PA - SNAP responds to Paterno family assertion that he “did nothing wrong”

Joe Paterno never called the cops. All the ex-politicians and defense lawyers and public relations consultants can't change this one key, unrefuted fact. Over years and years, Paterno never called 911. Never.

He’s the man who worked most closely with Jerry Sandusky. He’s the man who oversaw the football program which Sandusky exploited to gain access to kids. He’s the man who was least likely to suffer if a real investigation was conducted or if Sandusky were to have been arrested.

Joe Paterno “didn’t know what Sandusky did,” Sue Paterno said. No one said he did. But adults are obligated to report suspicions – not just actual knowledge – of child sex crimes. And we are to call law enforcement, not our immediate supervisors. By this common sense standard, Joe Paterno failed kids.

The Paterno report said that the coach "reported the information to his superior(s) pursuant to his understanding of university protocol." Surely, Coach Paterno also understood his civic and moral duty to report to police. Surely, he understood that ‘university protocol’ didn’t supercede civil laws.

It’s stunningly cynical for these hired guns to claim that the Freeh report has done "a disservice . . . to the victims of Jerry Sandusky and the critical mission of educating the public on the dangers of child sexual victimization."

The “dangers of child sexual victimization" increase when highly visible public figures defend wrongdoers, as Sue Paterno and her lawyers are doing.

If Joe Paterno’s family really care about “the dangers of child sexual victimization," they should stop focusing on the reputation of the deceased and start focusing on the protection of the living. They should stop concentrating on one powerful adult and start concentrating on thousands of vulnerable kids. They should use their resources and voices and visibility to warn employers and supervisors of the consequences of staying silent about suspicions of child sex crimes.


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