College Football 2011 Discussion

[Timby]

Yeah, I read the grand jury's report on Saturday. I hated myself afterward.

 

[Neroon]

I couldn't finish the whole thing. Wouldn't have even read it at all, except there was so much emotion and tension surrounding the allegations, I decided to at least start it.

 

[Dorian Thompson]

Paterno, sure, but McQueary? Lighting up the one guy who actually tried to do something about this just seems misguided to me. I mean, if anything, I'm sure that Schultz, Curley and possibly Paterno put on an absolute gaslighting masterclass for him.

But, ultimately, none of us can say what we'd do when we saw something like this. A surprising amount of people who witness abuse exhibit post-traumatic symptoms. They keep reliving the experience over and over again in their head, and they desperately try to compartmentalize their life and avoid anything that might trigger running through it yet again.

Assuming that was the case with McQueary -- to even some degree having a series of trusted authority figures likely tell you that you did the right thing, but now you needed to just leave it with them and they'd handle it -- that would be a lifeline for someone coping withPaterno, sure, but McQueary? Lighting up the one guy who actually tried to do something about this just seems misguided to me. I mean, if anything, I'm sure that Schultz, Curley and possibly Paterno put on an absolute gaslighting masterclass for him.

But, ultimately, none of us can say what we'd do when we saw something like this. A surprising amount of people who witness abuse exhibit post-traumatic symptoms. They keep reliving the experience over and over again in their head, and they desperately try to compartmentalize their life and avoid anything that might trigger running through it yet again.

Assuming that was the case with McQueary -- to even some degree having a series of trusted authority figures likely tell you that you did the right thing, but now you needed to just leave it with them and they'd handle it -- that would be a lifeline for someone coping with witnessing something that heinous.

But...he didn't step away from it. He chose to remain with the program all these years. I could see your point if he'd chosen to go coach at another university, but he stayed. He knew that Sandusky, though retired, still had an office on campus, could come and go as he liked. He knew he worked with The Second Mile. It's a well known charity in that state. Unless Curley, Schultz, and Paterno all pointedly lied to him and said "We called police and they refused to do anything," it just doesn't wash. And if they did tell him that lie, and they were acting duly distressed about the fictitious police inaction....why didn't they bar Sandusky from campus in 2002?? They told him not to bring boys there anymore, but he still came around whenever he liked. That wouldn't add up to me were I in McQueary's shoes. He's not just WR coach--he's the recruiting coordinator for Penn State now. Were I a parent, it would give me pause that this man was recruiting my son. Perhaps he's not as culpable as the infamous trio of his elders, but it's just creepy to me that McQueary didn't leave the program. I couldn't stay knowing that no one minded that Mr. Pedo was prancing around campus. He was a young grad assistant from the Paterno coaching tree. He wasn't trapped. He obviously has a father who cares. It just doesn't add up. It's just....ick.

 

[Roger Wilco]

Sandusky remained a presence around Penn State last week

I'm baffled why that guy wasn't banned from the university ASAP after the allegations came up a decade ago. Shame on everyone involved.

eta: I agree with this breakdown.

What would you do? For most of us, the answer is simple: A lot more.

 

[Dorian Thompson]

The more I think about it, the more judgmental I am of McQueary. There are times when you must act. I didn't realize he used to be the quarterback on the team. I'm not that familiar with PSU players. I was wrong, he was 28 in 2002 according to reports. Big, strong, 28 year old man comes across an old man raping a child....and he runs and calls daddy. There's no reason he should have been physically intimidated by Sandusky. The mother of "victim 6" has voiced these sentiments publicly now. Then he accepts a cushy job on staff. McQueary was more concerned about his position than anything. He needs to go right along with Paterno, Curley, Schultz, and Spainer. BTW--PSU's press conference for today has just been canceled by Spainer.

Mother of alleged victim blasts Spainer, McQueary

EDIT--Oh, and when the first allegations of abuse were made against Sandusky and investigated in 1998--I guess no one at Penn State had a clue, huh? --the DA decided not to prosecute. He disappeared in 2005.

DA disappears, computer ruined

 

[Timby]

Did you just completely overlook what I said about witnesses of abuse exhibiting post-traumatic symptoms? That his reaction was to call his father suggests that witnessing that rape completely fucked him up in the head, just Like that janitor completely melted down.

In other news, the New York Times says the Board of Trustees is planning Paterno's exit.

 

[Starbreaker]

“Hey, this guy’s raping kids.”
“Yeah.. but football.”

Blech

 

[Timby]

“Hey, this guy’s raping kids.”
“Yeah.. but football.”

