From the “You Just Can’t Make This Crap Up” File… (Update: McQueary on Paid Suspension)
[Guest post by Aaron Worthing. Follow me by Twitter @AaronWorthing.]
Update: John Scalzi says everything that has to be said about the Penn State scandal. Read the whole thing.
Update (II): McQueary, who witnessed one of the alleged assaults (and did nothing, except to report it the next day to Paterno), is on paid leave following unspecified threats. It makes me wonder is he being threatened because he did nothing about the sexual abuse of a child, or because he caused the downfall of Paterno? You can read all about it, here.
Okay so Jerry Sandusky has been accused of sexually abusing young boys which has led to firings and riots up at Penn State and as a person who loves that institution, many facepalms by myself. Get ready for another one folks, apparently Sandusky wrote a biography in 2001 and its getting a bit of attention right now…
Jerry Sandusky’s rose-colored 2001 autobiography languished in obscurity on Amazon’s website until the revelations of child sexual abuse charges against the former Penn State defensive coordinator became public. Now, some Amazon users are asking that it be taken off the site.
“Touched: The Jerry Sandusky Story,” co-written with Kip Richael, a Penn State grad and former student equipment manager with the team, traces Mr. Sandusky’s life from childhood through his coaching career, ending with his years with The Second Mile, the nonprofit he founded that works with at-risk kids.
The book paints an inspirational portrait of a dedicated humanitarian and a big-hearted advocate for troubled kids — a far cry from the image that is emerging now of a predator who prosecutors said used his access to kids through The Second Mile to find victims. Mr. Sandusky is charged with 40 counts of sexually abusing minors, which he has denied.
Yes, that’s right, the alleged child molester wrote a biography called “touched.” Not much to say except to say, “what the frak?” and move on with your life.
By the way, if Paterno and others were fired for knowing about sexual assaults and reporting it to the university but not to the police… what about all those Occupy Wall Street types who do the same thing? Just wonderin’.
[Posted and authored by Aaron Worthing.]
For the OWS types to be fired, they’d have to have a job.
John T (77fddb) — 11/11/2011 @ 11:15 am-You know somebody had to say it.
What he was fired for was not for avoiding a legal obligation.
There is a legal obligation, in Pennsylvania, dating back to 1990, passed because an unreported rape of a female student that prohibits colleges from NOT reporting certain serious crimes to police.
Th difference between this kind of thing and Occupy Wall Street is that the victims in Occupy Wall Street are quite capable of reporting the crimes themselves. At least if the police will take the reports. To make sure a crime is reported in New York City, you have to call 911.
Paterno is not in legal trouble over the 2002 incident because he told a college official about it and the duty to report it to the police passed to them, or maybe even the law applies only whenever a college concludes that something has happened.
They did take some action against Sandusky (ordering him not to bring any children to the football building) so they must have concluded it happened.
Q. Does anyone think Paterno knew what his chief assistant was doing for years and years, or was it only incompetence?
Sammy Finkelman (3a0ae4) — 11/11/2011 @ 11:22 amHighly ironic to observe the double-standard being applied by the media (NBC/CBS/ABC/MSNBC/CNN, etc) to Joe Paterno and Eric Holder, for example.
Dave-O (ca9584) — 11/11/2011 @ 11:25 amThere is a difference though.
AD-RtR/OS! (556f44) — 11/11/2011 @ 11:29 amPaterno facilitated Sandusky’s actions by an act of omission by reporting to the AD but not ensuring that LE was notified;
Holder, on the other hand, was at least a co-director of F&F and should be held responsible as an indicted co-conspirator for all of the negative consequences that arose from his actions.
I saw a comment somewhere that Paterno was fired for NOT PUSHING THE ISSUE.
But maybe it’s just the Board of Trustees showing how diligent they are in locking the door of the barn after the horse got out.
I am just wondering how much, and what kind, of a moral responsibility has for all this.
