Paterno*

I am disappointed in Bill Littlefield.  I just turned-off my local NPR station because, today, I find you neither entertaining nor insightful.  The Sandusky Scandal is appalling but I would wait until Sandusky’s trial before I would assume any media report as ‘fact.’

I feel all your pain I really do! I have admired JoePa for the past five decades. Yes, I’m that old! LoL

Everybody is all over the place as regards Shower 2002. But the reality of the situation is really all about one day in March of 2002. One day in which two people interacted with one another to the exclusion basically of the entire outside world. During that one day no alumni, no Board of Trustees, no police, no Child Protective Services, no District Attorney where made aware, knew about Shower 2002. And it is about Shower 2002 that I have concentrated my interest. An interest without any preconceived assumptions, bias, or over the top emotionalism.

Again I, like yourselves, have always admired, praised JoePa. But his role in the incident I call Shower 2002 was even more critical, more prominent, more serious than all of the rest who were involved. Why?  How?  Based on recorded testimony from Joe Paterno and Mike McQueary in two separate court hearings, the evidence and the facts, both circumstantial and direct, screams out the following observations! Screams out the following conclusions!

Despite his emotionally paralyzed condition as a result of Shower 2002, McQueary went to the one man he relied upon to provide the proper council, the understanding, the right direction. It was Joe Paterno who then proudly announced to the redhead that he had done the right thing and now let him, JoePa, take care of the reporting of the whole incident to others. Paterno was going to take care of everything to the relief of McQueary and his Father. And Joe Paterno had one and only one option on March 2, 2002. To have McQueary report Sandusky immediately to the police. Without hesitation! Period! End of paragraph!

Why? Because in Shower 2002, there was reasonable doubt that Sandusky was acting properly and decently with the little boy. And when that kind of reasonable doubt occurs, an American citizen — a human being — is mandated by law, moral and legal, to report any act such as an alleged child molestation. Immediately, without hesitation!

Call it “fondling,” “touching,” caressing,” or “horseplay,” a naked male adult with a naked minor in a closed, private, university gymnasium on a Friday night constitutes reasonable doubt as to the appropriateness of that adult’s behavior. Period! In this kind of situation, even if one has to err, one always errs on the side of safety — a child’s safety.

But JoePa did a curious thing upon that meeting with the graduate coach.. Unbelievably, McQueary, the absolute most important person in this whole story, the witness to the alleged sexual assault of a little boy, was dismissed by Paterno. He and his father were, in effect, sent home! Amazingly, that single action, all by itself, now made Joe Paterno the primary figure, the guidance director of this whole affair. He had placed himself squarely in the middle of this tragic story. He transformed himself into a new witness — by himself, for himself.

And Paterno then spent an additional day perusing, contemplating what to do about an event that was 1) none of his immediate concern; 2) an alleged horrific crime that was not a chain of command issue; 3) an episode he personally had not witnessed. But alas, Paterno was now McQueary’s surrogate. Again, a role he himself had instantaneously set up — for himself, by himself.

Delaying the reporting of the crime for 24 hours caused yet another ethical problem for JoePa. In order to be the self created orchestrator of this filthy revelation, Paterno consciously excluded the victim child from any consideration. That is exactly what he did. He trivialize the victim child by making him invisible, ignored, and nonexistent! Exactly what McQueary and his father had done the night before! The most important figure in this sordid affair became the most unimportant! JoePa forgot, gave up all concern for the little boy‘s safety!

Again, JoePa, by this action, had made himself immediately a surrogate witness, made himself in charge of describing what occurred in the shower, made himself the sole disseminator of information, and made himself the sole decider as to whom would know of this incident.

Paterno hesitated to do the right action. Why? Because the image of Sandusky instantly replaced the image of the little boy. And please, this was not an act of sexual harassment that could be delayed for evidence to be collected later. This was a shower room activity that was, well, like when there is a fire. You either throw water on it, or call 911, or do both. But in either case, you act immediately without hesitation. Immediately without hesitation! Immediately without hesitation!

When Joe Paterno and Mike McQueary failed to act, immediately and without hesitation, the fire burned for the next nine years.

Tim, thank you for your response.
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 Your assumption here is totally and completely  irrelevant to what should have been done by Paterno and McQueary during the 24 lour period in question.  Geeeeeze!
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You too are completely forgetting about the victim child.  It’s not your place to judge what happened in that shower room.  Nevertheless, it is very definitely  your place, had you been there, to call 911, immediately without hesitation.  Geeeeeze!

read this article, written by someone who actually understands human behavior. �
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-yvonne-k-fulbright/countering-the-criticism-_b_1236723.html  And by the way, he said he “WISHED” he had done more, not “should.”  Big difference, try getting your facts straight for once.