Well, the Freeh Report is out. From the beginning my position has beenthis: Paterno should not have been fired until a thorough investigation uncovered the facts. Well, that thorough report is now concluded. And Paterno absolutely should have been fired. The report is absolutely damning of him and other high-ranking Penn State officials. There are still some unanswered questions, but regardless of the answers, Paterno shares a significant responsibility for Penn State's failure to stop a serial sex abuser and therefore deserved to be fired. The unanswered question, at least in my mind, is what exactly did Paterno (and other PSU officials) think had occurred after the 1998 incident with Sandusky. We now know he was aware of the investigation, as were other high ranking Penn State officials, all who previously claimed they were not previously aware of that incident. Now we know they did know, something Paterno lied about in his last media interview before he died. For argument's sake, we can even give him and the other Penn State officials the benefit of the doubt that they did not believe that the accusations against Sandusky from 1998 were true. That they did not believe them could very well be true; the police decided not to prosecute Sandusky then.
But with the fact established that they they at least knew of the accusations from 1998, there is absolutely no excuse for not taking swift action when the 2002 incident came to light. And the Freeh Report shows that Paterno, among others, made the decision not to go to police or child services in the 2002 event. We don't know why. Perhaps Paterno wasn't trying to sweep something under the rug,. Perhaps he was was just senile at that point and didn't comprehend the seriousness of it. But that is just a question of misfeasance or malfeasance then. Either way, be it by his incompetence or immorality, Paterno deserved to be fired. This incident does not erase all the great things he did. But it certainly overshadows it. This is his legacy now. And he does not seem to be the most blameworthy. Penn State's current and former officials, and the school itself, deserve what they get, be it criminal charges or massive civil liability. Quite frankly, if the NCAA gives the football program the death penalty I wouldn't think it an overstep. This is hands down the single worst scandal in all of sports in history.
Shit, this post got too serious. Better resort to a "Today on 4Chan /b/ post...:
More sweet sweet 4chan, after the jump...
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