Is Penn State's image ruined?
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How does anybody employed within the football program -- most notably iconic head coach Joe Paterno -- survive this mess, regardless of how the cases turn out?
Did Paterno do the right thing when, according to a grand jury presentment, he was told in 2002 of an eyewitness account of a Sandusky assault and informed only Curley?
Taking the second question first, Paterno's course of action as described in the presentment seems inadequate on several levels.
First, some background: Sandusky retired as defensive coordinator in 1999 but was given "emeritus" status within the school, Attorney General Linda Kelly said.
According to the presentment, Sandusky had unfettered access to campus and an office at the Lasch Football Building, even though, as Schultz testified to the grand jury, he had been the subject of a 1998 university police investigation. The investigation included allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior involving Sandusky and young boys in the football building showers.
Sandusky's activities again drew attention in March 2002 when, Kelly said, a graduate assistant football coach "reportedly observed Sandusky sexually assaulting a naked boy who appeared to be about 10 years old."
The graduate assistant told his father, and the two informed Paterno the next day, the presentment stated. Paterno testified to the grand jury that he reported the allegation to Curley, who then handled -- or perhaps mishandled -- the matter in conjunction with Schultz.
Both men have said through their attorneys that they are innocent.
This is what Kelly said: "The failure of top university officials (Curley, Schultz) to act on reports of Sandusky's alleged sexual misconduct, even after it was reported to them in graphic detail by an eyewitness, allowed a predator to walk free for years continuing to target new victims."
But what about Paterno? If all he did was report the account to Curley and wash his hands of it, was that enough?
The grand jury thought so, as it found no wrongdoing with how Paterno handled himself. He fulfilled his legal obligation, but was there a higher moral responsibility?
It seems so.
Paterno is by far the most powerful man in Penn State athletics. He is the king. He is the football program. He should have told the police -- and not the university police.
And you have to wonder why Paterno apparently did nothing as Sandusky maintained his "emeritus" status even after he was accused in 2002. How could Sandusky have been allowed to keep an office in the football building -- the very building where Kelly says the assault occurred?
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