Joe Paterno: Dead

[charger77]

Despite his inactions in the Sandusky incident, the calls for him to "rot in hell" are really unnecessary. He made awful decisions, it destroyed his reputation, it hurt the lives of innocent young children, and the man who actually committed the crimes will rot in prison and probably hang himself unceremoniously in his cell with a bed sheet. What more do you want? Holding such hatred for Paterno, or even Sandusky, isn't going to change what happened. He's dead now. His reputation luckily fell apart before he died so he could watch the consequences of his misdeeds tear him down. Continuing with this rot in hell nonsense is holding such a worthless hatred that is just as stupid as the blind supporters who call him such an inspiration. Great, you're against child molseters and those who enable them, good for you. So is every other rational human being on the planet. But spewing this trash hatred on an internet forum, regardless of the direction of the hate, is worthless. It's not going to fix the shattered lives of those children, and frankly, it just continues the vicious cycle of hate that is all too common in the world. So really, could we please just try to show a bit more class than those who committed these crimes? Can we just take this as a lesson in each of our lives about the importance of integrity and moral responsibility no matter our peofessional position?

I'm sure some will knock this down, and I'll get off of my soapbox now, but damn everyone. Come on now.

But I won't be one of them. Bravo. Excellent work.

Yeah! Let's pretend it didn't happen, honor him and sweep all the child rape under the rug, just like he did. WWJoePaD

Infrared, I'm a little surprised here. Weren't you the one that posed the question about moral absolutes in the Chris Hansen thread?

If Paterno would have done the right thing when he found out, we would be patting him on the back and celebrating his life, career and he himself as a hero. He chose not to and will have to live (no pun intended) with the scorn that is heaped onto him.

But hey, for the most part we all liked him up until a few months ago and he won a lot of football games so its all good.

[Gothamite]

Serious question; were there any cases AFTER 2002 when he did report to the administration? I don't remember.

Anyway, it wasn't Paterno who committed these crimes nor did he enable Sandusky to. Sandusky was his own man who knew what he was doing. HE is the one who should rot in hell. Should Paterno have done more? Yes. But he didn't. And it cost him his job and clouded is legacy. But he did not achieve "rot in hell" status. I will continue to be mixed on his coaching legacy, but I will not celebrate his death.

Yes, Sandusky met some of the known victims after 2002. After Paterno could have stopped him.

Let's look at the facts. Paterno knew that there was a man in his organization (and make no mistake, "emeritus" us just that, a member of the organization if not an active one). He knew what Sandusky did with kids in team facilities, but he let him have continued access to those very facilities.

That's not an opinion, those are facts. Facts he admitted to under oath. Paterno also knew that Sandisky ran a foundation that allowed him unrestricted access to trouble kids. Again, not in dispute.

Now, Paterno ran his program with almost no interference from the athletic department or school. Let's not pretend otherwise. He could have insisted that the matter be turned over to the police for investigation. He did not. He could have severed all ties with Sandusky, at least cut him off from one of the places he actually raped at least one kid Paterno knew about.

So there are many ways Patrrno could have stopped Sandusky. He chose in fact to do the absolute least amount required under the law, an action which allowed Sandusky to go right on raping kids and which gave him a safe place to do it. That's enabling.

We know that Sandusky continued to rape new victims after Paterno could have stopped him in 2002. That makes Paterno at least partially responsible for those new victims.

Look, nobody's saying he's as bad as Sandisky. He's not. But then again, nobody's defending Sandusky the way some are Paterno, who became through inaction Sandisky's defender and enabler.

And that's just taking the facts we actually know to be true. There's speculation that Paterno might have known even earlier (leading to Sandusky's sudden early retirement from coaching), but even without any proof of that we can condemn Paterno as a scumbag more interested in protecting his reputation than children he knew to be in danger.

So yes, rot in hell, Paterno. You earned it.

[IceCap]

Today I am sad that Joe Paterno is gone. His actions inspired me to become the best type of man that I can possibly be, he loved his family and he poured his heart into Penn State. He was a soldier, scholar, mentor, coach, friend and father. Just watching him throughout the years reminded me of my late-great grandfather, they were men that could be a shining example of how to live a good, decent and honest life, a standard to which I have tried to aspire. Today, the world lost the best coach that sports will ever see, but Heaven gained a wonderful man! Rest In Peace Joe Pa!...We Are..Penn State!!!

