Paterno

[PLAYER57832]

I have addressed the abuse allegations specifically in the other thread (Paterno passed).

But, it is clear that many people here really don't know what he truly represented, why he is so revered in this area. I myself did not know all of it.

I want to share some of that here, because Paterno is a man who's like we won't see again soon.
Many of you are likely aware that he held not just a high athletic standard, but a very high academic standard as well. It was the "bold experiment".

To begin, how many of you are aware that he was in the fore of treating all people well? He began at Penn state when race issues were boiling all over the south still. He was not a marcher, a protester. He simply did what was right. He did this in many ,many ways. He picked talent and treated them as just that.. talent. YET, he never let the athletes become stars. Penn state jerseys do not, have never (under Paterno, at least), had names of players. They are all part of the team. They all work together, are celebrated as a team or they come down as a team.


When his players got into trouble, he would be the very first to hold them to task. BUT.. it was often in private ways not seen by the public. That was his way.

He was "old school", with a very Italien bent. When he came to recruit players, he went directly to ... the players moms. Player after player talks about how they came home to find him in the kitchen, being fed and chatting with their parents, but particularly their moms. The promises he made differed from most recruiters. He did not promise fancy gimgaws or gaurantees of specific positions. He promised that the boys would get good educations, FIRST. Second, they would be held responsible. In many cases, he promised the moms that the boy would go to church. He promised the boy a chance to FIGHT for the positions.

And, though the "outside" looks at his 409 wins, the people in State College look to his commitment, a REAL commitment to education and integrity. That is why he is celebrated. That is why Robinson came from the pro bowl to speak. It is why the thousands of tickets were ALL gone in 7 minutes of their offering.

Per the last incident, I think the Chairman of Nike put it well. The Failure was not that Paterno did not report. He reported it to the head of campus police and the head of the university in full. The failure was in those people to investigate. AND.. it was very much those people's job, those people's duty to verify. Paterno's failure was in trusting that the people who were more directly trained in this to investigate it as well as THEY should have. Paterno stuck to what he knew and could do.

[oVo]

Joe Pa was one of the best coaches ever in College Football
and it is unfortunate that his reputation was tarnished by
the one of his subordinates.

It will be nearly impossible for anyone to accomplish what
he did at Penn State in the future.

[maasman]

I agree with everything here. I will never understand why people suddenly reviled him for doing exactly what he was supposed to do. Don't blame him for his subordinates actions, and don't blame him that upper management did nothing.

[BigBallinStalin]

What if he was CEO? Would people downplay his past achievements, and by associative thinking (corporations = BAD!), condemn him more vehemently?

[oVo]

show: for bbs

[BigBallinStalin]

If anyone opens that spoiler, they'll be sued for something egregious! It's only meant for me!! BACK AWAY FROM MY GIFTED SPOILER!!

[whitestazn88]

Joe Pa might as well have fucked those kids himself.

[saxitoxin]

To begin, how many of you are aware that he was in the fore of treating all people well?

huh

He picked talent and treated them as just that.. talent.

whatever it takes for a Rose Bowl invite

Former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno is alleged to have ignored a series of racist threats that a number of his African-American players were subjected to during his tenure.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1kj1Bd6HZ

Penn state jerseys do not, have never (under Paterno, at least), had names of players.

off the top of my head, neither does SC or Notre Dame and somehow they manage to avoid sexing 9 year olds

When his players got into trouble, he would be the very first to hold them to task.

too bad he didn't hold the coaches to task

When he came to recruit players, he went directly to ... the players moms.

Per the last incident, I think the Chairman of Nike put it well.

like this?

He reported it to the head of campus police and the head of the university in full.

[gradybridges]

Per the last incident, I think the Chairman of Nike put it well. The Failure was not that Paterno did not report. He reported it to the head of campus police and the head of the university in full. The failure was in those people to investigate. AND.. it was very much those people's job, those people's duty to verify. Paterno's failure was in trusting that the people who were more directly trained in this to investigate it as well as THEY should have. Paterno stuck to what he knew and could do.

You are naive. Paterno was the king of Penn State. He ran the show and could have stepped in at any time.

For whatever reason Paterno looked the other way. He knew in 2002 about the aligations and still let the man be part of the football team. He probably knew when Sandusky was investigated in 98. Yet he still chose to stick his head in the sand and be a fucking coward. How many kids were molested from 98 to the present? And did he know prior to 98?

The failure was Paterno. the 400+ wins means shit. His graduation rate means shit. his charity means shit. Paterno had the power to stop Sandusky and did nothing.

[ViperOverLord]

Five buildings on the Penn State campus are currently named in honor of Joe Paterno.

[natty dread]

o begin, how many of you are aware that he was in the fore of treating all people well?

Including young boys?

