Like this needs a caption
The punishment for allowing a child molester to roam freely on a college campus has been handed down by the NCAA.
It seems everyone has an opinion on whether the sanctions were fair. The millions in fines and millions lost in revenue from bowl games and bobble-heads of JoePa…yes it’s going to be tough. But, it doesn’t have to ruin the college. Really, if anyone is guilty of ruining the college’s sparkling reputation, it’s the people who were employed there.
“Nicole Lord, a senior, questioned why Penn State’s student body, and especially its athletes, should be punished “for the wrongs of three men and a monster.”
“They keep breaking our hearts and breaking our hearts and breaking our hearts,” she said. (AP)
Well Nicole, if you think your heart is breaking, how do you think those little boys felt when that barracuda-looking man, Sandusky was raping them in the shower? Not only were their hearts breaking, their childhood was stolen and taken by a man they thought could be trusted. Even worse was the discovery of this serial rapist in the act who was then quietly ushered out of the football program and given his own charity to hand-pick even more victims. His superiors made this happen for him and he must have been elated. Not only did he get mucho bucks to retire, they gave him all kinds of “extras” making his sickness even easier for him to enjoy.
Penn State is taking a pass on fighting the sanctions. A very wise choice. The Paterno family would be wise to let things rest, as JoePa now is.
“Penn State meekly accepted its punishment, pledging to hold itself to high standards of honesty and integrity.” (AP)
My question: Where the fuck was that pledge in 1998?
At least one person, granted a graduate, gets why this punishment is so important for the victims and their families.
“Our heritage, our legacy has been tainted and damaged,” said Troy Cromwell, a wide receiver on the 1986 team that won the second of Paterno’s two national championships. Cromwell said he felt bad for current and incoming players, “but at the end of the day, there were still those kids, those poor kids, and those victims, and we have to think about them first in everything that we do.” (AP)
I’ve attended PS football games and enjoyed myself but can’t say I was frothing-at-the-mouth fan. It’s just a game. A GAME with a winning team and a losing team. People are upset that the college has been stripped of their wins from 1998-2011. Boohoo…the boys didn’t want to be stripped and raped either but it happened. It happened and many people knew yet they wanted to be humane to the child rapist. How can being humane to a child rapist even make sense to these college-educated men? One doesn’t even have to be college-educated to realize there is no such thing.
So the rapist was concealed and given the freedom to continue his sick sexual desires on the campus for years after he was discovered. Paterno wasn’t happy about that as we all learned in Freeh Report, but did he step up and really try to stop Sandusky? Hell no.
No one wanted to be the whistle-blower. The wave-maker in Happy Valley. The sticking-my-neck-out for the innocent children handed to the campus pervert. It wasn’t until they had no choice because the truth was coming out no matter what they tried to hide. The BOT certainly had an inkling that Sandusky had a penchant for little boys….but they turned their heads too.
I don’t want to hear any whining or complaining that all those years and wins were just erased like they never happened. They happened alright….and all those boys who fell into the hands of a sick, sick man who felt he could get away with anything…well they know they were raped and their childhood taken.
Penn State earned those wins over the years while harboring a serial rapist. The team, coaches, staff, etc. won games while children lost their innocence.
In the long run and in stark reality, there was no winning…..only loss.
This punishment could have been much worse for the college and still never make up for what Sandusky did.
Let the healing begin,
~P.
girlboxer1970 
I am grateful for your assessment when I asked you to do this I truly thought that you had more misgivings about the NCAA decision but knew you would speak your mind and evaluate the situation with candor. I am in total agreement with you assessment for many reasons both personally and professionally.
And I appreciate that someone in Public Relations in NY City is interested in any of my thoughts. 😉 Thank you! ~P.
When I heard of the penalties, I said “Wow!”. But as much as it hurts the reputation of my home state, it is correct. Zero tolerance. I think that this gives Pennsylvania a chance to really lead by example in what others should do. In my job, it is a firing offence (and punishable under state statute) for not reporting even suspected abuse. Maybe that rule should be extended to coaches and others in positions of trust.
R~ It saddens me also that this took place in PA and I agree, our state does need to take the lead so this can never happen again. This should have been a no-brainer for the PS coaches but their priorities were out of whack. Very sad. ~P.
I think you are absolutely correct! If the education one received at Penn State was so good, I don’t think the alumni would have a problem with the sanctions. I think they attended too many football games and wasted their college years! Looks like they all have dropped the ball!
Thank you for your comment Ellen! What is your take on the possible change to PA law concerning juveniles who were sentenced to life with no parole? ~P.
Hi, sorry it took me so long to see your question. I am anxiously waiting to see what PA legislature and PA Supreme Court will do post Miller v. Jackson, SCOTUS. I think something may happen in September with Batts v. Commonwealth. As you know, I and many others want to see Sharon Wiggins either get paroled or max out. It is an election year, so I don’t know who will be around to make the right decisions. Senator Greenleaf gives me hope that PA might get this right, as our state has gotten much wrong for a long time. What do you think?
I just finished writing a post about youth sentenced to life after visiting Corey Hollinger in prison. Take a look if you have time. I think teenagers are too young and ignorant to be sentenced as adults.