Blech

Oh, yeah, it's disgusting. This whole fiasco is going to be taught in college public relations courses for decades as a prime case study in how not to manage a crisis.

 

[Starbreaker]

Roll Tide/War Eagle will air on ESPN at 8 and ESPN2 at 11 tonight. I went to a lesser known D1 school in Alabama, but you really do have to pick a side in Alabama. You must choose wisely. Mostly, the Alabama fans are just drunk rednecks who think Bear Bryant is still alive while Auburn fans actually have some connection to the school.

 

[mimic]

EDIT--Oh, and when the first allegations of abuse were made against Sandusky and investigated in 1998--I guess no one at Penn State had a clue, huh? --the DA decided not to prosecute. He disappeared in 2005.

DA disappears, computer ruined

That second article is a piece of speculative shit. The circumstances concerning Ray Gricar's disappearance/death are unknown and probably had nothing to do with this scandal. (We know his car was in Lewistown, his computer in the Juniata river, and his body was never found. Additionally he was in the midst of trying to bust a drug ring) As to why he didn't prosecute in 1998, who knows. It appears that he should have.

Additionally, if the DA was aware in 1998, then it's the law enforcement that failed. The University hardly has the authority to lock up child abusers after the district attorney opts not to prosecute.

Obviously it's difficult for me to comment on this - to the rest of you it's just a university that you can condemn and so forth, but I spent a wonderful six years there. This means when I cheer for PSU next Saturday and every football weekend for the rest of my life people will slam me for supporting child abusers. All this because Tim Curley made the reprehensible decision to put protecting the reputation of the football program over the safety of children, and no one else intervened.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I posted this link on facebook, but I think it's a pretty good editorial so it's worth reposting here. Certainly, it captures the conflicted emotions that every Penn State fan has to be feeling.

 

[Hound of UIster]

Classic case of child sexual abuse. A system of enablers that looked the other way and allowed the molester to get away with his crimes and commit further acts of abuse.

 

[Dorian Thompson]

Yes, it was so traumatic McQueary stayed around Penn State for the past 7 years where he could run into Sandusky in the office given him by the university for his coach emeritus status. I don't buy it. If he were that traumatized he'd have left the program, not accept a plum position on staff. Not buying it, Timby.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Roll Tide/War Eagle will air on ESPN at 8 and ESPN2 at 11 tonight. I went to a lesser known D1 school in Alabama, but you really do have to pick a side in Alabama. You must choose wisely. Mostly, the Alabama fans are just drunk rednecks who think Bear Bryant is still alive while Auburn fans actually have some connection to the school.

Even after that asshole killed our trees at Toomer's Corner just to prove what a "fan" he was, I can at least say that's not true of all Alabama fans.

What happened after that, and after the tornado hit Tuscaloosa, really helped (I hope) to put things in some better perspective for most of the sane people at both schools.

 

[datagal]

Breaking News:

Joe Paterno to retire at the end of the season

I think this is very fitting.

 

[the 4th hanson bro]

I don't. If he knew what he knew, when he knew it, he should be fired. Today.

All this is doing is rewarding the man who enabled the situation to go on for as long as it did. While he might say that he legally did all he was supposed to do, morally he and the program failed.

 

[Dorian Thompson]

Gosh....do you think people will heckle him on the sidelines? Is PSU kidding? They're going to let him coach until the end of the season? Unbelievable.

 

[the 4th hanson bro]

Paterno's statement:

"I am absolutely devastated by the developments in this case. I grieve for the children and their families, and I pray for their comfort and relief. I have come to work every day for the last 61 years with one clear goal in mind: To serve the best interests of this university and the young men who have been entrusted to my care. I have the same goal today. That's why I have decided to announce my retirement effective at the end of this season. At this moment the Board of Trustees should not spend a single minute discussing my status. They have far more important matters to address. I want to make this as easy for them as I possibly can. This is a tragedy. It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more. My goals now are to keep my commitments to my players and staff and finish the season with dignity and determination. And then I will spend the rest of my life doing everything I can to help this University.

 

[Skywalker]

He should be done right now. If I were a player at Penn State I don't think I could find it in myself to play my heart out for this guy, not after learning about all of this.

 

[Timby]

Breaking News:

Joe Paterno to retire at the end of the season

I think this is very fitting.

His contract expires after this season and it was already highly unlikely that he would re-up due to his health issues.

If Penn State had any balls whatsoever, it would fire him immediately.

Gosh....do you think people will heckle him on the sidelines?

Paterno coaches from the booth. He hasn't been on the sideline since September.