The Penn State University association with Jerry Sandusky is going to get super ugly and the whole truth will probably never come out as there is far more to it than just Penn State University. The cover up involves Penn State officials starting with the board of trustees, government officials and the police all doing this very best to try to pin this on the most obvious person which is Joe Paterno. One thing I would bet my life on is Joe Paterno didn't want Sandusky around PSU.
Let's look at some facts. Jerry Sandusky was twice named assistant coach of the year in Division I college football. He was a great defensive coordinator and the record proves his worth to a football team. While Sandusky was at Penn State the Nittany Lions had 31 winning seasons during a 32 year stretch. The University was nicknamed Linebacker U. In 1997 Sandusky was first subjected to child abuse charges and than DA of Centre County, Pennsylvania Ray Gricar dismissed the charges despite evidence and a statement from a victim that Sandusky was showering in the nude with minors and fondling young boys. Because Gricar dismissed the charges it was just an allegation and with 32 years of tenure at Penn State, the University couldn't just fire him without justification otherwise the University would face a wrongful termination lawsuit.
Regardless after the original allegations Joe Paterno told Sandusky he would not be the next head coach at Penn State and that he should consider retiring. Paterno informed Sandusky the football team needed to head in a different direction. Considering PSU was a used to winning football seasons with Sandusky. The five years immediately after Sandusky's departure PSU had 4 losing season. The decision to push Sandusky out was not about winning but about character and Sandusky's character was certainly in question. Per the urging of Paterno, Sandusky agreed to an early "enhanced retirement package" and since he was never convicted he was in a position to negotiate a decent retirement package. Due to the horrible record and sub standard PSU defenses Tim Curley the PSU athletic director actually asked Joe to step down as football coach and Paterno refused. Based on this knowledge it is safe to say Joe Paterno was not all about winning football games as he pushed out his best assistant coach because of strong allegations.
At the young age for a football coach (55) Sandusky was now retired and out of a job and his focus turned towards the charity he founded; the Second Mile Charity. This charity had a legal counselor named Wendell Courtney. Courtney is also the man who negotiated on behalf of the University Sandusky's retirement package. The retirement package consisted of the title Professor of Physical Education with emeritus status allowing Sandusky full use of University facilities. Sandusky was also recipient of an office in East Hall along with a telephone line yet he never taught at PSU. The retirement package was approved by the Penn State board of trustees (1998) NOT Joe Paterno the football coach.
Why would Sandusky need an office and phone at PSU? The answer lies with Wendell Courtney. Courtney was legal counsel for The Second Mile Charity, a charity that raised millions of dollars for under privileged youths. Raising funds for this organization includes many ex Nittany Lion players who played in the NFL with big time contacts. Sandusky maintained his reputation that included rather complimentary words from former Super Bowl winning coach Dick Vermeil, former President George H. Bush, and many others plus the association with Penn State University as the cleanest football program in collegiate sports. The PSU connection, the phone, the office was all beneficial to Sandusky to raise funds for the Second Mile Charity. Wendell Courtney as legal counsel was also a beneficiary of the fund raising as only 10% of the funds donated to charities are required by law to go to the actual cause while 90% can be used towards administration fees.Money was the motivation for Sandusky's existence at PSU as for the District Attorney for Centre County Ray Gricar he cannot answer questions because he has been missing since 2005. Gricar's Mini Cooper was last seen along the banks adjacent to the Susquehanna River in April of 2005, 9 years earlier his brother Roy's body was found in the great Miami River in Ohio.
"Police and family members noted that the location where the vehicle was found – adjacent to two bridges over the Susquehanna River – bore some similarities to the location where the vehicle of Roy Gricar, Ray Gricar's older brother, was located before his body was found in the Great Miami River in Ohio in 1996." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Gricar
Now let's look at Joe Paterno's character. He was an advocate of academics, his players graduated at a rate 78%, 9% greater than the national average and only second to Northwestern in the Big Ten Conference.
