# Explain The Penn State Fiasco **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 10, 2011, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-penn-state-fiasco/602451 "2011-11-10T00:37:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-penn-state-fiasco/602451/41 "2011-11-10T20:00:57Z")
> [@Enginerd](#): > > McQueary [will be coaching Saturday](http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7215664/penn-state-nittany-lions-mike-mcqueary-coach-weekend), according to interim head coach Tom Bradley. WTF? Whats up with this “the coaching must go on” mentality there? ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-penn-state-fiasco/602451/42 "2011-11-10T20:29:52Z")
I don’t know about Pennsylvania, but if you are a teacher in Virginia, and you "believe that abuse of a minor may have occurred” you are required by law to make a report to whatever authority has jurisdiction over the minor. It doesn’t matter if it was in your school, or any direct connection to your professional duties. You are “A mandated reporter,” and your responsibility is a matter of law. If you are unable to identify the minor, you must report (in Va, that is) to Child Protective Services in your jurisdiction, and they are required to investigate. Paterno says he told the School authorities, and did not know that it was a very young boy being raped, but none of that changes the failure to make full report, and ascertain that the report was acted upon. Perhaps Pennsylvania has no such law, but the ethics remain unchanged. Tris ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-penn-state-fiasco/602451/43 "2011-11-10T21:06:32Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > And if you’re althetic enough to have been a former star QB for a Big Ten school, how do you not barge in there and beat the shit out of him? Or at least, I don’t know, yell “HEY!” This is what I have been wondering. If it had been me, I would have done whatever it took immediately to get the kid safe, and then taken it from there about reporting. At least, I hope I would. (And then I would hope like hell that the kid would back up my story.) Roddy ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-penn-state-fiasco/602451/44 "2011-11-11T02:29:11Z")
One thing I do find it VERY disgusting is the PSU students protesting the firing. But, then I give it some thought. What if it happened at most successful football schools? Say Stoops at Oklahoma or Beamer at Virginia Tech (wow, tough to think of coaches with more than 10 years). [ol] [li]Something very bad happens with an assistant 10+ years ago[/li][li]That assistant hasn’t been with the team for 10 years[/li][li]Popular coach reported the incident, per the rules set in place\*[/li][li]10 years later, the details come to light in the media[/li][li]Popular coach suddenly gets fired today over that incident, despite a years of good works.[/li][/ol] Oh yeah, I’m sure all of the students and fans would think “Good riddance”. It’s disgusting, but hardly unique to Penn St fans. I say this as a Nebraska fan, who was appalled in the mid-90s when fans blamed the anti-Husker media for reporting coeds attacking players’ fists with their faces. \*Although I’d think most would’ve handled it differently. But you get my point about the fans. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-penn-state-fiasco/602451/45 "2011-11-11T05:12:23Z")
> [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](#): > > I really do not understand the policy of reporting a raping to your boss, and nothing more. You call the damn cops. That’s what you do. If you walk into the bathroom at work and see a coworker raping a kid, do you walk out and call the foreman and say,“Hey Ed, Bob is raping a kid in the men’s room. See you in the morning.”? Hell no. This is what has been confusing me…why didn’t McQueary try to interrupt what he witnessed, or at the minimum immediately grab a phone and call the police? Why is there no outrage at HIS lack of follow-through? And I’m very confused about how this young boy came to be alone with this man anyhow…what kind of youth football program has one boy alone with one coach for any length of time, especially on a college campus, which seems to me to be a strange place to have young kids hanging about. Was he in a program with a bunch of other kids and Sandusky had him stay late? How was that explained to to parents when they came to pick him up after the program? I can’t imagine my son going to football practice and not leaving when all the other kids did, and me sitting in the car in the parking lot just wondering what was taking him so long to come out. It’s the logistical questions like these that never seem to get explained. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-penn-state-fiasco/602451/46 "2011-11-11T05:23:01Z")
> [@kittenblue](#): > > This is what has been confusing me…why didn’t McQueary try to interrupt what he witnessed, or at the minimum immediately grab a phone and call the police? Why is there no outrage at HIS lack of follow-through?.. I’m outraged at his behavior. IMO it’s certainly worse than Paterno’s. I’ll bet he’ll be gone inside the next week. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-penn-state-fiasco/602451/47 "2011-11-11T06:00:24Z")
Ok, I’ve had time now to read more about this (that timeline on the school paper website was very odd and unhelpful with all its references to January 1, 1968) and this Sandusky situation sounds eerily like the Michael Jackson situation, with parents being flattered into letting their sons actually sleep over at this guy’s house! And in some ways, I can understand how possibly, McQueary might be so shocked and stunned by seeing a coach, that he probably admired, doing what he was doing that he panicked and sought advice and counsel from his father, possibly figuring that since Sandusky and the boy saw him that if he called the police, there would be nothing going on by the time the cops got there and it would be his word against the word of a revered coach…I can see this if the guy were 18…but he was 28! I would hope my 28-year old kids would not have to ask permission to report something like this. ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-penn-state-fiasco/602451/48 "2011-11-11T06:11:15Z")