Joe Paterno was a scumbag, an inabler of child rape who indirectly ruined dozens upon dozens of lives through his inaction. He was a fraud who came to believe his own hype and who put his football program above the lives of innocent children, lives which are now forever shattered because of his inaction. If there is a hell I hope Joe Paterno is burning in it. His passing has left the world a better place.

The only thing I can say is this: Read John 8:7 about casting stones.

I have never enabled child rape. I can freely criticize Joe Paterno for doing so.

[charger77]

Today I am sad that Joe Paterno is gone. His actions inspired me to become the best type of man that I can possibly be, he loved his family and he poured his heart into Penn State. He was a soldier, scholar, mentor, coach, friend and father. Just watching him throughout the years reminded me of my late-great grandfather, they were men that could be a shining example of how to live a good, decent and honest life, a standard to which I have tried to aspire. Today, the world lost the best coach that sports will ever see, but Heaven gained a wonderful man! Rest In Peace Joe Pa!...We Are..Penn State!!!

Joe Paterno was a scumbag, an inabler of child rape who indirectly ruined dozens upon dozens of lives through his inaction. He was a fraud who came to believe his own hype and who put his football program above the lives of innocent children, lives which are now forever shattered because of his inaction. If there is a hell I hope Joe Paterno is burning in it. His passing has left the world a better place.

The only thing I can say is this: Read John 8:7 about casting stones.

I have never enabled child rape. I can freely criticize Joe Paterno for doing so.

Ha! Good one Cap!

[FiddySicks]

Despite his inactions in the Sandusky incident, the calls for him to "rot in hell" are really unnecessary. He made awful decisions, it destroyed his reputation, it hurt the lives of innocent young children, and the man who actually committed the crimes will rot in prison and probably hang himself unceremoniously in his cell with a bed sheet. What more do you want? Holding such hatred for Paterno, or even Sandusky, isn't going to change what happened. He's dead now. His reputation luckily fell apart before he died so he could watch the consequences of his misdeeds tear him down. Continuing with this rot in hell nonsense is holding such a worthless hatred that is just as stupid as the blind supporters who call him such an inspiration. Great, you're against child molseters and those who enable them, good for you. So is every other rational human being on the planet. But spewing this trash hatred on an internet forum, regardless of the direction of the hate, is worthless. It's not going to fix the shattered lives of those children, and frankly, it just continues the vicious cycle of hate that is all too common in the world. So really, could we please just try to show a bit more class than those who committed these crimes? Can we just take this as a lesson in each of our lives about the importance of integrity and moral responsibility no matter our peofessional position?

I'm sure some will knock this down, and I'll get off of my soapbox now, but damn everyone. Come on now.

But I won't be one of them. Bravo. Excellent work.

Yeah! Let's pretend it didn't happen, honor him and sweep all the child rape under the rug, just like he did. WWJoePaD

Infrared, I'm a little surprised here. Weren't you the one that posed the question about moral absolutes in the Chris Hansen thread?

If Paterno would have done the right thing when he found out, we would be patting him on the back and celebrating his life, career and he himself as a hero. He chose not to and will have to live (no pun intended) with the scorn that is heaped onto him.

But hey, for the most part we all liked him up until a few months ago and he won a lot of football games so its all good.

Glad to see you missed the point entirely, Dan. I never said to honor him. I said to at least try to actually learn something from all of this rather than just spew hate, lest those boys lives be ruined completely in vain.

[charger77]

Oh, I completely got your point, hating him/bashing him does not change what happen or unrape those kids.

However, when I see a love fest/Too bad he ruined his legacy/RIP Joe Pa thread I am going to interject with: "You do remember that he covered up for all that child rape? Right?".

Hell, DG Now even brought the Pope (who has some dirty laundry of his own) into this yet we still get the "Don't bash Joe Pa" responses.

Like IceCap said, the guy covered up for and enable child rape, I am going to mention it and "pile on" if I choose to do so and do it with a 100% clean conscious.

[slapshot]

RIP Joe Pa. The job kept him alive and the way it ended was a shame. It was not cancer that killed him. It was a broken heart.

I like to think that it was the guilt for covering up for child rape.

Or the guilt that he wouldn't be remembered for his on-field actions, and instead the fact he harbored a pedophile.

