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I've been following in the news media the whole mess involving the football program and the alleged sexual assaults that happened in it, and the response or lack thereof of the staff with the reporting of sex crimes.
My initial thinking was that the college board threw the coach under the bus, even though the coach did report to his management the incidents that the subordinates had reported to him. From what I've read and heard, Coach Paterno did fufill his legal responsibilities under the mandatory reporting law in PA. The blockage of reports seems to have happened at the athletic director level.
The first incident was reported to campus police, who investigated, but never filed charges against the assistant coach. The assistant coach, who was the heir apparent to paterno at the time, was informed that he would now never be head coach. Some sort of retirement deal was worked out for that coach, but the coach got "emeritus" status, thus keeping his office on campus, and unlimited access to campus facilities. and his role in the young persons program was apparently unchanged, leaving him access to the kids. He did, of course, promise never to do something like that again.
There were three more incidents of the accused having sexual encounters with the underage boys in the locker room showers. Witnessed by assorted low level employees, who did report them to their supervisors, and the reports somehow never made it to the police. The last reported incident, witnessed by another assistant coach got reported to Paterno, also got reported to the PA child welfare authorities.
That last alleged incident resulting in the emeritus coach being charged with many counts of sexual assault, which will then play out in the criminal justice system. It hit the news media and the firestorm ignited. So now the assistant coach who did the right thing is now receiving death threats. Head Coach Paterno, who seems to have met the requirements of the mandatory reporting law by passing the report up to the athletic director, but was fired for not also reporting to the police these accusations. I should also note that the accused emeritus coach was paterno's good friend of many years and his protege until the first incident.
So, now that the facts are laid out, onto my opinions.
It's pretty much undisputed that football on the campus was the tail that was wagging the dog of the university. Paterno was well past retirement age, was the highest paid person in the university, and was featured in all aspects of campus culture, advertising, and fundraising. Further, in that part of Pennsylvania, college football was a huge part of the popular culture outside of the campus. There are not any professional sports teams nearby, Closest one I can think of is the Pittsburgh Steelers, which further reinforces the football is king culture.
My experience with jock culture of the years has shown me that it is hypercompetitive, hero-worshipy, intolerant of divergent opinions, and will let the top producers of success get away with any other bad behavior, as long as that production continues. Homophobia at the overt level, with lots of homoerotic behaviors laughed off as 'just guy stuff'. heterosexual transgressions also seems to be tolerated and encouraged. Sexual objectification, in the form of attractive female cheerleaders in sexually enhancing costumes is also common.
With the football being king on campus, there was probably a lot of quiet resentment on the part of the other parts of campus organizations. Envy of the money and other resources that gets lavished on the football program, to the percieved and/or actual detriment of other programs. Envy of the clout that the football program people have with the powers of campus and outside campus.
So once this thing blew up in the media, the university board of trustees met and fired Coach Paterno and the president of the university, and revoked the accused emeritus coach from campus. (rather moot, as he is in jail now) But I didn't hear any negative action against the athletic director, or anyone else in the administration. It seems to me that the someone, at the athletic director or above, would be criminally liable under the mandatory reporting law in PA. As that is where the accusations stopped on their path to the police.
Ahh. the meeting has ended, so I'll stop here. Discussion encouraged.
My initial thinking was that the college board threw the coach under the bus, even though the coach did report to his management the incidents that the subordinates had reported to him. From what I've read and heard, Coach Paterno did fufill his legal responsibilities under the mandatory reporting law in PA. The blockage of reports seems to have happened at the athletic director level.
The first incident was reported to campus police, who investigated, but never filed charges against the assistant coach. The assistant coach, who was the heir apparent to paterno at the time, was informed that he would now never be head coach. Some sort of retirement deal was worked out for that coach, but the coach got "emeritus" status, thus keeping his office on campus, and unlimited access to campus facilities. and his role in the young persons program was apparently unchanged, leaving him access to the kids. He did, of course, promise never to do something like that again.
There were three more incidents of the accused having sexual encounters with the underage boys in the locker room showers. Witnessed by assorted low level employees, who did report them to their supervisors, and the reports somehow never made it to the police. The last reported incident, witnessed by another assistant coach got reported to Paterno, also got reported to the PA child welfare authorities.
That last alleged incident resulting in the emeritus coach being charged with many counts of sexual assault, which will then play out in the criminal justice system. It hit the news media and the firestorm ignited. So now the assistant coach who did the right thing is now receiving death threats. Head Coach Paterno, who seems to have met the requirements of the mandatory reporting law by passing the report up to the athletic director, but was fired for not also reporting to the police these accusations. I should also note that the accused emeritus coach was paterno's good friend of many years and his protege until the first incident.
So, now that the facts are laid out, onto my opinions.
It's pretty much undisputed that football on the campus was the tail that was wagging the dog of the university. Paterno was well past retirement age, was the highest paid person in the university, and was featured in all aspects of campus culture, advertising, and fundraising. Further, in that part of Pennsylvania, college football was a huge part of the popular culture outside of the campus. There are not any professional sports teams nearby, Closest one I can think of is the Pittsburgh Steelers, which further reinforces the football is king culture.
My experience with jock culture of the years has shown me that it is hypercompetitive, hero-worshipy, intolerant of divergent opinions, and will let the top producers of success get away with any other bad behavior, as long as that production continues. Homophobia at the overt level, with lots of homoerotic behaviors laughed off as 'just guy stuff'. heterosexual transgressions also seems to be tolerated and encouraged. Sexual objectification, in the form of attractive female cheerleaders in sexually enhancing costumes is also common.
With the football being king on campus, there was probably a lot of quiet resentment on the part of the other parts of campus organizations. Envy of the money and other resources that gets lavished on the football program, to the percieved and/or actual detriment of other programs. Envy of the clout that the football program people have with the powers of campus and outside campus.
So once this thing blew up in the media, the university board of trustees met and fired Coach Paterno and the president of the university, and revoked the accused emeritus coach from campus. (rather moot, as he is in jail now) But I didn't hear any negative action against the athletic director, or anyone else in the administration. It seems to me that the someone, at the athletic director or above, would be criminally liable under the mandatory reporting law in PA. As that is where the accusations stopped on their path to the police.
Ahh. the meeting has ended, so I'll stop here. Discussion encouraged.
