Thursday, November 10, 2011

Penn State: Why the Cover-Up?

Legendary football coach Joe Paterno fired

Penn State University is reeling, students are rioting in the streets.  Head football coach Joe Paterno and University President Graham Spanier are out of jobs.  Why?  A Pennsylvania grand jury indicted former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky on 40 counts of sexual assault against eight children. 

Two university administrators Athletic Director Tim Curley and Senior Vice President for Finance and Business Gary Schultz have been charged with violating Pennsylvania's mandated reporter law and perjury for lying to the grand jury.

Here is what we know from the grand jury presentment.  The presentment alleges that Sandusky was caught in the act of raping a young boy in the locker room shower at the Penn State football complex.  Paterno was notified.  Paterno notified Curley.  Curley and Schultz met with the witness.  They notified President Spanier.

No one notified the police.  The witness did not, the head coach did not, the AD did not, the vice-president did not and the president did not.  Some of those individuals were aware that Sandusky was accused of very similar conduct with children a fews years earlier.

Why would these accomplished, well-educated men choose not to take action against a former football coach who was accused of sexually assaulting children?  These men knew or should have known better.  Could these men have been blinded by the reputation or esteem of a legendary football program?  Could they have been paralyzed by their fear of the fallout that would come with a Sandusky arrest?

Is there more to this story?  The Pennsylvania Attorney General and the U.S. Department of Eduction investigations need to reveal why a group of men--intelligent, experienced, revered men--would not intervene and protect children from an alleged predator.

To read more:  http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/11/10/penn-state-students-riot-after-joe-paterno-s-firing.html
 
Grand Jury Presentment: http://media.centredaily.com/smedia/2011/11/07/17/52/togjq.So.42.pdf

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