He earned his legacy. ALL of it, not just the good time football feeling many people only want to remember.

Someone brought up OJ SImpson. I think a more apt comparison would be AC Cowlings. AC didn't kill anyone, but he enabled the criminal to get away.

[IceCap]

Despite his inactions in the Sandusky incident, the calls for him to "rot in hell" are really unnecessary. He made awful decisions, it destroyed his reputation, it hurt the lives of innocent young children, and the man who actually committed the crimes will rot in prison and probably hang himself unceremoniously in his cell with a bed sheet. What more do you want? Holding such hatred for Paterno, or even Sandusky, isn't going to change what happened. He's dead now. His reputation luckily fell apart before he died so he could watch the consequences of his misdeeds tear him down. Continuing with this rot in hell nonsense is holding such a worthless hatred that is just as stupid as the blind supporters who call him such an inspiration. Great, you're against child molseters and those who enable them, good for you. So is every other rational human being on the planet. But spewing this trash hatred on an internet forum, regardless of the direction of the hate, is worthless. It's not going to fix the shattered lives of those children, and frankly, it just continues the vicious cycle of hate that is all too common in the world. So really, could we please just try to show a bit more class than those who committed these crimes? Can we just take this as a lesson in each of our lives about the importance of integrity and moral responsibility no matter our peofessional position?

I'm sure some will knock this down, and I'll get off of my soapbox now, but damn everyone. Come on now.

But I won't be one of them. Bravo. Excellent work.

Sorry 'red, I'm going to have to be "that guy."

Bucsfan, I don't mean for this to sound insulting, but it seems to me like the news of Paterno's role in Sandusky's crimes has kind of left you confused as to how you should feel regarding his legacy, as both a football coach and as a man. Like so many of us you were fed the line that Joe Paterno was an honourable, hard working, stand-up guy. You've had to accept that he did a very terrible thing in not stopping Sandusky from raping kids when he could have, but you don't want to let go of the mythical, almost inspiring, version of Paterno. So instead you're trying to preach down to us angry masses with your "compromise" of letting Paterno serve as simply a "tragic lesson." That way you can admit to yourself that the man did something wrong but at the same time you don't have to completely let go of the "JoPa was a great man!" image that so many of us simply assumed to be true for so long.

Sorry Bucsfan, if that's how you wish to view this whole thing then you're free to do so. From my point of view Joe Paterno knew all about what Sandusky was doing. He knew what Sandusky was. He did nothing to stop him, when he clearly had the power to do so. As a result he's partially responsible for the shattered lives of those kids. Is he a Sandusky-level scumbag? No, and neither I nor anyone else claimed he was. He is, however, a scumbag because his inaction allowed a child rapist to keep on raping children. He could have stopped it. He didn't. He's partly to blame. That's why I don't feel bad about wishing he would rot in hell, nor will I apologize for wishing that.

[slapshot]

Was it ever made public how many children Sandusky was involved with after Paterno was told? I read news of at least one that had continued to attend the camp, and possible another one after the first victim became "too old".

[scottysprings]

Sorry if this has been posted already, but don't feel like looking through seven pages: My link

[winghaz]

I am extremely saddened by the death of Joe Paterno. He was a great coach and a great man. Sure, his greatness became tarnished, but that doesn't discount the good he did.

Everybody should be saddened by his death, even the Paterno bashers in here. As they were saying on ESPN, he really died of a broken heart.

[sportstar1212]

RIP JoePa. It's a shame that the last 21/2 months your life had to be like this. You are a football legend and will always be remembered. And you haters telling him to rot in hell is cruel and unecessary. I agree that he is partly responsible for the incidents but Sandusky is the one who should rot in hell!

[charger77]

I am extremely saddened by the death of Joe Paterno. He was a great coach and a great man. Sure, his greatness became tarnished, but that doesn't discount the good he did.

Everybody should be saddened by his death, even the Paterno bashers in here. As they were saying on ESPN, he really died of a broken heart.

I wonder if we were all feeling this way if the person in question was Joe Paterno Junior High Assistant Principal (that we all never heard of) instead of Joe Pa! The Loveable Penn State Coach.

his greatness became tarnished, but that doesn't discount the good he did.

The "good he did" also doesn't override the fact that he covered up for a child rapist.

