"Joe Paterno presents an example for fundamentalists that I hope they won’t ignore"

I posted a response to Bob on his wall, if you want to read it there, you can. I live near “Happy Valley.” It gets under my skin that ESPN and others rush to judgment on this. I can deal with that. They are the media and something has to satisfy their unquenchable appetite for something to talk about. But Christians should know the foolishness of answering a matter before he hears it. Charles Phelps has had his opportunity to explain his thinking and actions, Joe Paterno has not. Right now, all we know is that he reported what he knew up the chain. One of the men to whom Paterno’s report came to had the University Police under his department. This police dept. had investigated Sandusky once before. Maybe it will come out that Paterno knew far more than some vague accusation of something that took place in a shower. But Christians ought to be prudent and let the investigations that are going to take place run their course.

The guy who was your top aide and heir apparent for twenty plus years suddenly and unexpectedly “retires” at age 55 after allegations he was sexually abusing a child. You take his retirement letter without question or comment. You never ask him anything about the rumors that are going around. You then three years later hear a first hand eyewitness report that the same man has done the same thing again to a child in YOUR football locker room. You mention it once to your boss (ten days later) and then wash your hands of it. For the next nine years it never crosses your mind again despite that former assistant still being in weekly if not daily contact with members of your team and staff.

That might be exactly what happened, but it is, in the literal definition of the word, incredible.

Robert, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Sandusky didn’t suddenly and unexpectedly retire. Joe Paterno told him he would not be the next head coach, so he retired after that season. The rumors that were going around [late 90’s] were investigated by the University Police and referred to Centre county DA who chose not to prosecute. Paterno’s report of 2002 went to Curley and Schultz. Schultz was a university VP who had, among other departments, the University Police under his supervision. It seems that he did nothing with what was reported to him. Time will tell when invetigations are done. Robert, you don’t know what you are talking about.

Your “know nothing” attitude (and I do know very well what I’m talking about—I’ve been a college football fan a long time, and I remember the reaction to Sandusky’s “retirement” quite well) allows sin to continue unchecked. You’d do better to stop trying to defend the indefensible and worry more about the victims than the reputation of your (ex) coach and school.

Congrats on being a college football fan, but you still don’t know what you are talking about.

There are principles of reporting, discipline, and recovery, I believe, in 2 Cor. 7.
Paul states that he did declare the sin of the Corinthians, and publicly as was needed. The authorities did not seem to come into play (was incest a criminal offense?), and he advocated a public acknowledgement of the sin as well as a public confession of repentance.
What is also instructive is the need to discontinue public rebuke once the guilty party has repented. I understand the bringing out of some of the incidents of the past in the sense of continuing to rebuke sin. As long as that is all it is, and not attempts to discredit other ministries by airing of dirty laundry.
I think this Penn State issue can go too far. It looks like there is a cry for everyone who knew anything to be fired. Is there a point where this goes too far? If the media is more interested in making Penn State an example because they did have such a squeaky-clean reputation, and doesn’t do the same for any other university employees who are child molesters (NAMBLA, anyone?), then it becomes hypocritical. We should be jealous for the right, but let’s make sure we have balanced and principled responses!

Just to clarify something, here. My post is not so much declaring Paterno’s guilt as it is commenting on the reaction to the Paterno incident. Our world reacts strongly to these allegations of abuse, and sometimes fundamentalists don’t react so strongly. Penn State is cutting ties and trying to make it clear that they don’t support abuse or allow it in anyway, so they are taking drastic actions. In contrast, some fundamentalist institutions when faced with allegations, just deny, ignore or cover them up. This incident with the public outcry against Joe Paterno should educate us as fundamentalists as to how a watching world will think of such actions.

The “world’s reaction” to things is not the gauge I would tout as the one we should use. And even “the world” in some places, believes there is an intemperance, if not hysteria, that moves collective reactions which is unhealthy. Mob mentality and the loudest screams aren’t my kind of construct for consideration, on either side.

Jonathan, it just blows my mind to hear what Joe Paterno did (or more accurately, didn’t do). How can anyone hear a report of his former assistant coach in the shower with a 10-year-old boy, regardless of the details reported to him of what was going on in that shower, and not call the police and/or conduct a thorough investigation (or press for one to take place)? Especially when there were reports of this happening before?

I would encourage everyone to read the following article about Sandusky. The remarkable thing about this article is that it was written back in April of this year, well before the recent events came to a head.

http://www.timesonline.com/columnists/sports/mark_madden/madden-sandusk…

This from an ESPN article today:

Why didn’t Paterno contact the police when first informed in 2002 by then-graduate assistant Mike McQueary of an alleged locker room incident involving Sandusky and a young boy?

