Joe Paterno: Moderation in the Pursuit of Justice
ESPN's College Game Day devoted most of today's show to the scandal at Penn State. It often cut to a reporter standing in front of Joe Paterno's home, where Paterno will watch the game for the first time since he began coaching at Penn State in 1965. At one point, Game Day showed two men, en route to the game, kneeling and saying a prayer in front of Paterno's house.
Penn State fans, who usually wear all white on game day, instead are wearing dark blue in tribute to the victims of the scandal.
Game Day usually ends the show with charismatic anchor Lee Corso donning the head gear of one of the mascots of the top game of the day. Instead, he did that earlier, and the show cut to the Penn State stadium, where the Penn State players walked the center of the field to say a prayer for the victims. What followed was one of the most touching moments ever in college football: Their opponents, the Nebraska Conrhuskers, walked to the center of the field and joined them.
Paterno, one of the all-time great coaches, must now watch his legend tarnish. After he learned that his assistant coach at least appeared to be a pedophile, he told his superiors. However, he never told the police. As the scandal unfolded, he said, "I wish I had done more."
Most people are familiar with Barry Goldwater's famous line, "Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice." But at least as important may be his next line, "Moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue."
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Jun '11
Re: Joe Paterno: Moderation in the Pursuit of Justice
I like the quote posted on NRO: “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at its testing point.” (C.S. Lewis)
It frequently takes courage to do the right thing and it seems courage was lacking in so many cases at Penn State.
Jan '11
Re: Joe Paterno: Moderation in the Pursuit of Justice
Paterno was in no position to call the police himself, since he wasn't a witness. The issue is whether Paterno demanded, encouraged, or even recommended that McQueary call the police.
And here's the part of the case where I have questions. If Paterno believed McQueary saw a rape, of course Paterno should have raised his hand and said, "Look, if McQueary really saw a rape, he has to report it."
My question is what Paterno believed about what McQueary claimed. Paterno said that if the charges were true, they were all fooled, which leads me to suspect that Paterno didn't really believe it. He probably believes it now, but did he believe it then?
Nov '11
Re: Joe Paterno: Moderation in the Pursuit of Justice
As a Philadelphian who has many friends who attended Penn State, with some to the point that I question thier sanity, I have been watching this scandal unfold. After reading the grand jury report, though, I think there has been too much attention on one of seven different incidents that were used to hand down an indicment. The one I speak of involving the assistant coach. The one incident that was more troubling was one in 1998 in which police were called with state investigators and no charges were filed. In the 1998 incident, there was even admission by Sandusky of wrongdoing but the County D.A. said no crime had taken place. Now the same D.A. is missing, literally. I believe that people were fired because of the bad P.R. rather than punishiment for not doing their job. There is more to this than what has been printed and I hope that the truth comes out quickly. But I highly doubt it.
Sep '10
Re: Joe Paterno: Moderation in the Pursuit of Justice
I sensed an important cultural dimension to this event, but couldn't quite put my finger on it. This explains it pretty well: http://lewrockwell.com/north/north1059.html
As to the individuals involved, it is surely a tale of the tragic nature of human existence.
Still, something beyond the actions or omissions of those involved in this series of events leaves me deeply troubled, and I think it is partly explained by the central role that victimhood has assumed in our culture. I minimize in no way the actual human suffering which has been perpetrated and ought to be punished. The actual victims indeed deserve appropriate human support and sympathy from family, friends and caregivers. However, I sense an element of exhibitionism in the surrounding actors and media reports; an almost orgiastic affirmation of the very notion of victimhood per se, here in a pure, unquestionable form. Were it not for the societal 'mission creep' of victimhood generally - to something of a politically-leveraged good, - in our society, I doubt I would be entertaining such notions. Somehow, many public responses seem to represent a PC affirmation of universal victimhood's bona fides; a pep rally of sorts. Any thoughts?
Jan '11
Re: Joe Paterno: Moderation in the Pursuit of Justice
I'm curious about this. Media types are openly speculating that the DA is missing because of the Sandusky case. "Coincidence? Highly unlikely." But why? The Sandusky case was several years before the DA went missing. DAs handle a lot of cases over the course of several years.
Until some other evidence shows up, I'm not going to assume that the DA's disappearance has anything to do with Sandusky. As far as I'm concerned, that's just a Hollywood plot device run amok.
