Legal experts say Paterno could have faced charges

[Police Moderator]

Legal experts say Paterno could have faced charges
By MARK SCOLFORO and MARYCLAIRE DALE
Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. — If he were alive today, Joe Paterno — the coach who stood for so long for character and integrity both on and off the football field — could be looking at charges such as child endangerment, perjury and conspiracy.

Legal experts said emails and other evidence in the Penn State investigative report released Thursday suggest that Paterno may have misled a grand jury when asked when he first heard about Jerry Sandusky’s misconduct, and show that Paterno and other university officials put boys in danger with their failure to report sexual abuse allegations against Sandusky more than a decade ago.

Duquesne University law professor Wes Oliver said the report by former FBI Director Louis Freeh reads like a prosecution case for a child endangerment charge against Paterno, then-President Graham Spanier, athletic director Tim Curley and now-retired vice president Gary Schultz. Oliver noted that a former top official in the Philadelphia Archdiocese was convicted of that charge in June for allowing a suspected pedophile priest to be around children.

“If you look at what happened here, it’s very clear that they were aware that they had a pedophile on their campus,” Oliver said.

Read more: times free press

[Police Moderator]

This entire episode really sickens me. To think that a purportedly educational culture systematically protected a predator over children, for decades, makes me want to go off like a Palestinian car bomb.

But, this is what happens when any societal unit, or group, falls for the personal ego and arrogance their so-called leaders constantly preach on about. When there is an atmosphere of 'protect the boss' at all costs, this is what we get. Those 'costs' usually cost those who are not in a position to protect themselves.

I would be willing to wager that there were discussions, amongst those who were in the know... "Don't rock the boat", "Don't step on your dick and say anything about it", "Think of your career", "You'll never get promoted if you say anything contrary to the company line", or "At least Penn State is winning football games." I would also be willing to wager that members of Jim Jones' cult had second thoughts about drinking the Kool-aid.

If just one person, student, coach, athlete, or PSU employee would have had the courage, and fortitude, to stand up for what was right, despite the potential personal costs, many children would have been saved from abuse. It should never be incumbent on the victims to do this. The onus is on those who knew and who had the ability to stop it.

Now that the truth is out, these people, who knew, and did nothing because they were cowards, should lose more than their jobs.

Me? I have never been one to drink the Kool-aid or fall for the politically correct rhetoric or buy into the egotistical, and arrogant, 'cult of personality.'

I wear the real personal costs of my outspokenness, for doing what is right, as a badge of honor.

Sadly, no one was willing to do so, in this case.

[Tsavodiner]

I wear the real personal costs of my outspokenness, for doing what is right, as a badge of honor.

Our scars are internal, but it's the stuff holding the mesentery of our Souls together

[Bryan Stone]

give 'em the god damn death penalty. Scandal, coverup, corruption, run rampant in the NCAA and Big time college football. Make an example out of these pieces of shit.

but they won't. and all the mindless, blind, college football honks will just forget all about it & worship their idols and 20 year old kids each and every saturday. pathetic.

now go watch some baseball.