RIP JoePa. It's a shame that the last 21/2 months your life had to be like this.

You are aware that the last last 2 1/2 months of his life "being like this" are a direct result of his actions?

[FiddySicks]

Regardless of how I felt about Joe Parerno before this all came to light, the point I'm trying to make is talking about how you hope a dead man rots in hell is akin to having an argument with a brick wall. It doesn't do anyone any good.

And I will admit that before this, I was a Joe Paterno fan. Im not going to personally curse his name, but I as well have the perspective enough to realize what an abhorrent mistake he made and feel that the vitrol people have towards him is well deserved. I simply am hoping that people don't let their hatred for what this man did get in the way of what can be learned from all of this.

And no, you didn't insult me at all. Frankly, you have a good point to make, and I appreciate your approach. Maybe you're right and I do need to let my opinions of Joe Paterno cloud my views of this whole thing, and maybe they are. But I feel that the same can be said for people who feel he should rot in hell. My point of view is an attempt to be as objective about this whole thing as I can be. Passion can cloud judgement, on either side, and I'm trying to only be passionate about having as objective a point of view as I can.

Either way, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, some we'll agree with, some not.

[scottysprings]

Some of you can keep the blinders on if you want to but the fact of the matter is that he had a child rapist hanging out in football facilities WITH children and did nothing. The buck stopped with him, so if he really wanted the child rapist out of there it would have happened. There are a million other things he could have done but he opted to try and save his own ass. That doesn't sound like the honorable man I heard about before. No he didn't actually commit the acts. But he allowed it to continue and that is just as bad. Some of you need to wake up.

This.

And I'm also hearing reports that Joe Paterno will be buried looking the other way. Can anybody confirm this?

Just reused your material- nice.

[winghaz]

I wonder if we were all feeling this way if the person in question was Joe Paterno Junior High Assistant Principal (that we all never heard of) instead of Joe Pa! The Loveable Penn State Coach.

What's wrong with being saddened by the death of someone in the public eye that you happened to like? Not that long ago, I was saddened by the death of John Wooden. It's only natural to be sad about that.

I became a Joe Paterno fan a long, long time ago because of the way he ran his program. He demanded his players be students first and athletes second. The graduation rate of his players shows why Paterno was deserving of my admiration.

[crashcarson15]

I wonder if we were all feeling this way if the person in question was Joe Paterno Junior High Assistant Principal (that we all never heard of) instead of Joe Pa! The Loveable Penn State Coach.

What's wrong with being saddened by the death of someone in the public eye that you happened to like? Not that long ago, I was saddened by the death of John Wooden. It's only natural to be sad about that.

I became a Joe Paterno fan a long, long time ago because of the way he ran his program. He demanded his players be students first and athletes second. The graduation rate of his players shows why Paterno was deserving of my admiration.

And yet you still admire a guy who assisted in covering up the destruction of the lives of many children?

[slapshot]

I wonder if we were all feeling this way if the person in question was Joe Paterno Junior High Assistant Principal (that we all never heard of) instead of Joe Pa! The Loveable Penn State Coach.

What's wrong with being saddened by the death of someone in the public eye that you happened to like? Not that long ago, I was saddened by the death of John Wooden. It's only natural to be sad about that.

I became a Joe Paterno fan a long, long time ago because of the way he ran his program. He demanded his players be students first and athletes second. The graduation rate of his players shows why Paterno was deserving of my admiration.

And that's fine, if the story ended in 2002. But the happenings of the 2002-2011 Paterno era far outweigh the good that happened in the 1966-2002 era.

Paterno was not an evil person. But his actions prove he was very negligent and ignorant, and led to children getting raped, indirectly or otherwise.

In 2002, Paterno had a chance to choose his legacy. He chose the bad one.

[CS85]

OJ Simpson was such a nice honorable guy before he murdered Nicole.

Paterno was such a nice old man before he kicked serial child rape under the fridge.

[The_Admiral]

As they were saying on ESPN, he really died of a broken heart.

No. Cease this maudlin, mawkish nonsense. He died because he had been very ill for some time with a serious disease at an advanced age, which his family did not disclose to the public till after he was fired for abetting rape, so as to manipulate the public narrative into "he got fired, ergo, he will die." Shame on anyone who takes this at face value. "Died of a broken heart." Died of metastatic lung tumors, actually.