"Paterno is also renowned for his charitable contributions to academics at Penn State. He and his wife Sue have contributed over $4 million towards various departments and colleges, including support for the Penn State All-Sports Museum, which opened in 2002, and the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, which opened in 2003. After helping raise over $13.5 million in funds for the 1997 expansion of Pattee Library, the University named the expansion Paterno Library in their honor.
In 2007, former player Franco Harris and his company R Super Foods honored Paterno for his contributions to Penn State by featuring his story and picture on boxes of Super Donuts and Super Buns in Central PA. A portion of the sales will be donated to an endowment fund for the university library that bears his name." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Paterno#Philanthropy_and_education
It should also be noted that Paterno never earned more than $568,000 a year in his career well below what he could have commanded with both tenure and a following nationwide. While most division I coaches earn well over a million and up to $5 million per season Joe Paterno the living legend collegiate football Hall of Famers barely made a 1/2 million per year. Joe raised funds also but those funds were given to the cause not his personal wealth as Joe lived in a very moderate house on the PSU campus.
Joe had a reputation of playing by the rules and if he was guilty of anything it was playing by the rules when it came to Sandusky. Joe couldn't fire Sandusky in 1999 he had to suggest he retire from the program. In 2002 upon hearing of allegations from Mike McQueary about child molestation in the showers by the former assistant Sandusky, Joe followed rules, just like he has done his entire life. The rules at Penn State set out by the board of trustees states, that any sexual misconduct must be reported to ones immediate superior. In this case Paterno and McQueary reported to Tim Curley the Athletic Director and Gary Schultz the Sr. VP of Business and Finance. Paterno followed the rules along with McQueary and per state law Mike McQueary witnessed an act in the showers of alleged sexual misconduct with a minor by an adult and by law he must report this to the police. Grand Jury Report, page 12
Let's face it Joe Paterno was a football coach at Penn State, he had legendary status, he had great support but he was never a God as some people suggested. He yielded power to the board of trustees. The same group that fired him and if you are indeed and almighty powerful god you don't have the board of trustees firing you.
As for Mike McQueary, the than 28 year old graduate assistant allegedly witnessed a horrific act for which he came forward to Joe Paterno, Tim Curley, Gary Schultz and per his own statements, the police. University police and Centre County police are both denying reports of McQueary making statements. McQueary is considered a credible witness by the state. He has not been fired by the board of trustees and he is not wanted by the police for any violations of the law yet both the police departments with jurisdiction are denying he made a statement. Considering McQueary has not been charged and he was found to be a credible honest witness by the appointed grand jury I would assume he has been honest and did make a police report. As for the police as the puzzle comes together it appears they are involved in the cover up.
Gary Schultz is an important figure in this entire debacle. Schultz is the Senior Vice President of Business and Finance for Penn State. He also overseehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifs the PSU police department. In other words he is either the head of the University Police Department or he is a representative of the police department otherwise what importance did he have with hearing statements from Paterno and McQueary? Schultz and AD Tim Curley decided the report from McQueary was "not that serious" and like Ray Gricar in 1998 dismissed the eye witness account from McQueary and never reported their findings to the state of Pennsylvania child services dept as required by law. Gary Schultz would appear to have a major conflict of interest. He was the head of the University police department and also the Sr. Vice President of Business and Finance; to report Sandusky for sexual misconduct with a minor would have rocked the PSU program in 2002 costing the University revenue and making Schultz look bad so it's possible he decided to cover up and focus on finance and business. Schultz has also been discredited as having faulty testimony in the case and is not considered a credible witness. Grand Jury Report page 9