> [@kittenblue](#): > > And I’m very confused about how this young boy came to be alone with this man anyhow…what kind of youth football program has one boy alone with one coach for any length of time, especially on a college campus, which seems to me to be a strange place to have young kids hanging about. Was he in a program with a bunch of other kids and Sandusky had him stay late? How was that explained to to parents when they came to pick him up after the program? I can’t imagine my son going to football practice and not leaving when all the other kids did, and me sitting in the car in the parking lot just wondering what was taking him so long to come out. It’s the logistical questions like these that never seem to get explained. It has been explained. He founded a charity for at-risk youth called The Second Mile in 1977. He took kids from there to visit the football facilities at Penn State. Sort of like field trips. They will probably be the next to see[investigations and executive shakeups](http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/college/questions-surround-youth-organization-sandusky-founded-article-1.976038?localLinksEnabled=false) or complete dissolution of the program. > [@](#): > > The grand jury document states that Sandusky’s alleged sex abuse stretched over a 15-year period from 1994-2009. The Second Mile said that the organization was informed only once about Sandusky’s alleged abuse. The statement refers to Second Mile CEO Dr. Jack Raykovitz’s testimony to the grand jury that he was notified by Curley of an alleged 2002 sexual assault by Sandusky on a young boy in a shower on the university’s campus. Raykovitz testified that Curley told him “there was no finding of wrongdoing” after an internal review. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-penn-state-fiasco/602451/49 "2011-11-11T13:32:20Z")
> [@kittenblue](#): > > This is what has been confusing me…why didn’t McQueary try to interrupt what he witnessed, or at the minimum immediately grab a phone and call the police? Why is there no outrage at HIS lack of follow-through? I agree. How a person doesn’t run in and grab the kid is beyond me. How many different people failed these poor kids boggles the mind. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-penn-state-fiasco/602451/50 "2011-11-11T13:47:34Z")
Apparently McQueary doesn’t lack physical courage: [according to this story](http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/11/who_knew_what_about_jerry_sand.html), he once stepped in and broke up a knife fight between students in a campus dining hall. It doesn’t say when this fight happened. Every new thing I learn makes the story more inexplicable. ---
**Author:** ![Bartman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Bartman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bartman)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-penn-state-fiasco/602451/51 "2011-11-11T13:59:03Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > I agree. How a person doesn’t run in and grab the kid is beyond me. Unfortunately it is all to easy to understand. In real high stress situations fight or flight kicks in, and the conscious mind goes out to lunch. Obviously for McQueary it was flight. And no matter how much any of us want to think otherwise, until we are in the same circumstance we _can’t_ know for certain what we would do. Not that I’m defending McQueary. He has had nearly a decade to correct his flight response and do right by the kid. And he hasn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-penn-state-fiasco/602451/52 "2011-11-11T15:06:56Z")
> [@Triskadecamus](#): > > I don’t know about Pennsylvania, but if you are a teacher in Virginia, and you "believe that abuse of a minor may have occurred” you are required by law to make a report to whatever authority has jurisdiction over the minor. It doesn’t matter if it was in your school, or any direct connection to your professional duties. You are “A mandated reporter,” and your responsibility is a matter of law. If you are unable to identify the minor, you must report (in Va, that is) to Child Protective Services in your jurisdiction, and they are required to investigate. Presumably that rule applies to primary and secondary school faculty and staff but the principals in this case are faculty and staff at a university. > [@Crazyhorse](#): > > It has been explained. He founded a charity for at-risk youth called The Second Mile in 1977. He took kids from there to visit the football facilities at Penn State. Sort of like field trips. Was the charity always meant as a way to get access to children? In other words, was he abusing kids as far back as 1977? ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-penn-state-fiasco/602451/53 "2011-11-11T15:54:59Z")
Who exactly did Paterno report it to? Does this person have a name? Why isn’t this person named in the news? Did this unnamed person tell anyone else? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-penn-state-fiasco/602451/54 "2011-11-11T16:02:22Z")
> [@ratatoskK](#): > > Who exactly did Paterno report it to? Does this person have a name? Why isn’t this person named in the news? Did this unnamed person tell anyone else? The football coach reports to the athletic director. At least on paper. In many cases the coach wields far more power in the organization. Tim Curley was the AD and has been charged with several crimes. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-penn-state-fiasco/602451/55 "2011-11-11T16:09:27Z")
> [@Enginerd](#): > > McQueary [will be coaching Saturday](http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7215664/penn-state-nittany-lions-mike-mcqueary-coach-weekend), according to interim head coach Tom Bradley. It was reported this morning that he will not… due to multiple death threats. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-penn-state-fiasco/602451/56 "2011-11-11T16:23:36Z")
