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Penn State head coach Joe PaternoIf it’s all true — if any part of it is true, really – it’s difficult to imagine Joe Paterno surviving the unspeakable scandal unfolding at Penn State.
Name something worse to hit college sports, frequently a cesspool for hypocrites and cheaters. It’s not easy. On Saturday, the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office revealed all the disgusting allegations: Jerry Sandusky, a defensive coordinator at Penn State for 33 years who retired after the 1999 season, was charged with seven counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, four counts of unlawful contact with a minor, four counts of endangering the welfare of a child, and a host of other charges related to the sexual abuse of eight minors. If convicted, Sandusky, 67, could spend the rest of his life in prison.
Two Penn State administrators – athletic director Tim Curley, and senior vice president for finance and business Gary Schultz — face perjury charges for allegedly lying about their knowledge of Sandusky’s behavior. They were also charged with failing to report the incident to the authorities, as required by Pennsylvania law. Curley and Schultz both denied the charges. Curley put himself on administrative leave, while Schultz has stepped down. Sandusky has also denied all charges. A preliminary hearing in the case is set for Wednesday.
(MORE: Penn State Child Abuse Chargers Lead to Two Resignations)
For good reason, attention has now turned to Paterno’s role in this whole mess. According to grand jury testimony, in 2002 a graduate assistant witnessed Sandusky, who in 1977 founded a charity for at-risk youth called Second Mile, subjecting a 10-year-old boy to anal intercourse in the shower of the Penn State football facility. (Here’s the grand jury report. Fair warning: it’s an awful document.)
The assistant (identified by the Harrisburg Patriot-News as current recruiting coordinator/wide receiver’s coach Mike McQueary) reported the incident to Paterno, but Paterno testified that the assistant left out the more graphic details. “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,” Paterno said in a statement. “Regardless, it was clear that the witness saw something inappropriate involving Mr. Sandusky.” Paterno knew it was sexual in nature, according to the grand jury report.
Paterno then informed his boss, Curley, about the incident. The prosecution did not charge Paterno with any crimes, and he will reportedly testify for the prosecution at Sandusky’s trial. “I did what I was supposed to with the one charge brought to my attention,” Paterno said.
Paterno may have met his legal obligation. But if the charges against Sandusky hold up, he failed his moral obligation miserably. Penn State’s football motto is “Success With Honor.” College football coaches at large, state-run institutions are more influential than many governors. And few are as revered as Paterno, who on Oct. 29 won the 409th game of his 46-year career, a Division I record.
So Paterno, the biggest man on campus, can’t just punt this problem to a university bureaucrat and wash his hands of it. He should have followed up with Curley, and made sure he reported the allegations to the authorities, and let the criminal investigation run its course. If Curley wasn’t going to do it, Paterno should have done it himself.
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