# Penn State Scandal & Others...



## Berubeland (Sep 6, 2009)

My husband told me about this horrible story, not sure anyone is following it. 

Basically there was this football coach / pedophile Jerry Sandusky who was caught a number of times with young boys in the locker room, the first time in 1998. He retired (was resigned - who knows really?) in 1999 from Penn State but for some unknown reason continued to have an office and unfettered access to the university. 

He was caught in the act again in 2000 then in 2002 then in 2008. He was investigated but not charged in 1998. 

He also had created a charity to help out troubled boys before 1998. Apparently he was caught again and in 2009 I think he was no longer allowed to go on camping trips with the boys. 

The sheer number of people who knew about this guy was mind boggling but it seems that his charisma and nice guy status along with venerated philanthopist/ coach status prevented people from following through and the police from charging him. 

Next his superior at Penn State Paterno was fired for his role in the coverup along with the president of the university. 

It seems that Pennsylvania has the same laws as we do here - child abuse of any kind must be reported to the authorities and some people are getting charged with that as well as for perjuring themselves before the grand jury. 

Quite frankly I'm disgusted, not only about the guy in question, but for all the people who are complicit in his crimes by remaining silent. For every criminal out there, there's probably at least 1 witness or person who knows who they are and what they are up to. 

This reeks of the same kind of crap that happened within the Catholic Church. 

Recently another story came up about the Boy Scouts in the States and one of their pedophiles, who left and came to Canada and continued to molest boys here. No one there warned anyone here in the Boy Scouts that we had a child rapist on the prowl. 

In any case one common thread I've noticed is that a commonality about these stories is that they tend to be about young boys rather than girls. 

Do you think because of our cultural mores about man/man relationships this might keep these kinds of crimes from being reported? Why are so many people silent about these serious allegations? 

Another thing I noticed was within these stories were instances of what I as a parent would consider strange...it's not really normal for a 11 year old boy to have sleepovers at a man's house. Normal for one kid to have sleepovers with another kid but not an adult. 

Thoughts anyone?


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Berubeland said:


> Basically there was this football coach / pedophile Jerry Sandusky who was caught a number of times with young boys in the locker room, the first time in 1998. He retired (was resigned - who knows really?) in 1999 from Penn State but for some unknown reason continued to have an office and unfettered access to the university.
> 
> He was caught in the act again in 2000 then in 2002 then in 2008. He was investigated but not charged in 1998. Thoughts anyone?


Happens quite a bit with sports coaches..and boy scout leaders too!

CBC (or was it CTV W5?) ran an expose on the Boy Scouts of America, who
had pedophiles as scout leaders abusing boys. They had a secret list
and kept quiet about it for years, so did Scouts Canada..they have
a secret list. Although the leaders are dismissed from being leaders
after the abuse is discovered, neither BSA or SC ever notified authorities
or assisted police with evidence in bringing the pedophiles to trial.

Now of course, the "cat is out of the bag", and BSA and SC are being
sued (class action) by the victims of abuse (or their families if the victims are minor),
and BSA (and maybe Scouts Canada) is paying out *millions* in lawsuit
settlements out of court..*to keep their reputation from being ruined*.

Then there was the Catholic priests abusing choir boys and the millions
in punitive damages that the Catholic Church both in US and Canada
has paid out... in "out of court" settlements to keep things "quiet".

Then there was the parochial school/native children abuse that happened
many years ago, and is now coming to surface as victims are suing the
parochial schools or the provincial gov'ts for restitution..
40 years or more later...

the list goes on...


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## financialnoob (Feb 26, 2011)

It's a pretty horrible story out of what had been one of the most reputable programs in the country. 

As for your point on man/man relationships, I think there's a lot of truth to that. The macho attitude some men feel may work against them when something like this happens.