Apr '11
Re: Joe Paterno: Moderation in the Pursuit of Justice
Beyond the jailing of Sandusky for his crimes, a few questions come to mind. Will it be shown that Penn State officials had a legal obligation to report what they knew, or should have realized, was a crime? If so, and whether or not there is a legal prosecution of those officials, what sanction should the NCAA hand down? Could this lead ultimately to the death penalty of the football program like what happened at SMU a couple decades ago?
Apr '11
Re: Joe Paterno: Moderation in the Pursuit of Justice
If you are going to err on the side of caution on which side should you be cautious? Should you be cautious and protect potential victims or should you be cautious and protect a friend, comrade, or whatever Paterno saw Sandusky as?
EDIT: Paterno and Sandusky were apparently not friends; Brian McNicoll has an interesting take in his column today.
Edited on November 12, 2011 at 8:51pmOct '11
Re: Joe Paterno: Moderation in the Pursuit of Justice
So true 'give me liberty' and too Tim Groseclose. My question is the rest of the community.. there is so much to suggest many things regarding Sandusky was, at the least, suspected..
Jan '11
Re: Joe Paterno: Moderation in the Pursuit of Justice
Why is "erring on the side of caution" the guiding moral principle here?
You calculate the probabilities only when you've first admitted that you don't really know. But if Paterno, at the time, didn't believe the accusations, then why would he calculate which side to err on?
Everything in my gut tells me that Paterno has now come to believe that Sandusky was a predator, but at the time of these incidents, he didn't believe it. His statements and his behavior seems, to me, consistent with someone who now thinks he was wrong to defend Sandusky. He was fooled, and now he knows it, and now he regrets it.
I don't know Paterno personally, and for all I know, maybe he's a real creep. Maybe Paterno's fooling me. But when I read the story, that's the explanation that seems to best explain his behavior and statements.
Jan '11
Re: Joe Paterno: Moderation in the Pursuit of Justice
Paterno certainly had to know of Sanduskys predelictions in 1998. The incident took place in the locker room of his program. He had to know about the criminal investigation. Sandusky was obviously forced to retire because of this incident. So to claim Paterno only knew of something secondhand through McQueary in 2002 shows tremendous credulity. Paterno knew his friend and Coordinator was a pedophile for a long time and was presented with credible evidence more than once. He did nothing to stop it. Please don't make excuses for him, he was complicit in a cover up of horrific behavior and he enabled his friends evil, life destroying acts for years in order to protect his program and his legacy.
Edited on November 12, 2011 at 8:54pmJan '11
Re: Joe Paterno: Moderation in the Pursuit of Justice
The grand jury statement says that the school had a duty to report accusations, not only the ones the school agreed with. The Athletic Director has already been charged with failing to report, because he was the school official who was responsible.
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They're surely going to get hit, and hard. Properly so. But even if the NCAA doesn't do anything, I can't see many parents eager to send their kids to Penn State for quite a few years.
Apr '11
Re: Joe Paterno: Moderation in the Pursuit of Justice
KC, I wasn't trying to establish erring on the side of caution as a moral principle, but just suggesting that maybe that was the course by which Paterno had chosen. I get the feeling that you are a fan of JoPa and maybe Penn St. I am not a fan of the team but have long admired JoPa and the recent news has been difficult to square with what I believed about him. If you are a fan I have sympathy, I experienced something similar as a long time fan of, ironically, Nebraska. In the 90's, near the end of his career Tom Osborne's lead tailback Lawrence Phillips decided it was a good idea to toss his ex-girlfriend down a flight of stairs. The East coast media descended on Lincoln and tried to portray Osborne as some kind of a monster. No one knows what the motivation or thoughts are of these men when they make their decisions but we can use our own guiding principals to judge for ourselves the proper course.
May '10
Re: Joe Paterno: Moderation in the Pursuit of Justice
BThompson said it right. I'm a little shocked to see people still trying to rationalize what JoPa or anyone involved did. Read the grand jury report. It took a day for a 28 year old who had seen a 10 year old being anally raped to even bring it to his coach. It took years for Paterno to "wish he had done more." He failed those kids in every way. I'm glad the focus at Penn State has turned to the victims. It's about time.
Jan '11
Re: Joe Paterno: Moderation in the Pursuit of Justice
Well, if you're referring to my arguments, we'll have to disagree here.
