The Great Deceiver

The family of former Penn State University football coach/icon/legend gone bad Joseph Vincent Paterno insists former assistant coach and convicted serial child rapist Jerry Sandusky was a "great deceiver" who "fooled everyone," including the all-time winningest coach in major college football history, for nearly 14 years.

At least, that's how the Paterno family worded it in a statement released yesterday.

But it turns out JoePa and the other three PSU leaders named front and center in the 267-page Freeh Report - university president Graham Spanier, athletic director Tim Curley and school vice president Gary Schultz - were the great deceivers who fooled everyone in this sad, pathetic saga of betrayal. After all, Sandusky didn't appear to hide many of his heinous acts, witnessed by people ranging from graduate assistant Mike McQueary to unnamed janitors, who feared they'd be fired if they reported what they saw in locker rooms and campus showers.

According to the report, authorized by the PSU Board of Trustees and released Thursday by former FBI director Louis Freeh, the quartet "failed to protect against a child sexual predator harming children for over a decade." This conspiracy of silence enabled Sandusky, convicted last month of 45 counts of sexual abuse of young boys, to continue to prey on his victims, the report concluded.

The Freeh Report lays out the story of a stunning and systemic failure of leaders to properly act in leadership roles. While power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. And the evidence contained in the report, including emails from 1998 and 2001 (when Spanier, Paterno, Schultz and Curley concealed the Sandusky child rapes), is devastating to the reputations and legacies of each, who were overly concerned with how Sandusky's actions would potentially negatively impact the pristine image of PSU ... and not concerned at all about the health, safety and welfare of at-risk boys being sexually abused by Sandusky.

"In order to avoid the consequences of bad publicity," the report states, "the most powerful leaders at the university - Spanier, Schultz, Paterno and Curley - repeatedly concealed critical facts relating to Sandusky's child abuse."

Deceivers, all of them. Over and over again.

Key points of the Freeh Report include:
• Paterno and others showing "callous and shocking disregard for child victims";
• Evidence showing Paterno, Spanier, Schultz and Curley knowing of the 1998 investigation, while Paterno "failed to take any action";
• PSU letting Sandusky retire in 1999 "not as a suspected child predator, but as a valued member of the Penn State football legacy," allowing him to groom victims;
• Paterno being "an integral part of this active decision to conceal," justifing his firing last November;
• PSU not alerting authorities to the 2001 assaultl an intervening factor in not reporting it was a conversation between Curley and Paterno;
• PSU failing to adhere to federal law requiring reporting crimes such as the ones Sandusky committed; and
• that PSU "concealed critical facts ... to avoid consequences of bad publicity."

Hey, Penn State powers-that-be: want to avoid "consequences of bad publicity"? Here's a novel idea: don't cover up illegal activities ... whether for one year or for 14 years! We are a fairly forgiving society. We, as individuals and collectives, have pardoned many a person and group for their indiscretions over time - as long as we believe the apologies rendered are legitimate, meaningful, honest. Some pundits have stated if JoePa had actually nipped this in 1998 - and as the Supreme Benevolent Entity at PSU he certainly had ample opportunity and ability to do so - he would have created so many positive observations about "integrity" and "honesty" and all the shit he purportedly cared about so much, he'd be declared a saint by now.

The Paterno family doesn't buy the "avoid bad publicity" claims made in the Freeh Report. "To think, however, that [Paterno] would have protected Jerry Sandusky to avoid bad publicity is simply not realistic," said the family in its Thursday statement.

It isn't? Have you studied the way virtually everyone throughout world history has ever reacted when one of their family or employees (in particular, those who have a largely positive image) are remotely accused or implicated in some form of illegal or illicit activity? They close ranks, circle the wagons, protect and defend their own, using that same logical fallacy.

The Paterno family's position is understandable. JoePa was larger than life, an entity unto himself, who molded the lives of countless young men who chose to play football for him at a major university gridiron power. And his son Jay Paterno has been out there on the front line, representing the family, speaking to the media, defending the legacy of his father.

"This episode is one chapter in a very very big life, a life that was led with integrity, honesty and commitment to this university," Jay Paterno said on ESPN.

I get it. It's understandable the family wants to defend him. If I were the one in front of the camera, defending a family member for some unspeakable horror, maybe I'd be saying some of the same things. I don't know, and I hope to never find out.

But the family is dangerously placing blind faith in a lame excuse that isn't effective. The whole "integrity" and "honesty" thing ain't working, son. Jay Paterno, you need to shut the hell up and quit mugging for the cameras every chance you get. The evidence is overwhelming against your dad; it's not just smoke and mirrors. Seriously, just accept it, admit your father had his faults, and offer an frigging heartfelt legitimate apology on behalf of the entire Paterno clan to the victims and their families.

It would be the decent thing to do.

Then again, if JoePa had done the "decent" thing years ago - and showed he cared about the lives of children being harmed time and time again by Sandusky, rather than actively covering up the crimes for years - we probably wouldn't be discussing any of this.

Paterno could have spoken out in 1998 - but didn't. Or in 2001 - but didn't. Whatever his rationale, he did nothing (or, in the case of the 2001 assault incident witnessed by McQueary, he did the absolute minimum). And while it's true JoePa stated in November, "With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more." ... well, I call bullshit. According to the report, Spanier, Schultz, Curley and Paterno never alerted the school's board of trustees about the 1998 incident and investigation. They failed to comply with the federal Clery Act by not reporting the 2001 incident to university police. Hell, according to the report, "None of them even spoke to Sandusky about his conduct."

"In short, nothing was done and Sandusky was allowed to continue with impunity."

Despite what Jay Paterno and Matt Millen (who played for JoePa) have claimed on ESPN, CNN and other media, this entire ordeal was anything but one "mistake" in a 60-year career. Paterno, Spanier, Schultz and Curley engaged, orchestrated, and participated in a criminal conspiracy to protect and enable a child rapist. They didn't "slip up" or "not do enough." They used their power and influence to impede punishment for Sandusky, allowing him further access to victims. This is more than a blemish on (specifically) JoePa's career, it's character defining and criminal. If he hadn't died from lung cancer, it's very possible he would have died in prison for enabling and abetting such action - alongside his buddy Sandusky.

Maybe the university should rotate the statue of JoePa 180 degrees. That way the statue can look the other way ... just like Joe did for so many years.