[Timoteo]

(11-10-2011 08:38 PM)basilransom Wrote:  

It's pretty easy to see why the coverup happened. I'd go so far as to say Paterno's move was rational, and tactically speaking, possibly the right course:

You have Sandusky, a top coach who may be guilty of something really skeezy. Supposedly, that's all Paterno really knew. If it blows up later, he could be charged with a criminal cover up, so he does the minimum needed to avoid charges, by telling some other guy "something" happened, but who knows what.

Say Paterno had investigated further, and finds out what really happened. His choice is either tell the media or to continue to conceal it. If he tells the media, it will be a total scandal, with huge bad press for Penn State. If he conceals it, now he could really get criminal charges if it ever goes public. Passing the buck, like he did, once he already knows what happened, won't work either - either someone else informs law enforcement/media/etc, or they conceal it, which only means more people can be charged if the truth comes to light.

The crux of it is the odds of the coverup ever coming to light. If the odds are low, Paterno's behavior was optimal for maintaining Penn State's reputation - why disclose what happened if they'll never find out in the first place?

There's tons of shit that happens that we never find out about, precisely for that reason. Often, this is exactly what happens - someone is fired for reasons unclear to onlookers, and often these reasons never become public.

Covering it up, directly or indirectly, is evil. But tactically, it made sense.

(11-10-2011 07:53 PM)Timoteo Wrote:  

(11-10-2011 07:39 PM)JayMillz Wrote:  

What was all the Occupy Penn State burning cars, etc about?

It was students expressing their outrage that Coach Joe Paterno, who coached there for 46 years, was fired via phonecall by the Board of Trustees last night. Nevermind that in 2002 he was told about one of his former coaches was seen molesting a 10 year old boy in the showers at the football facility on campus, but what are details when you have the opportunity to act crazy and flip vehicles?

That riot reflects worse on Penn State than the pedophilia and coverup itself.

Maybe it's because I've never followed it, but being obsessed with pro sports always seemed sorta questionable to me. Treating living men like gods, watching yet never playing yourself, seeing some random assortment of men aka players as an extension of yourself ("we're going to the championship this year")... it all runs counter to being your own man. Celebrity gossip for men.

You're 100% right. I'm a big sports fan...always have been. But I'm a fan of the games, and of course my favorite teams - not individual athletes. I've never been for the deification of some of these guys. It's unhealthy. Most are just guys that happen to be gifted at playing a certain game, but aren't exceptional human beings. Just guys. Some prove to be more than that, but most are just guys making a living. I see them as entertainers and nothing more. If my team loses, it may be disappointing at the moment, but then it's gone.

What's crazy is that more rioting over sports occurs when something GOOD happens (namely winning a championship). The city that loses the title doesn't do shit, but the winners burn police cars! In the case of Joe Paterno, I understand the affection for him. He's an icon...the face and symbol of that university. He's been the coach for 46 years. He was an assistant for many years before that. He's lived walking distance from the stadium, and often walked to work. He's a fixture in the community, and worked tirelessly for the school. I, like you, fully understand why he and everyone involved did, or didn't do, what they did with the information about the molestations. The crazy thing is this is an 84 year old man that by all accounts has lived an exemplary life, but this is the thing many will remember about him. The crazy thing is the assistant coach that saw the molestation with his own eyes and came to Paterno (he was a grad assistant at the time in 2002) wasn't fired. He was 28 years old at the time, a grown man. For some reason he isn't being held as culpable as others. As of tonight, reports are saying that Paterno has consulted with a criminal attorney. At minimum, civil suits are coming.