In my opinion, this is a textbook case for teaching morality. Morality is easy to judge when it comes to Sandusky. It's fairly easy when it comes to the AD, and probably McQueary. But Paterno situation depends on what he knew, and what he believed at any given time. This is where morality really matters.
You're now looking at the evidence that's been compiled over the course of many years, and it seems overwhelming ... now. You're assuming that Paterno should have known things, like what was going on in the showers. In the real world, it's never that easy.
The fact is, perverts hide. And when the perverts are intelligent, they hide well. If the Catholic priest scandal has taught us anything, it's that these predators are frighteningly aware of how to manipulate and coerce people.
Most of the time, these scandals are shocking precisely because they involve people whom we would never suspect. So, after all these cases, why do we assume that nearby people surely should have known?
Jan '11
Re: Joe Paterno: Moderation in the Pursuit of Justice
KC, his defensive coordinator of 32 years was forced to retire over the 1998 incident. The police investigated an incident that took place in Paterno's locker room. You don't think Paterno's knew about the investigation or why Sandusky had to retire? Paterno's certainly knew about Sandusky's predelictions in 1998. The incident was obviously credible enough that Sandusky was forced to retire. With that knowledge already gained, upon hearing the eyewitness report from McQueary, Paterno was morally obligated to treat it as the grave and disturbing matter it was. Talking to the AD wasn't enough. What's more, from the Grand Jury report it sounds like Paterno downplayed what took place as "maybe some fondling or something sexual". I understand you reluctance to blame JoePa, KC. I didn't want to believe it for two days. But I can't escape what the facts suggest.
Jan '11
Re: Joe Paterno: Moderation in the Pursuit of Justice
Well, that may be part of it, but I have no doubt that my reflections come from my agony about the scandals in the Catholic priesthood.
And it is agony. I love the priesthood, and I've seen it virtually destroyed by this same corruption. Mention "Catholic priest" these days and you get a squirming response. This kind of scandal has destroyed something I dearly love. Men whom I highly respect, and who have done nothing wrong themselves, are lumped together with sick bastards who corrupt the very people they took vows to protect. These predators have caused so much damage, it's unbelievable.
I see the AD here in the same way I see Cardinal Law of Boston - he sounds like a craven enabler.
But I know a lot of religious superiors who were in Paterno's position. They didn't know. They didn't believe the accusations. And some of the time, they were correct to defend their priest, but others discovered their trust was misplaced. How can you tell the truth about someone? There is no sure way.
Nov '10
Re: Joe Paterno: Moderation in the Pursuit of Justice
Were so many silent simply out of loyalty? Was it that they wanted to distance themselves from the shame of being associated with such vile acts? Or did they consistently bump it up the chain of command because that's how such institutions want things done? Given the huge fortunes tied up in professional sports (and it is basically professional at the Penn level) the consequences of scandal are grave. But so are the consequences for whistleblowers who blindside the suits. Everybody knows what snitches get.
Apr '11
Re: Joe Paterno: Moderation in the Pursuit of Justice
KC I agree, does the ACLU still defend these creeps or did they become conflicted when they had to side with Catholic priests?
Jan '11
Re: Joe Paterno: Moderation in the Pursuit of Justice
Hey, let's be clear ... I'm fully aware that Paterno might be just as craven and self-protective here as anyone else. Could I be wrong? Sure ... but I freely admit that I don't know.
Statements like the one you quoted, "maybe some fondling," are precisely the statements that make me reluctant here. This is also why I'm reluctant to accept grand jury reports at face value.
I want to hear cross-examination. How exactly did McQueary describe it to Paterno? If he described it as a rape to Paterno, then Paterno's lackadaisical response is indefensible. But what if McQueary described it as Paterno relayed it? He wasn't sure what he saw. He thinks it was Sandusky.
Witnesses sometimes justify their recollections by giving them a clarity that they didn't have at first. And McQueary was reporting this to Sandusky's friend for 30 years; I can perfectly understand if he wasn't so definitive. And if so, Paterno's reaction would make sense.
Jan '11
Re: Joe Paterno: Moderation in the Pursuit of Justice
To my knowledge, the ACLU never rushes to the church's defense. Although, to be fair, there have been some strange cases where they show up when you least expect them.