Did he know? Did he suspect? Did he not suspect anything, and if so, is that gross incompetence?
I suspect that a lot of people suspect that a lot more is true than can be proven, but I don’t know if that motivated the firing.
Sammy Finkelman (3a0ae4) — 11/11/2011 @ 11:40 amIf I remember correctly, did not Schultz supervise the university police?
Michael Ejercito (64388b) — 11/11/2011 @ 11:42 amI am touched….
The Emperor (bff3c9) — 11/11/2011 @ 11:44 amYou could ask why is Joe Paterno being held to a higher standard than Mike McQueary?
Why is Mike McQueary, who actually saw the 2002 incident, still on the payroll as an assistant football coach at Pennsylvania State University?
Why would he not be blamed for not doing anything more than telling college officials?
Is it because there is a feeling college officials wanted to avoid a scandal and they won’t hold him responsible for leaving things alone after they merely took steps to prevent this from being repeated on school grounds?
Is this part of a deal for him to be a witness?
And, if this is OK, why was Paterno fired and not even allowed to finish the season?
Is it because there is some feeling Paterno did not want to do anything? Does the Board of trustees know something other people don’t? Are they suspicious of that? Or is it just legal protection from lawsuits or PR?
Sammy Finkelman (3a0ae4) — 11/11/2011 @ 11:46 amAre there other things Paterno didn’t do, or did? (besides being responsible for Jerry Sandusky being here, which by itself may be something blameless)
Sammy Finkelman (3a0ae4) — 11/11/2011 @ 11:48 am…the alleged child molester wrote a biography called “touched.” Not much to say except to say, except…
Inside joke maybe, or slip of the tongue when talking to his ghostwriter?
Sammy Finkelman (3a0ae4) — 11/11/2011 @ 11:52 am* (comment 9) Jerry Sandusky being there
Sammy Finkelman (3a0ae4) — 11/11/2011 @ 11:53 amOne wonders if Kip Richael, the “equipment manager” was ever touched.
Icy (8aec60) — 11/11/2011 @ 12:03 pmI am “touched”. . . .
Comment by The Emperor — 11/11/2011 @ 11:44 am
— FTFW
Icy (8aec60) — 11/11/2011 @ 12:05 pmIf Mike McQueary had walked into the Penn State showers and spotted Jerry Sandusky screwing a 10 year old girl, instead of a 10 year old boy, does anyone think McQueary might have actually done something other than quietly slinking away only to tell coach Paterno later?
ropelight (f30513) — 11/11/2011 @ 12:34 pmThe OWS folks don’t have jobs to lose. And good ol’ Jerr wasn’t touching.
glenn (877ee1) — 11/11/2011 @ 1:38 pmThis could generate some very interesting legislative committee hearings in Harrisburg in the near future.
AD-RtR/OS! (556f44) — 11/11/2011 @ 1:42 pmMichael Jackson was all over at-risk kids, too — so to speak.
He also had been touched.
Icy (8aec60) — 11/11/2011 @ 1:46 pmProbably not.
Aside from McQueary, Schultz would also have a huge share of blame, as he had oversight over the university’s police department.
Michael Ejercito (64388b) — 11/11/2011 @ 2:05 pmSammy Finkleman : A legal obligation in Pennsylvania may not be a legal obligation in
Michael M. Keohane (996c34) — 11/11/2011 @ 2:28 pmOhiko. The question is, under the laws of the state of Ohio, what was Coach Paterno’s legal obligation in this matter? If that legal obligation was satisfied by informing his superior, his firing is an example of “Red Queen” justice and should be condemmed.
Icy just touched the issue. Literally.
The Emperor (3db71b) — 11/11/2011 @ 2:54 pmTo Michael Keohane: The understanding is that Paterno fulfilled his legal responsibilities, but failed in taking responsibility to see the issue was appropriately dealt with under his watch.
MD in Philly (3d3f72) — 11/11/2011 @ 3:26 pmAin’t nobody want to touch your “issue”!
