It's difficult to win on the road in the Big Ten. Michigan travels to Illinois this week in what should be another close, well fought game. Hopefully they can overcome the road woes and pull out a victory.
The title of this post has nothing to do with Michigan's loss to Iowa and everything to do with the grand jury indictment against former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky as well as the PSU AD and another administrator.
You can read the gruesome details for yourself here. And by gruesome I mean you're likely to be sick to your stomach. If you don't want the details, here's the gist.
Penn State's defensive coordinator is alleged to have molested at least 8 young boys (ages 8-13) for over 15 years. This began while he was still employed by Penn State and continued after he had retired. What's interesting here is that the terms of his retirement granted him full access to the Penn State facilities and most of the victims claimed taking them to PSU games was an incentive the old man used to get close to them.
The main issues for those other than Sandusky arise in 2002, where a graduate assistant came back to the locker rooms late at night and found Sandusky in the showers with a 10 year old boy having sex. The graduate assistant went to Paterno with this information, who in turn informed the AD. After meeting the graduate assistant, the AD decided not to contact the police (which is required under Pennsylvania law) and concluded that they would take the big time action of not allowing Sandusky to bring small boys onto school property (something they have also admitted wasn't enforceable).
If these allegations are true, Joe Pa and anyone with knowledge of these actions should be run out of town today. I don't care about his record as a coach or how long he's been there, this is inexcusable, abhorrent behavior. I do not think this is an overreaction. In fact, IMO this is far worse than what Tressell did. Tress covered up an NCAA violation to protect his team and give him a better chance of winning and avoiding suspensions/sanctions. Joe Pa (by not reporting this to police) helped conceal the sexual abuse of young boys.
For just a little background, I am currently a substitute teacher and a football coach. For both jobs (this is in California) I completed abuse programs where they give you a detailed outline of exactly what to do when you witness child abuse. There is a hotline, you contact the police. These are the instructions even if you have no proof and simply suspect something is going on. The instructions are clear and the steps are very simple to understand. There is no grey area. All educators know this. Not contacting the proper authorities is a crime in most states.
It's clear from the indictment that there was an attempt made to sweep this under the rug to protect the program and it's reputation, and for that, shame on everyone involved. That's repulsive.
Here's an article from the Washington Post which I believe sums it up rather well.
Some excerpts:
Joe Pa knew, if the charges are true.
They all knew.
And they never told police.
In Warped Sports World, the don’t-ask, don’t-tell, sweep-it-clean behavior is rationalized as loyalty, having your coach’s or teammate’s back, moving on from the problem. It’s seen as a noble quality, putting the team’s needs — the university’s needs — before your own.
Certainly it can be argued that Paterno and Penn State would have been irrevocably hurt if these allegations had surfaced in a police report almost 10 years ago; a program whose legendary defensive coordinator was accused of being a pedophile would lose recruits and, by association, money and prestige. Who wouldn’t want that to go away?
But more unconscionable, if true: putting loyalty to the many, the program, in front of the victimization of even the one, a child.
The thing is, the grad assistant, never told joe pa they were doing it. some heads will roll at psu. but ole joe is in the clear, legally.
ReplyDeletehow bad is Michigan though? whammy!