after what he witnessed, though the team is standing by him.
We need to protect children. We need to act. I’ve seen many instances where people have power and assume they are above the law.Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett • Discussing the Penn State situation, which led to the forced exits of legendary football coach Joe Paterno and school president Graham Spanier. He said he was “disappointed” by the school officials. “Their actions caused me not to have confidence in their ability to lead,” said Corbett, who (as the state’s Attorney General) launched the investigation into suspected child molester Jerry Sandusky and the Penn State program back in 2009. source (via • follow)
I’m moving back to New York in a few days. Unlike past...
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Tumblr this morning. [h/t anne]
#@#$%!.tumblr.com
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![Mother of alleged Jerry Sandusky victim speaks out about incident
In an exclusive television interview with ABC News, the mother of “Victim 1,” one of eight victims named in the indictment that led to Jerry Sandusky’s arrest, spoke about how she learned about what was happening. The son started by asking his mother how to look up information on sex offenders. “[I] proceeded to ask him if there was something he needed to tell me, if there was something going on … it wasn’t ‘til a month later when he indicated he was uncomfortable with leaving the school with him, and [Sandusky] pulling him out of classes at school,” she said. The mother, whose name was withheld, said that her son had difficulty bringing up the incidents, and even after he did, the full thrust of what Sandusky did wasn’t made clear until the recent indictment was released. ”I had said, ‘You know, maybe we should have come to this conclusion earlier — you should have told me,’” the mother said she told her son. “He was like, ‘Well, I didn’t know what to do … you just can’t tell Jerry no.’” Unbelievable. (Edit: As noted in comments below, the Patriot-News had an interview with this mother, and a second one, in print a couple of days ago. ABC News does call their interview “exclusive,” but it’s likely an exclusive TELEVISION interview.) source
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In an exclusive television interview with ABC News, the mother of “Victim 1,” one of eight victims named in the indictment that led to Jerry Sandusky’s arrest, spoke about how she learned about what was happening. The son started by asking his mother how to look up information on sex offenders. “[I] proceeded to ask him if there was something he needed to tell me, if there was something going on … it wasn’t ‘til a month later when he indicated he was uncomfortable with leaving the school with him, and [Sandusky] pulling him out of classes at school,” she said. The mother, whose name was withheld, said that her son had difficulty bringing up the incidents, and even after he did, the full thrust of what Sandusky did wasn’t made clear until the recent indictment was released. ”I had said, ‘You know, maybe we should have come to this conclusion earlier — you should have told me,’” the mother said she told her son. “He was like, ‘Well, I didn’t know what to do … you just can’t tell Jerry no.’” Unbelievable. (Edit: As noted in comments below, the Patriot-News had an interview with this mother, and a second one, in print a couple of days ago. ABC News does call their interview “exclusive,” but it’s likely an exclusive TELEVISION interview.) source
The empty chair in this mural once seated Jerry Sandusky. It was painted over in reaction to the child abuse scandal that ruined his reputation and that of the school where he once coached. It’s one that people who knew him mostly don’t want to talk about. One man who was willing to talk, Kip Richael, a friend and the co-author of the book Sandusky insisted on calling “Touched,” claimed that the allegations blindsided him. “If this is all true, and it looks like it’s really stacking up, something took over his personality,” Richael, who was born with hip dysplasia and walks with a cane, said. “Something changed, and it’s not the Jerry I know.” ESPN has a great piece looking at the tea leaves of Sandusky’s background and seeing what they can figure out. (Photo by Matt Rourke/AP)
Jon Stewart took to The Daily Show last night (11/10/11) to talk about the Penn State child sexual abuse scandal, and gave a serious commentary about how people knew of Sandusky’s abuse and didn’t do anything, as well as the recent student rioting over the firing of coach Joe Paterno.
The very end of this is worth heeding for Penn State fans: “And just like with the Catholic Church, no one is trying to take away your religion, in this case, football. They’re just trying to bring some accountability to a “Pope” and some of his “Cardinals” who fucked up. So don’t worry, on Saturday, you’ll still get to go to ‘services’ against Nebraska. No one’s going to take that away. Because, obviously, you’re young. And that would be a traumatic experience. And we wouldn’t want that memory to scar you for life.”
(Source: the-mtblog)
Penn State assistant coach Mike McQueary, who had already been held off the field for safety reasons, has been placed on administrative leave. McQueary, one of the whistleblowers on the scandal (though an ineffective one, as it turned out), may be protected under state whistleblower laws, according to Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett. Unlike those fired during the scandal, McQueary could become a witness during the trial as he directly witnessed an incident. More info as we get it.
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