Icy (8aec60) — 11/11/2011 @ 3:41 pmRegarding McQueary, he may be getting threats from both sides, but I would bet that more of the threats are coming from those who are angry that he caused Paterno’s downfall. Why? Because the people who are angry at McCreary for causing Paterno to get fired have a skewed sense of morality, while people who are angry at McCreary for not stopping the rape or reporting it to the police have an appropriate moral compass. And I would expect that people with a skewed sense of morality would be more likely to make threats than people with an appropriate moral compass.
Joshua (ed02b5) — 11/11/2011 @ 8:09 pmI dunno. Let’s see what happens in, say, ten years, right? That’s the standard set, best I can tell, for ousting a powerful rapist.
Alternately, my preference would be any aggressor in the OWS movement to be quickly brought to justice, at least as quickly as it happens elsewhere. That seems to happen,in places where cops are not being used to discredit the phenomenon.
You know, where cops are not funneling troublemakers in.
Jamie (ee4a20) — 11/11/2011 @ 8:18 pmMeanwhile, the original sportswriter that broke the molestation cover-up story in April has indicated that reporters are following up on allegations that Sandusky was pimping out young boys to high-paying donors of his Second Mile foundation…
I’m incredulous, this is just too far fetched to be true. It’s one thing to believe a school to cover up a scandal for years and years, it’s another to believe that there was a secret cabal of rich pedophiles using a trouble teen program to cover their proclivities.
Xmas (7afe29) — 11/12/2011 @ 1:01 amAccording to some reports – Sanduskys house as vandalized
EricPWJohnson (719277) — 11/12/2011 @ 3:03 amwas vandalized, sorry
EricPWJohnson (719277) — 11/12/2011 @ 3:28 amIf you believe this was not a porno pedophile ring,then why did the former DA who investigated sexual abuse claims at Penn State disappear without a trace? I put it to you that he was murdered because he uncovered a pedophile ring operating at Penn State. why did it. Take so long for the whole scandal to be revealed when obviously so many knew about it? Why did the Grand Jury investigation not go any further some years ago?
Charlotte (fc1c75) — 11/12/2011 @ 5:36 pmI suspect that the assistant coach would have ended his career had he went to the police with his report for bypassing the cover up team. He would not have been fired on the spot but forced out just the same. I believe the school had legal advice to hush it up to avoid lawsuits. There would have been serious consequences in any case and they should have known that the truth would eventually come out. doing the right thing was the right thing to do and letb the cards fall where they may.
dunce (15d7dc) — 11/12/2011 @ 7:59 pmI suspect that the assistant coach would have ended his career had he went to the police with his report for bypassing the cover up team. He would not have been fired on the spot but forced out just the same. I believe the school had legal advice to hush it up to avoid lawsuits. There would have been serious consequences in any case and they should have known that the truth would eventually come out. doing the right thing was the right thing to do and let the cards fall where they may.
dunce (15d7dc) — 11/12/2011 @ 8:00 pmAccording to some reports – Sanduskys house as vandalized
Comment by EricPWJohnson — 11/12/2011 @ 3:03 am
— According to some reports, you saw a Herman Cain ad that characterized his fellow Republicans as klansmen. Moral to that story: Don’t believe everything (or in your case ANYTHING) you hear.
Icy (178cb3) — 11/12/2011 @ 8:44 pmI heard or read somewhere that McQuery’s dad is/was a close friend of Sandusky, which, if true, goes a ways into explaining that part of the story.
MD in Philly (3d3f72) — 11/12/2011 @ 9:02 pmYes, MD, if true it does shed light on McQueary’s behavior. It doesn’t excuse it, but it does put it into context and makes it less inexplicable.
Just now on Meet the dePressed there was mention that McQueary called his father and asked what he should do. His father told him to tell Joe Paterno what he saw.
ropelight (6cb91e) — 11/13/2011 @ 7:08 amJust a passing thought: McQueary’s moral cowardice in not intervening to stop Sandusky’s act of child molestation strikes me as not essentially different from Barack Obama’s moral cowardice in not rejecting Reverend Wright’s racial hatred and religious bigotry.
