Say it ain't so, Joe

[Viper]

How does Mike McCQueary still have a job?

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7215664/penn-state-nittany-lions-mike-mcqueary-coach-weekend

1. There's a lot of speculation as to if McQueary is protected by the Whistleblower's act in PA. There's been some back and forth as to if there's any weight to that.

2. This all happened on short notice, and I imagine the trustees will let this game go on Saturday and subsequently call off the remainder of the season. The entire department will be let go. There's not gonna be anyone retained into next year, I wouldn't think. Legal protection be damned.

The whistleblower angle is brought up here. The author also notes that prosecutors may be leaving the door open to charge Paterno and would need McQueary's testimony if they do so, and may have asked Penn State to keep him around in order to keep him cooperative.

Still no confirmation of the senior boycott report. There's also been no word on canceling the rest of the season after the Nebraska game, though if the boycott does happen, that could be a sign the season's a goner as well. (Why boycott only that one game, otherwise?)

[Cujo]

Looks like they've finally taken care of McQueary

[rams80]

Is this Madden a legitimate journalist?

He used to do color commentary on Monday Nitro

And he got fired by them. Which I understand is something worthy of an XBOX achievement unlocked graphic. So I'd say debatable credibility at minimum for him.

[rams80]

I'd also like to reiterate that while I understand the need to keep the Board of Trustees around to at least hire replacements, but once they are in place there had better be a mass resignation from there too.

[BBTV]

I'd also like to reiterate that while I understand the need to keep the Board of Trustees around to at least hire replacements, but once they are in place there had better be a mass resignation from there too.

Isn't a board of trustees pretty removed from day-to-day operations of a university / athletic department (or at least a stable athletic department)? Correct me if I'm wrong.

[rams80]

I'd also like to reiterate that while I understand the need to keep the Board of Trustees around to at least hire replacements, but once they are in place there had better be a mass resignation from there too.

Isn't a board of trustees pretty removed from day-to-day operations of a university / athletic department (or at least a stable athletic department)? Correct me if I'm wrong.

Reports seem to be creeping up that they knew something was up with Sandusky too.

[charger77]

The kind of time Sandusky could be looking at.

[dfwabel]

Two quick things:

1- Sandusky spoke at the 2007 commencement for Penn State's College of Health and Human Development

2- This is not to exonerate McQueary because I think he could have at least shouted to stop the abuse. That said, many in this thread has had a lot of tough talk on what one would do if there were in his position, remember the Milgram Experiment in regards to decision making.

[Viper]

The kind of time Sandusky could be looking at.

He won't do much more than 5% of that time, of course, if even that much. Hell, he'd have to live to 100 just to serve as much time in prison as he did at Penn State. How likely is that?

[twi]

Reports that Paterno did not know the full extent of the allegations in 2002. All I'll say (sure, call me a broken record) is there has yet to be testimony about exactly what he knew. That is the crucial information for his part of this, imo.

[CS85]

Looks like they've finally taken care of McQueary

This SPORTSbyBROOKS guy I'm finding kind of fishy. People RT the hell out of him but there's never any substance to his blurbs. Kind of obnoxious.

That being said, McQueary shouldn't be anywhere near this football game this Saturday.

Joe Paterno has hired a prominent Washington criminal defense lawyer to represent him in the Penn State sex abuse case - NBC

[RedSox44]

This SPORTSbyBROOKS guy I'm finding kind of fishy. People RT the hell out of him but there's never any substance to his blurbs. Kind of obnoxious.

That being said, McQueary shouldn't be anywhere near this football game this Saturday.

Joe Paterno has hired a prominent Washington criminal defense lawyer to represent him in the Penn State sex abuse case - NBC

I think you kind of buried the lede there. The lede being that Paterno has hired a defense lawyer.

[jake22]

I still have yet to understand why Jo Pa got fired. I am utterly disgusted about this whole situation but nothing makes me more enraged than the media and the way they handled this and all of their bulls*** slander, specifically ESPN (to be fair that's the only station I watched other than local news). Based upon what I know (which I am well aware may not be the full truth) I don't think that Joe Paterno deserved to be fired, or even be forced to resign for that matter. It has recently come to light that Joe told the athletic director, the president of the university, and the chief of campus police. With that said how in gods name can that not be considered enough? Yes, I do realize that he didn't follow up and that he could have done more, but from my standpoint Joe did not one single :censored:ing thing wrong.

The way I see it now is that regardless of what Joe or anyone else knew, (because at some point does it even really matter?) weather it was the shadow of the tip of the iceberg or the whole gross ugly truth, the fact of the matter is that the university decided to protect themselves because a sex scandal, no matter how big, looks bad. Now, along with the help of ESPN and the other media, Penn State was given the opportunity to run and hide and yet again not take responsibility. Isn't it convenient that Joe has turned into the scapegoat for this whole f****d up situation?

Joe did nothing wrong, he does not deserve this, 64 years and now this s***?

I have one last point to make. Above someone posted a link to the Milgram Experiment, which is something that I continuously thought about when I heard literally hundreds of people saying that they would never do anything like that, because they have moral standards, they are real humans with feelings. While everyone would like to believe that if they themselves were put in the same set of circumstances that they would do the right thing. This experiment proved that most people are gun shy and in the moment do the wrong thing even when they know that it is wrong. Many very good people broke down in tears and lived with years of guilt after being told that they were part of a test, because they scared themselves, they realized just exactly what they were capable of. If you don't know about this experiment you really should take a look at it, it may make you think differently.

Long live Joe Paterno! College football will never be the same.

