BishopAccountability.org
	Sandusky Abuse Scandal Has a Familiar Feel to It By Tom Deschriver Pocono Record November 9, 2011 http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111109/SPORTS/111090315/-1/NEWSMAP By his own admission, Joe Paterno knew something in 2002 about the accusations now lodged against Jerry Sandusky involving sexual abuse of young boys. And there is some evidence that Paterno may have even known as early as 1998, but let's give Paterno the benefit of the doubt and believe him that he only learned of Sandusky's felonious actions in 2002 when told by then graduate assistant Mike McQueary. Paterno says he told his superiors about the incident, but says that McQueary didn't give him specifics. Basically, Paterno is saying that something happened, not exactly sure what it was, but now I've told my superiors so I'm done with all of this. It reminds me of monsignors and bishops in the ongoing Catholic church priest sex abuse scandal where a monsignor told his superior, then washed his hands of the abuse, thinking he'd done enough. And like the hierarchy in the Catholic church scandal, it appears that Paterno's superiors also dropped the ball when it comes to protecting children, basically putting the institution ahead of the needs of victims and potential victims. Linking the two scandals a bit of reach? Not really, when most Penn State fans — not now probably — thought of Joe Paterno as a football god in his heyday. And the coach himself portrayed a holier-than-thou attitude about his football program, as did Nittany Lion fans and alumni. Penn State always prided itself in doing it the right way: The Penn State way. They said Penn State wasn't Southern Methodist, banned from college football in the 1980s because of recruiting violations, or Miami, looked down upon because of its thuggish reputation in the '90s, or Ohio State, most recently stained by Jim Tressel and his merry band of greedy players, resulting in the coach's ouster. Like the Catholic church, Penn State didn't think of the victims and the possibility of more despicable acts happening. Officials turned a blind eye to them. The first thoughts of Nittany Lion officials were: How do "we protect the institution? How do we protect Penn State football?" At Penn State, to a certain extent, Paterno became the institution, or as radio talk show host Mike Francesa called him Monday night: "The Brand." In State College, a large part of the economy was built on the deity that was Joe Paterno — cardboard Joes, Joe Paterno glasses, hotels brimming with fans on football weekends, packed restaurants, etc. He was Pope Joe wrapped in a dollar-laden robe. And like the Catholic church, the institution, Paterno and Penn State, became the focal point of the conversation when the abuse allegations came out. The talk didn't center around the victims or stopping Jerry Sandusky, the main focus was the money-making operation that was Joe Paterno and Penn State football. The Catholic church scandal has peaked, but is not totally played out. At Penn State, this scandal is far from peaking and has a long way to go before it's played out.
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