I feel sick. I’ve just finished reading several articles (yes, from several points of view) about the Penn State disaster. I’ve also read tons of reactions from people on both sides of the fence regarding the culpability of Joe Paterno. Now I’m compelled to write a little bit from my side of the fence.
This entire situation is disgusting. As a parent, the details of what Jerry Sandusky did to those boys will haunt me forever. The thought of 10 and 11-year-old boys being raped by this unimaginable bastard is sickening. It’s every parent’s worst nightmare: trusting a role model with your child only to have that role model violate your kid in the most grotesque way possible. There is no justice swift or righteous enough to offset the hell those children have been though, and will continue to go through.
Joe Paterno’s supporters have plenty to say on this matter. Some of them simply do not believe the allegations that Paterno knew the extent of Sandusky’s crimes. And then there are the others. The others that believe that the coach did everything he could to intervene…by notifying school officials. After that, it was no longer his concern. He’d done his duty, met his obligation and what happened after that was not his problem. His hands are clean. It’s these people that I want to hit with a fucking sledgehammer.
Jerry Sandusky committed a crime. Anyone who had knowledge of that crime and did not report it TO THE POLICE is an accessory. And that’s the best thing they are. Joe Paterno is to blame for every single molestation that occurred after he found out (and did nothing). Telling the Athletic Director is not “doing something”. Telling the police would have been doing something. And what were his reasons for not going to the police? Since we only have speculation, I’ll take a guess: the sanctity of football? Well, guess what Joe? Your despicable actions in this case have done nothing but taint college football in a far worse way than if you had spoken up in the first place. If you had spoken up years ago, you would have been the football coach who stood up against “the sanctity of football” to PROTECT CHILDREN. That? Would have made you heroic.
There are plenty of other people who deserve this same wrath – from the athletic director to the person who decided to let Sandusky continue running a camp for young boys as long as he didn’t do it on the Penn State campus. I’m focusing on Paterno because 1) he’s the most “public” figure, and 2) the announcement of his impending retirement has his supporters screaming for everyone to just leave the poor man alone! For the boys who were savagely raped, and for their parents, Paterno’s retirement isn’t comfort. It certainly isn’t justice. It’s way too little. And way too late.
Maybe they can find a little comfort in the words of Martin Luther King, Jr.: “The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral conflict, seek to maintain their neutrality.”
