01-16-2015, 06:43 PM
I still say that JoePa was made into a scapegoat because of his terminal cancer. Sandusky should have been electrocuted by his dangley bits, PSU's athletic director, whom JoePa reported the incident(s) to should have been next in line. Joe wasn't responsible for the actions of Sandusky when Sandusky was using the facilities in a volunteer capacity. The athletic director is responsible for not escalating the response. JoePa reported the information he had to the athletic director. His responsibility ends there. I'm sure he regretted not following up more, and not pushing for more action, but that's hindsight. From an HR perspective, JoePa probably wasn't included in any investigations that took place and the actions resulting may not have been shared with him either. Maybe there's more to the story that I don't know about. I'll admit I didn't follow every salacious detail that emerged, but what I heard sounded like JoePa did the bare minimum of what was expected of him and he died regretting not doing more. The man was saint. I can't believe how people have lumped PSU's football program into the same category as many other schools. PSU's football program is big and successful largely because of Joe Paterno. He stressed academics over everything else. He stressed team over individual glory. That's why Penn State's players don't have their names on their jersey. Joe Pa tried as hard as he could to make sure that players graduated, with an actual usable degree in addition to playing football. Yes it is a big school. Yes they have a big stadium. Yes football is a big part of the University Park campus culture. Joe Paterno did everything possible to keep the players centered and focused on success in the classroom and on the field. He didn't always go for the best players, he went for the right players.