[RedSox44]

Deadspin has an article featuring Penn State player reactions up now.

[Gothamite]

Reports that Paterno did not know the full extent of the allegations in 2002. All I'll say (sure, call me a broken record) is there has yet to be testimony about exactly what he knew. That is the crucial information for his part of this, imo.

So Paterno is going to claim that he lied to the grand jury? He told them that in 2002 that he was told by McQuery of witnessing sexual contact between Sandusky and a 10-year-old boy the day after it happened.

So if that's not true, if Paterno did not actually know that Sandusky was caught molesting a boy in 2002, then Paterno was lying then or is lying now. Not an enviable position.

Deadspin has an article featuring Penn State player reactions up now.

Yes, and it appears that Paterno's claims to having honorable, moral players are as false as his personal claims of integrity.

[twi]

Reports that Paterno did not know the full extent of the allegations in 2002. All I'll say (sure, call me a broken record) is there has yet to be testimony about exactly what he knew. That is the crucial information for his part of this, imo.

So Paterno is going to claim that he lied to the grand jury? He told them that in 2002 that he was told by McQuery of witnessing sexual contact between Sandusky and a 10-year-old boy the day after it happened.

So if that's not true, if Paterno did not actually know that Sandusky was caught molesting a boy in 2002, then Paterno was lying then or is lying now. Not an enviable position.

Perhaps I missed it, but I did not see the words "sexual contact" in the quoted testimony. I'll go back and check when I have a moment but I believe that only came up in non-quoted text (read: hearsay).

[Viper]

Reports that Paterno did not know the full extent of the allegations in 2002. All I'll say (sure, call me a broken record) is there has yet to be testimony about exactly what he knew. That is the crucial information for his part of this, imo.

So Paterno is going to claim that he lied to the grand jury? He told them that in 2002 that he was told by McQuery of witnessing sexual contact between Sandusky and a 10-year-old boy the day after it happened.

So if that's not true, if Paterno did not actually know that Sandusky was caught molesting a boy in 2002, then Paterno was lying then or is lying now. Not an enviable position.

Deadspin has an article featuring Penn State player reactions up now.

Yes, and it appears that Paterno's claims to having honorable, moral players are as false as his personal claims of integrity.

Tackle Nate Cadogan:

Yaw ready to riot!!!

I hope he was kidding about that.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

Deadspin has an article featuring Penn State player reactions up now.

Defensive End Deion Barnes:

Its a sad day, they aint have to do him like dat..he did 2 much 4 dis skool 4 them 2 do him like that

Yes, I know how college athletics *really* work, but I would like to note that the above quoted person is enrolled in a major academic university. He presumably even takes classes.

[charger77]

I hope at least some of Paterno's players realize that if he did the right thing years ago that not only would there be less victims but their boy Paterno would be the hero of this story.

[Mac the Knife]

Tackling Jake22 one point at a time... and prefacing this by saying I lived in western PA for 13 years, have met Joe Paterno and like him immensely, attended Penn State (albeit briefly), and fully comprehend the "Cult of State College":

"I still have yet to understand why Jo Pa got fired."

- Honestly, if you don't understand it, it's because you have some sort of blind spot. To anyone looking at this even semi-objectively, it's pretty obvious as to why.

"...nothing makes me more enraged than the media and the way they handled this and all of their bulls*** slander,"

- Um... what slander exactly? From the reporting I have seen, heard and read, it has been nothing but objective.

Based upon what I know (which I am well aware may not be the full truth) I don't think that Joe Paterno deserved to be fired, or even be forced to resign for that matter. It has recently come to light that Joe told the athletic director, the president of the university, and the chief of campus police. With that said how in gods name can that not be considered enough?

- Because after that, he (at absolute minimum) failed to follow up on the accusations at hand, or (at absolute worst) engaged in a criminal conspiracy which covered the incidents up and allowed them to continue. Either way, the incidents continued, making him culpable.

The way I see it now is that regardless of what Joe or anyone else knew, (because at some point does it even really matter?) weather it was the shadow of the tip of the iceberg or the whole gross ugly truth, the fact of the matter is that the university decided to protect themselves because a sex scandal, no matter how big, looks bad.

- You see it wrong. "Because at some point does it even really matter?" YES. Because by the failure to act - by Paterno, by anyone - allowed criminal activity to continue unabated. There is no one at Penn State: Paterno, his assistant coaches, the AD, the President, their police department, who will (nor probably should) emerge unscathed from this.

Paterno is GOD in that area. Period. People have, and will continue, to do things for this man - with or without his knowledge or consent - that you would simply not believe. A cover-up by local police? Not at all out of the question. A cover-up by local CYS people? Yep, I'd believe it. A local DA refusing to pursue a case against Sandusky due to his status within the PSU world? I absolutely can see that as well. That man has enormous pull in that area, and will 'til the day he dies.

Now, along with the help of ESPN and the other media, Penn State was given the opportunity to run and hide and yet again not take responsibility. Isn't it convenient that Joe has turned into the scapegoat for this whole f****d up situation?

- I don't understand this comment. Penn State's trustees, to their credit, seem to be handling this the only way they can. Paterno's not a scapegoat; he's got skin in the game. Had Paterno known nothing about Sandusky's conduct, then he'd be a scapegoat. Had he followed up on the situation at hand (and, frankly, if anyone who reports to me in any capacity is accused of pedophilia, I'm sure as hell going to follow that in great detail), he'd have been a scapegoat. But instead he did just enough to cover his own ass, in a situation where more was needed.