Interim Penn State President Rodney Erickson speaks to the alumni (via email, received personally): > [@](#): > > This is one of the saddest weeks in the history of Penn State. It has been difficult to comprehend the horrific nature of the allegations that were revealed in the Attorney General’s presentment last week. As a member of the Penn State community for 34 years, as a parent, and as a grandfather, I find the charges as they have been described to be devastating, and my heart goes out to those who have been victimized and their families. This is a terrible tragedy for everyone involved, and it will take some time to bring a measure of understanding and resolution to the community. > > In addition to the legal process under way, Penn State’s Board of Trustees has authorized a full investigation “…to determine what failures occurred, who is responsible, and what measures are necessary to insure that this never happens at our University again and that those responsible are held fully accountable.” As those involved pursue their cases, I also urge you, as Penn Staters, to be patient, to avoid speculation, and to refrain from passing judgment until the facts are known. > > As you are now aware, the Board of Trustees has asked me to serve as the interim president of Penn State effective immediately. I undertake these duties with a firm sense of resolve, and I ask for your support as we move forward. And move forward, we must and we will. > > Penn State has a long and storied tradition that has endured for more than 150 years. Our roots are deep, our constitution is resilient, and the importance of our work is as vital today as it was last week - perhaps even more so in the face of such adversity. We are 96,000 students, 46,000 employees, and more than a half a million alumni. We are 24 campuses across the Commonwealth and a World Campus. We are a university that is committed to its core values of honesty, integrity, and community. We are a university that will rebuild the trust and confidence that so many people have had in us for so many years. > > Through your conduct every day, you can play a role in restoring the integrity, honor, and pride that have always characterized Penn State. I share your anger and sadness in this time, but always remember that your actions reflect on the entire Penn State community. Please set an example that will make us all proud. Moving forward is the only responsible course to take in the coming months. I ask for the full support of our faculty, students, staff, and alumni, and in return I will do my best to lead this institution through the challenges ahead. > > Thank you for being a part of Penn State. I doubt I’m the only one to consider the second paragraph with a large dollop of cynicism but thought that the call to responsible behavior in the last full paragraph was well-placed, considering the riots and death threats. Penn State isn’t helped by its supporters going off the rails. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-penn-state-fiasco/602451/57 "2011-11-11T16:31:13Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Interim Penn State President Rodney Erickson speaks to the alumni (via email, received personally):I doubt I’m the only one to consider the second paragraph with a large dollop of cynicism… I would guess this guy has been hired with one of the two following mandates: 1.) Dig into the story as deeply as possible, issue a full and honest report, and then retire or resign with the thanks of the Board. 2. Do whatever makes the story fade from the headlines ASAP. My more cynical nature says mandate #2 is more likely, but maybe I’m wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-penn-state-fiasco/602451/58 "2011-11-11T16:54:31Z")
#2 could be true, but it seems like it would be the worst of possible choices if there is a single official Penn State action that could be deemed covering up anyone’s misdeeds. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-penn-state-fiasco/602451/59 "2011-11-11T16:56:10Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > Large organizations – especially humongous universities – have policies in place to investigate these sort of things. These policies are presumably designed to insure both a thorough investigation of the accused, while at the same time protect the accused from a witch hunt. Everyone seems to concede that Paterno DID report what he was supposed to report. And the policies of these large organizations are designed solely to cover the collective asses of the large organization and are often contradictory to the law. Any thinking person shoould know this. I sometimes work for large construction companies and I have been subjected to “safety briefings” before being allowed to enter the jobsite. The briefing usually consists of " If you see a violation or illegal activity on this jobsite do not call the police or city authorities call this number instead and report to our “safety officer” only. While I can honestly sign the paper that says I’ve “read and understand” these policies ( not that agreed to obey them) I can still tell you if I observed an illegal activity on a jobsite, especially one involving a young child and sodomy, my first call would be to the police department and damn the consequences…and I think most thinking human beings would agree with me. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-penn-state-fiasco/602451/60 "2011-11-11T22:11:03Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > I doubt I’m the only one to consider the second paragraph with a large dollop of cynicism[…] Yeah, but… What’s the alternative, really? No internal investigation? That’s even worse, isn’t it? As long as they aren’t hampering law enforcement investigations, let them have their own as well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-penn-state-fiasco/602451.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-penn-state-fiasco/602451.md?page=4)