This wouldn't be the first time the police have covered up a crime as it starts to appear the fraternity in blue with statements of sexual abuse by Sandusky in 1997 in Centre County Now police deny McQueary made a report to them in 2002 more cover up. Schultz is currently retired from PSU and is out on bail for failing to report a criminal act against a child (Grand Jury report page 12) Based on the information Schultz received from McQueary he along with recently fired President Graham Spanier took away Sandusky's keys and notified him not to bring children onto PSU property. This was not Joe Paterno's ruling these were Senior officials of the Penn State University making the decisiono.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
In 2009 more allegations were brought against Jerry Sandusky by Clinton County High School for molesting young boys where Sandusky was a volunteer coach. The 2009 charges were the responsibility of than Attorney General (Republican) Tom Corbett. Corbett claims he put off the case because he had ties to the Sandusky family. In 2009 Corbett had enough evidence to arrest Sandusky but chose to wait. Ironically the Second Mile Charity had donated over $640,000 to Corbett's political campaigning including $200,000 for Corbett's 2010 race for Governor of Pennsylvania http://earlyreturns.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/early-returns-20/53-post-gazette-staff/3641-more-second-mile-psucorbett-ties To make matters worse Governor Tom Corbett aware of the Sandusky child molestation case in 2009 as attorney general approved a $3,000,000 state grant to The Second Mile Charity in 2010 and this is the same governor who refused to spend $40 million for disabled citizens but had $3 million to give a charity who he knew was the focus point of a child molestation case. http://thepennsylvaniaprogressive.com/
The cover up is far deeper and goes into the judicial system and polithttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifics. The judge who set the bail for Sandusky to roam free on $100,000 bail ($400,000 lighter than requested by the prosecutor's office) had direct ties with the Second Mile Charity; another conflict of interest. The Second Mile charity also recently bought land from Penn St. University which was approved by the board of trustees which includes on the board Republican Governor Tom Corbett. Had Corbett revealed in 2009 Sandusky his acceptance of campaign donations from Sandusky's charity might have come into strong question and he would have not received more financial support in 2010 for the governor's race. If that is not enough political influence, include in the embarrassment Senator (Rep) Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania into the mix. In 2002 Sandusky was awarded with the "Angels in Adoption Award" by Senator Santorum for his work with foster children so the "sweeping under the rug 1997 case" was well covered by Pennsylvania politicians. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Second_Mile
With all of the money involved with The Second Mile charity and the President and founder of the charity Jerry Sandusky it took a lot of nerve or ignorance by Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan to criticize Joe Paterno for "not meeting his moral obligations". It's easy to go after the 84 year old man after all he is feeble and will die soon enough even if he decides to sue the state for slandering his reputation. Remember Paterno tried to get rid of Sandusky the board of trustees allowed him to keep and office on campus.
Frank Noonan stirred the pot, he slandered Joe Paterno so badly that support for Paterno was at an all time low. This allowed the board of trustees to fire Paterno. The spotlight has been placed on Paterno as an "enabler" yet Sandusky has not been under Joe Paterno's supervision since 1999. Joe is a big enough figure that a spotlight on him takes it off of the real "enablers". Frank Noonan slandered Joe Pa to take the focus off his boss in the governor's office. The money trail from Sandusky to Corbett is documented. Jerry had a value to Tom Corbett's political career.
It's a horrific tragedy that young boys for years have been allegedly molested by Sandusky. I refrain from calling him guilty but the evidence and the political cover up supported by police departments state wide and the attempt to deflect press onto Joe Paterno is the most corrupt sickest political scandals in my lifetime. A case so vile as child molestation that is covered up for so many years probably wouldn't be covered up by a man that followed the rules his entire life of 84 years and showed excellent character but when politicians, police, and money is involved even the sickest of actions are allowed for such an extensive period of time until it gets so hideous that parents talk to too many cops until finally something has to be done and it has been done.
PSU in this case does not stand for Penn State University, it stands for Political State cover Up. Sorry but to cover up child molestation for 14 years the man who does not supervise him for the past 12 years and pushes him out of the program is not big enough to enable a child molester but with political donations a governor and attorney general has more than enough power.
