Billy Baldwin was on hand at the Penn State campus today to pay his respects to Joe Paterno. He didn’t know the family well. He had dinner at the Paterno’s one time. He showed up looking like this.
(Photo: Getty)
The Penn State Sex Scandal And The News Cycle…
It’s day two of the Penn State sex abuse scandal in the mainstream news cycle. It’s safe to say that dedicated coverage will continue through the PSU-Nebraska game tomorrow, and then beyond that, we’ll wait and see. If something breaks with the NBA lockout, focus is certain to shift in the sports media.
In my opinion, media coverage of the scandal has been solid so far. Three common editorial threads we’re seeing:
1. We all agree that someone should have called the cops. And everyone involved in the cover up agrees too. That’s why coach Mike McQueary won’t be out there on Saturday. That’s why Joe Paterno hired the criminal lawyer that represented George Bush during Iran Contra today. No one who reported any wrongdoing to a superior has been exonerated for doing simply that.
2. The victims are being forgotten in the coverage. Everything I’ve read or written that focuses on Paterno, PSU President Graham Spanier, Mike McQueary, or the idiot behavior of students at Penn State has been met with criticism that we’re not focusing on Jerry Sandusky’s victims. To be honest, I don’t really know what it means when someone comments What about the victims? Would people rather we just resign ourselves to the fact that Joe Paterno, Mike McQueary, Tim Curley all reported the incident to a superior, and clear them of any wrong doing? I don’t agree with anyone who thinks that it’s the proper time to shift focus on telling the story of the victims.
3. At this point, Penn State and Paterno apologists will not be tolerated. Former PSU player and current New York Giant Paul Posluszsky said it best this morning in a statement to ESPN regarding Paterno’s firing: It had to be done. If a pro athlete who owes a large percent of his career trajectory to his former coach can step back from his own personal affection and be objective, the regular fans can too.
The best way to ensure that this story does not get lost in the news cycle is for more people to read the indictment and ask questions. I posted the section on ‘Victim 2’ on Tumblr. This is the portion of the indictment that details where the cover up began by Paterno, Spanier, and the PSU football and athletic staffs. A big question for me continues to be how much Spanier and Paterno will be paid out after being fired. Both were making at least in the high six figures, and must have clauses in their contracts that entitle them to be compensated even though they were fired. They must. Beyond that, the other members of the staff that have been or will be relieved - will they be paid out, get to keep their pensions? Read the indictment and form your own questions about the players in this scandal.
Due to multiple threats made against Assistant Coach Mike McQueary, the University has decided it would be in the best interest of all for Assistant Coach McQueary not to be in attendance at Saturday’s Nebraska game.
That is Penn State’s official statement on why the decision was made tonight that the receiver coach Mike McQueary won’t be out there with the Penn State football team for their game vs. Nebraska on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the players are being nauseatingly supportive of McQueary, who witnessed a 10-year-old boy being raped in a shower and only told his own dad and Joe Paterno about it. Penn State cornerback Stephon Morris told USA Today: ”I want him out there, we need him out there, he has a good heart. A lot of people probably thought he could’ve done more, but he did what he could and he has a good heart.”
He could have called the cops.
If you can read only part of the 23-page PSU indictment, read the section about ‘Victim 2.’ - as it is, that part is seven of the 23 pages.
Read this, and let me know if you think Joe Paterno and Penn State President Graham Spanier did everything they needed to do in this situation.
Note: Not trying to downplay the circumstances of the other seven victims named in the indictment, just trying to be realistic about how much time people are going to invest in this document.
Someone who went to Penn State sent this to me. Riddled with misinformation.
Any other Penn State students/alumni, feel free to send in dumb stuff from your Timeline today.
If anyone can help me, trying to figure out how much money Penn State President Graham Spanier and Joe Paterno stand to make after being fired yesterday.
Both were outed by the PSU Board Of Trustees for their alleged complicity in covering up a decade-plus long sex scandal involving former PSU assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. Paterno and Spanier both first learned of the actions that now find Sandusky indicted on charges of child molestation in 2002, and neither reported the incident to the police at any time.
According to the most recent salary breakdown, provided by Deadspin, Paterno made $1,022,794 and Spanier made $813,855 in 2009.
