E-Mails Suggest Paterno Role in Silence on Sandusky

[knight_shadow]

(Not at you. At the article.)

[KSig RC]

Well, it's a very strong penalty - hopefully this will get USC fans to shut up for a bit ... it's probably worse, in a football sense, than a one-year break, in that the team's depth is crippled until about 2018. Unfortunately, that won't be obvious to non-football fans, whereas the "death penalty" is both catchier and more immediately obvious (which is why I assumed the NCAA would take that tack).

Coach O'Brien and the current administration are saying the right things so far - they're being very up-front and accepting of the penalties, and are directing their points toward being good citizens, and not just good at football. Hopefully, that continues, and something good can come out of it yet.

I don't know if this penalty will actually have the intended effect - that kind of sea change would be almost too convenient to believe anyway. It certainly has a smell of "Well, we need to do something..." which does not bode well for precedent-setting or etc.

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by KSig RC

Well, it's a very strong penalty - hopefully this will get USC fans to shut up for a bit ... it's probably worse, in a football sense, than a one-year break, in that the team's depth is crippled until about 2018. Unfortunately, that won't be obvious to non-football fans, whereas the "death penalty" is both catchier and more immediately obvious (which is why I assumed the NCAA would take that tack).

Coach O'Brien and the current administration are saying the right things so far - they're being very up-front and accepting of the penalties, and are directing their points toward being good citizens, and not just good at football. Hopefully, that continues, and something good can come out of it yet.

I don't know if this penalty will actually have the intended effect - that kind of sea change would be almost too convenient to believe anyway. It certainly has a smell of "Well, we need to do something..." which does not bode well for precedent-setting or etc.

The first step has been taken. Paterno and every person he put in power at PSU is gone. Hopefully they have learned the lesson that checks and balances are good. Allowing one man to wield too much power (even when he seems to be the benevolent grandfather) can backfire and bring down the whole institution like a house of cards. The next step is for the people of PSU and PA to stop playing the victims and place their anger where it belongs and where it will do some good...at the PSU administration that allowed this culture to thrive.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by knight_shadow

(Not at you. At the article.)

What about the article? Are you rolling your eyes at the article (it is just reporting what is happening) or the fine? That big fine is setting a big precedent.

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

The first step has been taken. Paterno and every person he put in power at PSU is gone. Hopefully they have learned the lesson that checks and balances are good. Allowing one man to wield too much power (even when he seems to be the benevolent grandfather) can backfire and bring down the whole institution like a house of cards. The next step is for the people of PSU and PA to stop playing the victims and place their anger where it belongs and where it will do some good...at the PSU administration that allowed this culture to thrive.

Co-sign.

The symbols of Paterno's undying (no pun intended) awesomeness have also been minimized (removing the halo) or removed (the statue). The good that Paterno (athletic and community-based good) and Penn State officials have done over the years is not being ignored but, as with everyone else in the world, the bad can at least temporarily outweigh the good depending on the circumstances. It baffles me that some people cannot grasp this concept. Any institution that benefits from ignoring or seeming to encourage bad deeds will eventually reap what they sew. That is not a new concept and it has happened to athletic and academic bigwigs.

[Senusret I]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

The first step has been taken. Paterno and every person he put in power at PSU is gone. Hopefully they have learned the lesson that checks and balances are good. Allowing one man to wield too much power (even when he seems to be the benevolent grandfather) can backfire and bring down the whole institution like a house of cards. The next step is for the people of PSU and PA to stop playing the victims and place their anger where it belongs and where it will do some good...at the PSU administration that allowed this culture to thrive.

Originally Posted by DrPhil

What about the article? Are you rolling your eyes at the article (it is just reporting what is happening) or the fine? That big fine is setting a big precedent.



Co-sign.

The symbols of Paterno's undying (no pun intended) awesomeness have also been minimized (removing the halo) or removed (the statue). The good that Paterno (athletic and community-based good) and Penn State officials have done over the years is not being ignored but, as with everyone else in the world, the bad can at least temporarily outweigh the good depending on the circumstances. It baffles me that some people cannot grasp this concept. Any institution that benefits from ignoring or seeming to encourage bad deeds will eventually reap what they sew. That is not a new concept and it has happened to athletic and academic bigwigs.

I agree with both of you.

If I understand this fine correctly, the $60 million is to be put into an endowment which will then fund prevention programs and assistance for survivors of child sexual abuse.

While I am not privy to what other charities are doing, this is a truly monumental moment in the history of such programs. I know we can't STOP child sex abuse, but really... we could come really close if these funds are used in meaningful ways. The annual interest on the principal of $60 mil alone makes me happy as a nonprofit professional.