I swear I will get to Pitt stuff today. But there is no rational way to ignore last night.
This is not over for Penn State. There is still a trial for Sandusky. There is still the matter of perjury charges. There will be the oh so deserved civil lawsuits that can never give back what was taken from the children. The number of molested children continues to grow and there are disturbing rumors of more horrors. The Department of Education is looking into serious issues that can affect student aid. It will be a long time before this long, dark shadow leaves State College.
The school has to hire a new football coach, a new AD and a new president. In what order and how quickly can you move on those things?
Tom Bradley will be the interim coach the rest of the way. He and the entire remaining staff will almost certainly be swept out after the season. Penn State men or not, it is hard to imagine they will be able to stay. Fair or not, they too are tainted by this.
This will also upset many PSU fans — even if they do concede the logic and necessity — as so many of the connections to the Paterno era are abruptly severed. This will create more strain and animosity with the fans and school. Making the job of whomever comes next that much harder.
Tom Bradley, Larry Johnson, several others on the staff are considered excellent coaches and recruiters. Normally, they would be in high demand to be assistants and coordinators elsewhere (have to believe Larry Johnson is really kicking himself for not going to Maryland this past year). Under normal circumstances, any incoming coach would at least try to keep some of them on the staff to bridge the change. To smooth over upset fans and alum. To help salvage the present recruiting class. Now that seems highly unlikely.
They will suddenly find it more difficult to find employment elsewhere. There are questions none of them have answered, and no matter what they say will be doubted. Did they not hear anything? Did they suspect? Did they just not want to know? How can they effectively recruit kids with the scandal connected to them at any level? The coaches and ADs at other schools will be reluctant to deal with the fallout and baggage that accompanies any of these hires.
Less than a year ago, I would have been happy enough if Tom Bradley had been hired to be Pitt’s head football coach. During this season, I wondered to myself if Pitt might be able to snag Bradley as DC as Paterno seemed so clearly to be finally on the verge of retiring. Now, I don’t like the idea of Pitt even considering anyone who has been on the PSU staff for more than a few years. I have to imagine plenty of other schools (and their fans) are thinking the same thing.
As I’ve mentioned before, both my parents are Penn State grads. In an awkward coincidence, they are coming out to visit their grandkids. This could be a really awkward weekend.
I’m not trying to be pollyanna .. I’m just emphasizing that at this time, there is no real evidence
I do like Hail to Pitt though! 🙂
As an aside, I find it irritating that PSU is turning it blue on Saturday. Somehow trying to turn this into an event. If the color for child abuse was red would they be turning it red?
I also started to wonder if perhaps McQueary secured his employment forever by keeping his mouth shut ..you know onw of those wink and a nod deals in the back office…
Not saying thats what happened but you have to wonder?
GRRRRRRR
GRRRRRRRrrrr
Missouri and SEC say they are going to start playing in conference next year.
Doesn’t the Big12 need 10 teams for their tv agreement, inventory as they call it?
So, they really need WVU next year, now more than ever, no???
Dion Lewis tweeted last night that now Pitt was going to get all of Penn State’s recruits.
He apologized shortly thereafter. Probably some Eagles/PSU fans complained.
oh yeah, he blows Big Ben at any chance he gets
He’s famous for loving all things Penguins related, and hating all things Steelers related except Big Ben.
I guess, for once, he was onto something.
Pitt is at Louisville and is a three point underdog. I think Pitt will beat the odds and win. Tino will throw three touchdowns with no interceptions. Am I delusional? 🙂
Everything goes thru Joe. He owns all the people in that town and the school. The AD, The Pres, The Director of Police, The players, The coaches etc.etc.
He created the culture to keep things “In House”. The people in that town are all acting like blind sheep. Not all, but it appears most. That is the problem with this all. He created his own demise.
Finally some reasonable people have taken him down and exposed what was a dysfunctional program. Not saying their isnt other programs who have problems, but none like this.
Thank God somebody finally was able to step up and take them all down before other innocent childrens lives were ruined.
The only person or persons whom has a right to decide whether firing him was right or wrong ae the victims and their families.
So a message to al students at PSU. Study. Reach out and help others. And wuit trying to blame this on the media and the board of trustees. Thats the Joe Pa way. Find your own new path without having to hang everything on Joe Paterno’s approval. Then. maybe then you will be able to restore your pride.
Also, does anyone expect the student riots from last night to happen at the game? is McQueary being allowed to coach a catalyst for more rioting?
“The grand jury’s presentment spoke volumns of where the power lay at Penn State. It painted a picture of a flawed orginization where janitors so feared for their jobs that they did not report an assult witnessed by one of them.”
If these allegations are true, then Joe Pa let his own ego take precedence over the welfare of children.
I am happy to see him go, but I am angry that the people in charge of a major University let those children suffer. Firing was too good for all of them.
Madden is an idiot, but I give him credit for writing the April article.
And he’s saying there is more to come. Some have mentioned the pimping out of kids, but the more likely (and arguably equally disturbing) upcoming news will relate to the cover up efforts which will disintegrate whatever rationalizations PSU almuns have at the moment. There will be complete liquidation of all things PSU football and a complete rebuilding from scratch for this program. The “death penalty” the SMU got in the 80s will be a short minimum security sentence in comparison to what is going to happen to PSU. This is that bad.
