Eugene Robinson: Forget his success — Paterno failed the only test that mattered

[Are_grits_groceries]

Outside the Penn State football stadium stands a statue of legendary coach Joe Paterno, his arm raised in victory. Right next to it, university officials should erect another figure in bronze: A young boy crying out in anguish and being coldly ignored.
    
Penn State's Board of Trustees commissioned former FBI Director Louis Freeh to investigate how child molester Jerry Sandusky — for years one of Paterno's most trusted and loyal assistants — could have committed his awful crimes under the noses of university officials. The answer is simple and shocking: Those officials simply looked the other way.
    
"The most saddening finding by the Special Investigative Counsel is the total and consistent disregard by the most senior leaders at Penn State for the safety and welfare of Sandusky's child victims," the report states. "Four of the most powerful people at The Pennsylvania State University ... failed to protect against a child sexual predator harming children for over a decade."
    
Those four powerful officials include Paterno, who died earlier this year of lung cancer. Almost literally a sainted figure in the world of big-time, big-money college sports, Paterno became aware of seriously inappropriate behavior by Sandusky with young boys at least 14 years ago, according to Freeh's report. Paterno's inaction was shameful.
<snip>
more:
http://www.postbulletin.com/news/stories/display.php?id=1502487

Word!

[spanone]

1. thank you, mr. robinson.

[cindyperry2010]

2. thanks for stating the obvious

the man controlled that university and it should never have been allowed for him to have that much power to begin with. they should leave the statue there as a reminder to the boys abused. or rip it down and put up a statue to them. for that family to continue to defend this crap is disgusting . i hope that the widow paterno is left penniless. he signed over ownership of the house to her because he knew this was coming. that is more telling of the type of person he was . utter scum concerned iwth his precious legacy more than kids. bastard.

[valerief]

3. Paterno was no Jesse Pinkman, that's for sure. nt

[lunatica]

4. Eugene Robinson is one of my favorites

His humanity shows through his writing.

[malaise]

5. Where else is this happening?

That's what I want to know.

[Spazito]

6. This says it all, imo, when it comes to Paterno...

"The truth is that Joe Paterno was more powerful at Penn State than any athletic director, more powerful even than the university's president. And the reputation of the football program was more important than the safety and well-being of innocent young boys."