The sleepover scenario is really bizarre. But coaches are often seen as father-figures and role models, and many have taken active roles in mentoring young men in positive ways. I know coaches who have taken some kids to games, or to other events, but sleep-over is a bit extreme I agree. 

http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-224-x/2010000/aftertoc-aprestdm2-eng.htm

*Police-reported data for 2009 indicate that children and youth under the age of 18 were most likely to be sexually victimized or physically assaulted by someone they knew (85% of incidents).*

I find this stat one of the most significant. Many parents are vigilant in watching out for strangers who prey on kids, but more often than not, that predator is an acquaintance. Almost 3 out of 10 of those incidents were perpetrated by family members, or almost double the rate of incident by strangers. 

It's an incredibly sad story. There was a similar one a few years ago about hockey players, and some NHLers had even been abused (Sheldon Kennedy comes to mind). Anytime there is a position of trust, that position can be used for abuse. The problem is that many of the victims don't feel they can speak out. Without resolving that step, this cycle may continue again.


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## steve41 (Apr 18, 2009)

Apropos of the story.... you cannot get an appreciation of the depth of adulation that some Americans have for their college football.... the players and coaches are revered as gods. I just read "I am Charlotte Simmons" by Tom Wolfe... it is very insightful.


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## ddkay (Nov 20, 2010)

Penn State, my final loss of faith


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## OptsyEagle (Nov 29, 2009)

I'll admit that I have not been following this case too closely, but the question in my mind is as follows. Penn State is a university and from my understanding this Sandusky was a football coach at this university. Correct me if I am wrong.

Now my question is: how old were these boys? The last time I went to university, most of the youngest students were still 18 years old or older. For a teacher to go at it in the locker room with an 18 year old or older, I call being gay not being a pedophile. So what am I missing in this story? I am sure I must have this wrong.


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## ddkay (Nov 20, 2010)

see my last post, he ran a "big brothers big sisters" type outreach program, the article's author went through it


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## Berubeland (Sep 6, 2009)

OptsyEagle said:


> I'll admit that I have not been following this case too closely, but the question in my mind is as follows. Penn State is a university and from my understanding this Sandusky was a football coach at this university. Correct me if I am wrong.
> 
> Now my question is: how old were these boys? The last time I went to university, most of the youngest students were still 18 years old or older. For a teacher to go at it in the locker room with an 18 year old or older, I call being gay not being a pedophile. So what am I missing in this story? I am sure I must have this wrong.


They were as young as ten, it seems there is some kind of fitness program on university grounds. He was caught twice in the Penn State gym area, wrestling rooms and showers. Paterno knew of it, this is why it is said that Sandusky was "retired" 

Here's the grand jury findings and many more are expected to come forward. 

http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/uploadedFiles/Press/Sandusky-Grand-Jury-Presentment.pdf


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

Covering up and protecting a rapist is as bad as the act itself. Paterno should be charged. How abhorrent is it that he cared more about the reputation of the school/program than the well-being of children?


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## Karen (Jul 24, 2010)

And, just as horrifying, over 2000 Penn State students rioted in protest at the coach being fired.

http://sports.ca.msn.com/other/photos/infamous-sports-brawls


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## Berubeland (Sep 6, 2009)

Over and over this kind of cover up happens and other people looking on are blinded to the facts that it's entirely possible to simultaneously be two people at once. 

For instance if someone is a great defensive coach and do good works in the community then they can't also be a pedophile. 

Then if they are found to be a pedoophile any good work they have accomplished in their life is not credited. 

Yet that is not true, many people who have contributed greatly to society also have deep flaws. 

Joe Paterno's lasting legacy may well be that everyone now knows that reporting a crime to one's superior is not even close to enough. It cost him his job and an awful lot of goodwill. Everyone must report child abuse and sexual abuse to the police. 

Still Joe Paterno is far from the only enabler...the police investigated Sandusky in 1998 and didn't charge him, his wife, his kids, victims who did not come forward for many many years, anyone who knew about his activities and said nothing and even the grand jury who took two years to indict him. There may well be more victims during that 2 years. Obviously Penn State the institution and the president who has now been fired, the graduate student who did not go to the police and who told Paterno, the janitor and all his workmates 

Then there's the people who are protesting, of course, if you consider that they are mostly kids and were barely alive when Coach Sandusky got fired/resigned from Penn State originally...the idea that Joe Paterno is fired for not reporting that long ago may be a little hard for them to comprehend.


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