It's pretty doubtful the the Freeh report uncovered every person that knew or at least had an inkling of what was going on during Sandusky's tenure at PSU. I'm not privy to whether or not Johnson did or didn't know that the guy he worked under for a decade was raping kids, but, the bigger issue is that he was a part of that culture that enabled and protected that behavior for 18 years. That in and of itself would be enough for me to not even look at the guy's resume. I don't care if he can recruit the heavenly host, I don't want the guy anywhere near the program. It's too much baggage. Call it guilt by association, or whatever you want, some stink just doesn't wash off. When you combine that with the fact that the recruiting tactics that he employed while at PSU, in which he used unsubstantiated race baiting claims to sour kids perception of OSU, while recruiting them in to a culture bereft of any ethical or moral practices, again, I'll pass on interviewing him. Finally, it appears, on the surface at least, that going to OSU was less about making a positive impact in kids lives at this place, and more about giving the finger to PSU for not making him the head coach, which for me calls his personal reasons for coming to OSU in to question. He basically made a sideways career move. I'm sure he recieved a pay raise as well, and a virtually meaningless title, but he's never going to be the head coach at OSU either, so in the end, it's just about the money. In my eyes, at best, he is no more than a mercenary.
Jlb, I quoted you because you were responding to Taos, and I belive that what he is saying is what a lot of us feel, but can't prove, that it is likely that more people knew more about what was going on there for a longer period of time than what the Freeh report uncovered. If there is even a possibility that Johnson knew anything about it, I don't want him here. Since there is no way to know for sure, I would have preferred that the Smith and Meyer err to the side of caution and not even entertain the notion of that particular hire. It appears to be a "win at all costs" move. It also bothers me that Meyer had indicated at some point in time that one of the reasons that he burned out at Florida was the negative recruiting practices in the SEC, so he brings a guy in to the fold that has been documented to use racially charged, negative rucruiting tactics against, specifically, OSU. If you don't like that sort of tactic, then why hire a guy like that?
As far as this board is concerned, I have been a member here for almost 9 years, and one of the things that I have enjoyed is that the moderation on this board has been, usually, pretty fair. In this case, I think you're wrong about the need to bury the thread because people are discussing some uncomfortable things. So far, I haven't seen anyone level a personal attack at Johnson and only 1 wholesale, unsubstantiated, accusation. Johnson's reputation preceded him. We don't have an obligation to protect it or change the narrative. He is who he is. People have every right to not like this hire, and a person's opinion is always going to be subjective, but to threaten to silence people for having an opinion that doesn't match yours seems a bit harsh. I think we also have a right to discuss the "I don't care what he did in the past, as long as he wins" mentality that appears to be the predominant majority now. Personally, I'd rather the team lose with integrity than win without it. At the end of the day, it just feels wrong.