Why did Paterno heir apparent Sandusky unexpectedly resign from Penn State in 1999?

Why was Sandusky granted special access to the Penn State athletic facilities even after the 2002 incident?

Why did all of this remain secret for so long?

“Joe doesn’t know why [Sandusky] resigned?” says a former athletic director at a rival institution. “Bull–-. That was the first cover-up. … In ‘99, when Sandusky resigns, you think this coaching staff didn’t know what was going on?

“In 2002, this could have been a two-day story: ‘Ex-Penn State assistant coach is arrested.’ I’m not saying it wouldn’t have been a painful story, but it would have been dealt with. But there’s so much arrogance to think they can keep it a secret. And it starts with Joe … Monumental ego and arrogance.”

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7221684/the-tragedy-penn…

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/notes/tim-henderson/a-deficiency-of-…] This from Cru. (formerly Campus Crusade) at Penn State.

[Greg Long] This from an ESPN article today:

Why didn’t Paterno contact the police when first informed in 2002 by then-graduate assistant Mike McQueary of an alleged locker room incident involving Sandusky and a young boy?

Why did Paterno heir apparent Sandusky unexpectedly resign from Penn State in 1999?

Why was Sandusky granted special access to the Penn State athletic facilities even after the 2002 incident?

Why did all of this remain secret for so long?

“Joe doesn’t know why [Sandusky] resigned?” says a former athletic director at a rival institution. “Bull–-. That was the first cover-up. … In ‘99, when Sandusky resigns, you think this coaching staff didn’t know what was going on?

“In 2002, this could have been a two-day story: ‘Ex-Penn State assistant coach is arrested.’ I’m not saying it wouldn’t have been a painful story, but it would have been dealt with. But there’s so much arrogance to think they can keep it a secret. And it starts with Joe … Monumental ego and arrogance.”

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7221684/the-tragedy-penn…

I know the climate ESPN and others have set in place makes anyone who would warn against a rush to judgment seem to be pro-child abuse. God forbid any of us find ourselves in such a situation! Noone knows what Paterno knew in 2002. He did report it up the chain to the AD and it was also reported to the school VP who was over the University Police. Paterno is not over the University Police, Schultz was, and he knew about the 2002 incident days after it happened.

I would encourage all those involved in this discussion to read the article to which Audrey Cahilly linked in her post above. It is worthy of your time and I believe it gives a good perspective as to what our attitude should be toward this incident…and towards all such incidents.

[Jonathan Charles]

[Greg Long] This from an ESPN article today:

Why didn’t Paterno contact the police when first informed in 2002 by then-graduate assistant Mike McQueary of an alleged locker room incident involving Sandusky and a young boy?

Why did Paterno heir apparent Sandusky unexpectedly resign from Penn State in 1999?

Why was Sandusky granted special access to the Penn State athletic facilities even after the 2002 incident?

Why did all of this remain secret for so long?

“Joe doesn’t know why [Sandusky] resigned?” says a former athletic director at a rival institution. “Bull–-. That was the first cover-up. … In ‘99, when Sandusky resigns, you think this coaching staff didn’t know what was going on?

“In 2002, this could have been a two-day story: ‘Ex-Penn State assistant coach is arrested.’ I’m not saying it wouldn’t have been a painful story, but it would have been dealt with. But there’s so much arrogance to think they can keep it a secret. And it starts with Joe … Monumental ego and arrogance.”

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7221684/the-tragedy-penn…

I know the climate ESPN and others have set in place makes anyone who would warn against a rush to judgment seem to be pro-child abuse. God forbid any of us find ourselves in such a situation! Noone knows what Paterno knew in 2002. He did report it up the chain to the AD and it was also reported to the school VP who was over the University Police. Paterno is not over the University Police, Schultz was, and he knew about the 2002 incident days after it happened.

Jonathan, that was simply not enough. Everyone knows Joe Pa runs the athletic department (and some might argue the entire university in some ways). He should have followed through to see that more was done. It is simply inexcusable, as the PSU trustees recognize.

I would also encourage folks to read the Cru Facebook post linked to above. It is very revealing and very sobering.

I just read the following article that up until recently Sandusky was still recruiting players for Penn State. This is just absolutely incredible. Words fail me. The only two scenarios I can envision are that Joe Pa and the PSU administration didn’t think Sandusky did anything wrong or that they were more concerned about the football program and their reputations and jobs than they were about the safety of children.

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/11/11/sandusky-recuited-hs-players-thi…