[PLAYER57832]

Per the last incident, I think the Chairman of Nike put it well. The Failure was not that Paterno did not report. He reported it to the head of campus police and the head of the university in full. The failure was in those people to investigate. AND.. it was very much those people's job, those people's duty to verify. Paterno's failure was in trusting that the people who were more directly trained in this to investigate it as well as THEY should have. Paterno stuck to what he knew and could do.

You are naive. Paterno was the king of Penn State. He ran the show and could have stepped in at any time.

For whatever reason Paterno looked the other way. He knew in 2002 about the aligations and still let the man be part of the football team. He probably knew when Sandusky was investigated in 98. Yet he still chose to stick his head in the sand and be a fucking coward. How many kids were molested from 98 to the present? And did he know prior to 98?

The failure was Paterno. the 400+ wins means shit. His graduation rate means shit. his charity means shit. Paterno had the power to stop Sandusky and did nothing.

Reread what you wrote.

He WAS King, yes. And, for that reason had to be particularly careful about any negativity. Next, note they were allegations. Allegations do not mean guilt. They mean that someone was accused. In retrospect, we now can see that these were real allegations. BUT, put yourself in Paterno's position. How would you react if someone you KNEW were accused of an incredibly heneous act? I hope you would report it! But, would you investigate it yourself? If it were your child.. yes. If it were someone else, maybe not. Maybe not becuase you would be inherently biased AND inherently just not skilled. And note, I mean "biased" not just in perhaps thinking the person innocent, but in having extraordinary anger if you found out there were something real.

Paterno was not an investigator. He grew up, had most of his adult life in a time when these things were only barely whispered about in dark recesses. This was NOT as much to protect the perpetrator.. it was as much about protecting the children involved. For the adult, any such allegation even, no matter how unfounded, could easily derail a career. SO.. Paterno reported this. He reported it to the president (that, BBS is the "CEO" of the school.. and I absolutely hold him responsible). He reported it to security. And then he stood back and TRUSTED that the system would work. I will add that at least one of those to whom he reported has himself spoken repeatedly on appropriate measures to protect children from abuse and reporting. So, Paterno was quite justified in thinking that he had placed the matter into skilled hands.

In RETROSPECT, it is easy to say "he should have known". Well, why? Why would he not trust that Graham Spanier, who is almost an expert on this type of thing would say "hey, let the guy coach, we'll monitor... etc. " Why would Paterno question that? Why would he do anything but think that the head of security would do a thorough job of investigating?

Paterno was a good man, but he was not a God. He was fallibly human.

You can make up your own minds based on 30 second news bites and snippets of information. I have made my decision based on many, many conversations with people.

[PLAYER57832]

[

He picked talent and treated them as just that.. talent.

whatever it takes for a Rose Bowl invite

Former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno is alleged to have ignored a series of racist threats that a number of his African-American players were subjected to during his tenure.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1kj1Bd6HZ

Tried to google a local story on this, but there is too much Paterno stuff out there now.

I WILL say its interesting you picked a story ran in the UK, not even in the US.

AND.. I let all those of many races and religions who actually KNEW Paterno speak for themselves.

When his players got into trouble, he would be the very first to hold them to task.

too bad he didn't hold the coaches to task

He DID. He reported him as soon as he was told there was a problem.... and trusted the investigation.

Contrast that with the graduate assistant who KNEW, first hand, that Sandusky did this and who waited more than a day to even report it... and yet who continued to work with him. I CAN gaurantee that if Paterno were in that position, as a minimum, he would not have continued to work with a guy he knew to be an abuser.

And that is the real key. WE see, because it was broadcast in the media, that there was a lot of evidence, that there was not just one incident, perhaps misconstrued, there was a repeated string of behavior. Did Paterno know all that?

[PLAYER57832]

o begin, how many of you are aware that he was in the fore of treating all people well?

Including young boys?

ESPECIALLY young boys.

Paterno was not accused of any harm. He is accused of not, HIMSELF, personally investigating an incident that was reported to him at least a day after the fact. Based on the fact that the guy who witnessed all this continued to work with Sandusky, in the program... I would say there might be legitimate reason, at the time, to think the matter had been resolved sufficiently.

He is blamed for not reporting this to police. In retrospect, in this particular case, we wish he had. However, turn that around. What if Sandusky were NOT guilty? What then? The fact that Paterno reported this would have meant it would be blasted everywhere over the media, would likely not have been kept quiet. Sounds good, now, becuase we know he was guilty. But, at the time, did Paterno? Did he have any reason to suspect that the university president, who has publically taken stances against such things, publically spoken on reporting of incidents, would Paterno expect anything but that that man would appropriately follow through?

[PLAYER57832]

Its clear this is turning into a rehash of the incident, rather than a discussion of Paterno's life. I have said all I will in this thread on that.

I made it to talk about Paterno's life, not someone with whom he worked.