At least McQueary acknowledged the outrage that was right before his eyes. The cowardly Obama turned his head and pretended that while he sat in Wright’s church for 20 years he just didn’t hear the odious Wright’s despicable performances.
ropelight (6cb91e) — 11/13/2011 @ 8:29 amI’m reading a lot about Paterno/Penn State. More and more curious developments and signs of a massive coverup. I’d like to see what I can research.
Jerry Sandusky gives an interview that makes sense only if you never hear any witnesses.
Mike McQueary says he not only stopped what was going on – he didn’t just walk away – (an e-mail he sent Nov 8 to a former classmate has become available) and talked to college officials, he talked to the police too. He repeated this to CBS.
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2011/11/report-penn-state-coach-says-he-stopped-shower-assault/1
The grand jury didn’t mention it so I suppose this means a police report was never actually filed in 2002, or was destroyed later. The grand jury will not report possibilities, and will draw non-criminal inferences if at all possible. That’s one thing to remember.
The speculations coming from the local police chief as to what could have happened to the Centre County DA are ridiculous. Missing DA Ray Gricar’s adopted daughter says she wants to close this part of her life. This can only happen if A) she has given up hope of finding out the truth and probably B) She’s been threatened.
In 2007 Penn State may have secured an exemption for Pennsylvania’s Freedom of Information law (technically Penn State and 2 or 3 other places were exempted.
That’s why we don’t know how the university handled the 1998 case. And in a somewhat related matter, it took 5 years and a decision by Pennsylvania’s top court to find out Joe Paterno’s salary. Pennsylvania State University fought it all the way.
CNN reports that everything that Jerry Sandusky admitted in his telephone interview is also in his book. But it stands out now.
Sammy Finkelman (3a0ae4) — 11/15/2011 @ 6:28 pmComment by ropelight — 11/13/2011 @ 8:29 am
McQueary’s moral cowardice in not intervening to stop Sandusky’s act of child molestations.
McQueary now says, and said in a private e-mail on Tuesday November 8th, that in fact he did stop it.
And he also spoke to the police.
Sammy Finkelman (3a0ae4) — 11/15/2011 @ 6:34 pmsammy
from what i read, he said he didn’t physically stop it, but he did stop it. i don’t know… i wasn’t there. but leaks can be unreliable.
Aaron Worthing (73a7ea) — 11/15/2011 @ 6:34 pmApparently, some crap you can make up. ^^^
Icy (7bb95e) — 11/15/2011 @ 6:46 pmThat would be the crap on aisle 36.
Icy (7bb95e) — 11/15/2011 @ 6:47 pmAnd aisle 35
Icy (7bb95e) — 11/15/2011 @ 6:48 pmMcQueary, who witnessed one of the alleged assaults (and did nothing, except to report it the next day to Paterno)
Just a small correction but big in that the immediate circle of those in the know at the very beginning included another person according to ESPN today,
McQueary testified that after witnessing the alleged assault, he left the building, called his father and the next day told Paterno what he saw.
I am curious how his father advised him to handle this.
The article also states (without an exact date given), that he did speak with the police. It sounds like it was right after the incident…but it’s not clear,
McQueary, a Penn State wide receivers coach who was placed on administrative leave Friday, also told a friend in an email that he stopped the alleged rape and discussed it with police.
In the email, first obtained and reported Tuesday by The Morning Call of Allentown, Pa., McQueary said he “did have discussions with police and with the official at the university in charge of police” after the alleged incident.
Dana (4eca6e) — 11/15/2011 @ 6:58 pmSandusky’s defense is that McQuarry is lying when he said he told 3 college officials and the police – because no records were kept.
Sammy Finkelman (2d0c86) — 11/24/2011 @ 8:41 am