1) The B10 needs to strip his name off of the trophy awarded to the team winning the B10 championship;
2) PSU should re-name the library for which his name is affixed, in retrospect it looks like he paid hush money in the event this scandal ever surfaced after he died.
State Penn has a whole new meaning to it, now… sadly 🙁
Hail to Pitt!
Pitt is at Louisville and is a three point underdog. I think Pitt will beat the odds and win. Tino will throw three touchdowns with no interceptions. Am I delusional? 🙂
Comment by MariettaMike 11.10.11 @ 1:12 pm
In one word…..yes ! lol
Spanier’s comments were so cavalier the other day, who knows what is really going on in Pedophile Valley. They ALL saw Sandusky tooling around everywhere with a boy on his hip, even at bowl games and the team hotel and on and on.
BTW the local big talk radio station down here in Charlotte, played a radio clip from Pittsburgh and that was exactly the clip they played(Madden). And they got plenty of calls from the locals. The 3-6pm host even led off his show by discussing this whole sordid affair at Pedo State.
Yes, that has come up a bit today. A friend reminded me of it this morning and a BC guy on twitter also mentioned it.
Sandusky was the target, though, never officially confirmed. I cannot confirm what the calls actually said.
It would be nice to get Dan Connor or some of the others to speak on it now. Odds are, though, that he will be deadly silent, because that would put a lie to any claims by coaches of ignorance on the matter.
It stands to reason that some people had to know or had a hunch that something was going on besides Paterno, Curly, Schultz & Spanier.
And what did DA Ray Gricar find out to get himself killed?
We need to send Charlie Chan or Jim Rockford or Cannon or Barnaby Jones or Steve McGarrett up to Pedo Valley and do a thorough investigation.
Did they ask Connor about the 2005 suspension?
We lived in OSU country when I was a kid and we had no use for OSU, Michigan or the entire Big 10. Dad thought Woody Hayes was a loudmouth lout and a bully and had no use for him. Compared to what has happened in State College, Hayes was a saint.
“It is sick. If you read up on this a little you will find out that Sandusky was not employed by the college or supervised by Joe Paterno at the time this was reported to Joe he was not an assistant coach at that time. Joe went to his boss (the athletic director) and reported the incident. Several witnesses to these acts did not make a report directly to the police, but rather reported it to their supervisors.
I would say the athletic department led by it’s athletic director made a grave mistake by not taking this to the police authorities. The witnesses who caught Sandusky in the act should have contacted the police and made a report, or at least stopped that sick perv from hurting those boys. I am not saying that Joe Paterno did the right thing at the time, but I’m not sure if given the circumstances that he should be fired. I don’t know if your statement about protecting the Penn State brand is really that fair if you read up on the circumstances.”
Dave D
Why?
Because of Joe Paterno.
He’s the only coach I’ve known in my personal PSU history. It’s too hard to name any of them without using google or wikipedia.
That said, he had to go. I was emotional about it for the past couple of days. Today, though I was a little more..clear about it. He had to go.
The only thing I’m honestly upset about is that McQeary wasn’t gone too.
I repeat: : if Joe would have walked away when he should have 10-15 years ago, we wouldn’t be having a lot of these conversations.
PS: McQueary’s days are numbered. You don’t shoot the messenger/whistle blower this early in the game.
DaveD
Most of the morons up there rioting are boys and since ALL of the victims are boys, you’d think these nitwits would put 2 + 2 together.
Sports in America, especially football has gotten way out of sorts with a lot of Americans, especially boys/ both young and old.
This country really needs to take a hard look at itself, about this obsession with sports and also this moronic celebrity worship.
These kids today like to think of themselves as being so intelligent, their worship of the above and their sheep/cattle herd mentality says something totally different. Also the pathetic numbers of people involved in their protests also says a lot as well. Most are too busy watching American Idol, Jersey Shore, Dancing with the Stars and other moronic shows to bother with protests. Unless it’s over a football program and university that condoned and covered up the most devious and evil of crimes. The sexual rape of children.
These PSU kids disgust me.
A leader will only remain if his superiors have confidence in him. People in power are removed all the time for no other reason then the decision makers above him have “Lack of confidence in him to lead”.
I’ve watch this happen countless time in my professional life – from Admirals on down to Chief Petty Officers – who, for one reason or another, have lost the confidence of their superiors.
And make no mistake, even though Paterno may have thumbed his nose at Spanier and Curley back in the early 2000’s when they wanted him to retire, the Board of Trustees certainly could have fired him then if then chose to. They had the power. They didn’t because it wasn’t worth the negative results it would bring.
But Paterno found out the true power structure in no uncertain terms Wednesday night, regardless of his last final and desperate act of trying to impose his will on that University.
He didn’t have to have committed a crime, he didn’t have to break PSU rules and he didn’t have to have done anything at all. The fact was that the Board felt he was a detriment and no longer could believe he would be anything but.
Steve for AD at PSU!
link to panthersprey.blogspot.com
