Central Oregonian

We can all learn from the Penn State scandal

Recent revelations have brought down a program long known for its honesty and integrity

Lon Austin

Recently scandal has rocked Penn State University.

In the past three days, the school’s president, senior vice president for finance and business administration, athletic director, and head football coach have all been fired.

What does a scandal in Pennsylvania have to do with local sports? On the one hand it has nothing to do with Crook County. Yet because abuse happens here as well as Pennsylvania, this story has everything to do with us.

The dismissals have come following the revelation that former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky has allegedly molested at least eight minor boys. The allegations contained in a 23-page grand jury indictment are not for the faint of heart. If true, they detail a pattern of behavior by Sandusky that is both grotesque and sickening.

Especially disturbing is that it appears Sandusky was so blatant in his misbehavior that some of the incidents of abuse occurred in the university’s football facility and were witnessed by school employees.

Athletic Director Tim Curley and vice president Gary Schultz were the first casualties of the investigation. They were forced to resign their positions Monday when the allegations first became public.

The pair are named in the indictment and charged with perjury related to their testimony concerning what they knew about Sandusky’s alleged misbehavior.

Joe Paterno, who had been Penn State’s head coach since 1965, is also mentioned in the indictment, but has been charged with no crimes in connection with the event.

School president Graham Spanier and Joe Paterno were dismissed by the board of trustees late Wednesday night.

Following his dismissal, Paterno’s calls for calm from the Penn State student body went unheeded. Early Thursday morning an unruly mob of thousands of students roamed the campus, overturning a television truck, smashing windows, and engaging in other acts of violence and vandalism.

By all accounts Paterno fulfilled his legal requirement to report any knowledge of misconduct. However, Paterno never took reports of Sandusky’s misbehavior to the police, and never followed up on his initial report to see what, if anything was being done concerning the allegations against Sandusky.

Paterno has a solid reputation as a coach who follows the rules, and is as concerned with academics as with athletic success. He has given millions of dollars to make the Penn State library one of the finest in the country, and those who have played for the man have nothing but praise for his coaching and integrity.

He is the winningest football coach in college football history, having passed Grambling legend Eddie Robinson with his 409th and last victory.

Paterno is a man who has been admired and respected by his former players as well as opposing coaches and teams.

However, Paterno’s reputation will be forever tainted, not by what he has done, but by his moral failure to do more to stop Sandusky.

The 18th century Irish statesman Edmund Burke summed the situation up perfectly when he said “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”

According to reports, Sandusky was witnessed engaging in inappropriate behavior by two Penn State custodians, a graduate assistant football coach, and a high school wrestling coach, during the last 15 years. Several of the individuals reported what they saw to their immediate supervisor, but no one bothered to call the police, and no one spoke out to make sure that the behavior stopped.

Curley even banned Sandusky from bringing minors into the Penn State football facility following a 2002 incident, but still never reported Sandusky to the authorities, and did nothing to stop the behavior.

As former Penn State and NFL defensive lineman Matt Millen said “If we can’t protect our children, then what kind of a society are we?” And that is the crux of the problem. This isn’t just something that happened at Penn State. Abuse is rampant in our society.

As Burke said “Nothing is so fatal as indifference.”

Penn State was brought down by apathy, indifference, and fear, not by Sandusky, but by those who knew of his behavior and did nothing.

Some, like the custodians, say they did nothing out of fear that they would lose their jobs. Others failed to act thinking they were protecting the university.

No one really knows why Paterno didn’t do more. He has yet to speak other than to say “I should have done more.”

If we learn nothing else from what has happened at Penn State, let’s all keep in mind that we have a moral obligation to protect those in our society that for whatever reason are unable to protect themselves.

Abuse happens. It is a terrible crime that does lasting emotional harm to its victims. However, the harm done to society when good men do nothing may be even greater.

Students at Penn State should be supporting Sandusky’s victims, not rioting to show their support for Paterno. It is a shame that Paterno’s legacy will be forever tarnished. However, it is a much greater shame that abuse was allowed to continue unchecked. Our priority must always be to protect the innocent, and to stand up against evil whenever and wherever we see it.

As a community, it is imperative that we do everything in our power to prevent abuse from ever occurring. However, since it is unlikely that we will prevent abuse entirely, it is also critical that we stand united to ensure that those who have been victimized are supported and cared for while the perpetrators are stopped.