Doing the right thing means demonstrating courage and character in a crisis, it never involves merely passing the buck and walking away and expecting others to do it. Doing the right thing is not simply reporting a problem to your superiors and being content that someone else will take responsibility. Doing the right thing requires a decision by the individual right then in the moment. There is no wiggle room or equivocation in retrospect and sincere analysis. Decisions made in the haste to distance one's self from a problem, will be rightfully scrutinized at a later point in time and chips will rightfully fall where they lay as they should. Especially when it involves scurrilous predatory pedophilia of children.
Such are the realities of the horrible cloud that this week has settled upon Penn State University. Most have seen the reports and the allegations of child rape and sexual abuse by a former coach and more than a few others like myself, have taken the time to locate and read the Grand Jury transcripts. The entire lurid story wreaks and cries out to any reasoned persons sensibilities.
How could this have ever happened. How could this have ever gone on for so long with the full awareness of so many at the institution, that something was seriously wrong and yet nothing was ever done and no actions were ever taken to report the crimes to police.
Having read the Grand Jury indictment, several things become immediately clear to me. Not the least of which being the first failure of doing the right thing. The twenty eight year old graduate assistant who first stumbled across the beast Sandusky in the shower, anally raping a 10-11 year old boy, was the first failure to do the right thing. Why was there not an immediate intervention on his part? Can any man who is a man answer that they upon observing something such as that, would not intervene, but would rather walk away and go report it to his father?
Something should have been done, right then in the moment. The child should have been rescued and the police should have been called and physical violence should have been brought upon the beast Sandusky if it were necessary to accomplish the saving of the child and detaining him for the authorities. It is unconscionable to me, that a grown man could witness such debauchery and not intervene to rescue the child at that moment.
The next failure to do the right thing, was when this graduate assistant went to his father to report the crime and seek advice, only to be told to report it to Coach Paterno and let him handle it. What kind of father gives that kind of advice to an adult child who may ultimately become culpable for his failure to act?
The next level of failure to do the right thing occurred when upon hearing the complaint by the graduate assistant, Coach Paterno did nothing other than pass the information along to the Athletic director and a school president. Reporting what was reported to him to his athletic director and one of the university presidents, simply doesn't qualify as being morally responsible, especially concerning any ethical review of responsibility concerning coach Paterno and all involved.
The Grand Jury may have absolved Joe Paterno of any wrong doing and chosen to indict the atheistic director and school president instead, but in doing so the Grand Jury is not absolved from their own failure to do their duty in this case. In essence, they are the most recent layer to date, of failure to do the right thing.
The lack of common sense and human decency scream out from each level of awareness of these crimes in my observation. A subsequent reported rape by the beast Sandusky, brought to the attention of several custodial staff and university supervisors went completely unreported. Another witnessed incident of the beast Sandusky forcing oral sex upon yet another 10-11 year old boy in the showers of the university. And yet years passed and nothing was done until now and those involved state they were afraid they'd lose their jobs if they reported it.
Most all of the seventeen known victims who have come forward to date, are all now adults and they have each kept their dark secrets for years. The untold agony and misery they suffered at the hands of the beast Sandusky is literally immeasurable. And what of the two young boys who were actually winessed being raped? What of their tortured souls? Having known for years that their assaults were witnessed by those in the university who could have and should have intervened and yet they did nothing.
While many have chosen to ignore the obvious and the layered complicity of all involved, the realities remain simple to me as does the truth. There were numerous people involved at all levels of the beast Sandusky's activities at the university and his use of their facilities. And each had an awareness of either direct observation or reported observations of his criminal actions against children. And yet they all did nothing.
While many in the university community and student body have chosen to rally around Coach Paterno to show their support and while the Grand Jury failed to tie him to direct culpability or responsibility involving these crimes, the simple truth remains. Joe Paterno cannot hide behind the weakly stated alibi that he never really knew what the graduate assistant actually saw, as the details were never given to him by the man. That his defense rests on the fact that in his estimation, the report involved inappropriate 'horsing around' in the showers and he properly reported that to the AD and president.
How obtuse does the man really think the rest of the country really is? In the face of allegations of "inappropriate conduct with a child" as it was allegedly initially reported to him, how can Joe Paterno defend not questioning this young graduate assistant in depth on the night of the incident, in order to get to the bottom of what he had actually seen.
The answer to those questions are glaringly obvious to me. Coach Paterno should have said "son, tell me exactly what you saw."And upon being told, Coach Paterno should have immediately picked up the phone and called the police. Adn if the young man refused to tell everything that he had witnessed, Coach Paterno should have told him: "well, son, based upon what you have brought to me at this point, I am calling the police and I will let you explain to them that which you saw and are refusing to tell me."
As a reasoned man, I believe I can deduce what actually happened that fateful night. Coach Joe Paterno was told exactly what this young man had witnessed and Joe Paterno massaged that report though the university system to shield and protect his friend, the beast Sandusky.
Coach Paterno should have called the police right then in the moment, after which he could have apprised his athletic director and others of the appropriate actions he had taken. Had he done so, that would have been to do the right thing. But for reasons that may forever remain obscured, Joe Pa decided to pass it off and cover for a man whom he probably considered a friend. And in the end, young boys continued to be assaulted and raped and they continued to suffer for almost a decade.
Unconscionable is the only word that comes to my mind when I consider the revelations that have now come to light. As for the beast Sandusky? He is a beast in my opinion. Any man who sexually preys on children is a beast and should be treated as such. Pedophilia is not only a crime against the victim and society, it is also a crime against nature and therefore, it should be punished as such.
Severely and permanently.
And those involved in the complicit failure to intervene and take action to stop it and prevent it from further occurring to other victims? Well they should be charged as complicit co conspirators, regardless of their stature or position in the community.
In the final analysis, Joe Paterno and all involved failed on two basic principles of life. First, they failed to do the right thing as both men and as leaders at this university and secondly, they allowed themselves to become part of the problem, or in this case part of the crime by culpable awareness and inaction.
It is time for all involved to be shown the door at Penn State and then charged and prosecuted as accessories to the crimes.
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