I've been silent about the Jerry Sandusky case since it began. I wanted to wait until the investigations and trial were over. Now all of that is complete. My time has come.
First off, I am very happy a predator and monster like Jerry Sandusky will be in prison for the remainder of his living years. Due to the nature of his crimes, he will have no friends or allies. He will die a lonely, broken man. Honestly, he deserves worse. But cruel and unusual punishment laws prevent that from happening.
The cover up and concealing of Sandusky's abuse of children is astonishing. The truth about Sandusky was clear to the Gang of Four since 1998. The fact it remained a secret until 2011 is unforgivable and disgusting.
Former Penn State President Graham Spanier did not report the 1998 incident to the board of trustees and in 1999, following Sandusky's retirement (and lump sum payment os approximately $169K), recommended Sandusky for emeritus status. Graham Spanier is far from unintelligent. He has a Phd from Northwestern in Sociology. If anything, this should have been his time to shine. Instead, he backed off and enabled a predator.
Gary Schulz, the former Vice President of Penn State, who is currently awaiting trial for perjury, believed in 1998 the matter had been "appropriately investigated" and declined further action towards Sandusky. After the 2001 shower incident, Schulz discussed the reporting of suspected child abuse with legal counsel Wendell Courtney and Schulz asked campus police if the 1998 report was "still around". Obviously nothing came of this discussion with Courtney and Schulz went on to help Sandusky's Second Mile charity purchase land from Penn State. Like Spanier, Schulz is also educated, earning his master's degree in industrial engineering from Penn State.
Athletic Director Tim Curley, also awaiting trial for perjury, also knew about the 1998 incident immediately after it happened. He did not limit Sandusky's access to athletic facilities and it is said he simply "touched base" with football coach Joe Paterno about the incident. It wasn't until the 2001 incident Curley told Sandusky not to return to Penn State facilities with children.
And finally, Joe Paterno's role in this now appears to be the most significant. Joe, like Spanier and Schulz was educated, having a degree in English from Brown University. But it is now obvious he played the biggest behind the scenes role in the cover up. We all knew Joe Pa had a lot of power at Penn State. Especially when he didn't allow the board of trustees to fire him and dismissd them simply by telling them to get the hell off his porch. It is the fault of Spanier, Schulz and the board Joe Paterno was able to gain Godfather-like power and influence at Penn State. When other PSU employees who witnessed Sandusky's abuse of children say they were too terrified of what Joe would do to report the incidents, you know he had too much power. Yes Joe Pa was a legendary football coach, but that's all he was, a football coach. He never should have had the intimidation factor to control those who are paid to dictate policy and procedure. If Joe was worried about protecting his legacy, then he surely chose the wrong path. Yes, his coaching career may have been cut short if he had reported the incident to authorities. But he would today be remembered as a hero and a man who put doing the right thing ahead of friendship and legacy. But as Al Pacino said in The Devil's Advocate: "Vanity is definitely my favorite sin".
What should Penn State's punishment be stemming from this case? Yes, they will pay out millions of dollars to settle the lawsuits which will be forthcoming. The NCAA says they will await response to their own questions before taking action towards the football program. Many believe the football "death penalty" is warranted. It is the toughest penalty the NCAA can give out and would ban Penn State football from competition for a minimum of one year. Southern Methodist University football and University of Kentucky basketball have received this penalty from the NCAA in the past. I understand the belief this would be a warranted punishment. However, the punishment needs to extend beyond football. The Department of Education must step in and bring the hammer down upon Penn State. This means removing financial aid and grants from the university.
Power, pride and cowardice led to the continued abuse of children by Jerry Sandusky. It all could have been stopped in 1998 if just one man had the decency or guts to step up and do what was right. I hope this is a lesson to us all.
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