Penn State Cult (Joe Knew)

[ORD_Buckeye]

Penn State football program was as much about secrecy as it was tradition, integrity

Nothing terribly new here, but it does bear repeating.

There always was a sort of incongruity to the manner in which Penn State football presented itself to the public. On the surface, it projected an image of enduring, infallible integrity. And yet the surface was all anyone ever could see. The locked doors, the draped fencing, the burgeoning restrictions on when and how the players could speak with the media all conspired to create an atmosphere in which secrecy was prized above everything.

It always seemed curious. If the enterprise of Penn State football indeed were fundamentally good, why keep everyone at such a distance?

The rules being followed were established by Paterno, enforced by Paterno. He was the presence who stood above everything transacted within Penn State football. Crossing him was not without consequence.

 

[BUCKYLE]

Penn State football program was as much about secrecy as it was tradition, integrity

Nothing terribly new here, but it does bear repeating.

From the comments:

i don't know if it was the move to the Big Ten, the "Miami factor" or just the change in times that changed things, but things sure are different, alot different.

Preeeeeetty sure it was the boys being raped in the shower that "changed things".

What a fucking bunch of fucks.

 

[Steve19]

Did I offend a large group of people again? Damn.

Hopefully they accept my standard "I have a ___ friend" line and heartfelt apology.

Well, I think that we've all seen one of your friends. Do you have pictures of other friends so that we can know exactly what we are forgiving?

 

[localyokel]

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's take the PSU coaching search. In brief, they reached out Pellini and he said no. No one else of note is interested and they are in some deep (Mark May).

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11354/1198052-143.stm

post-gazette.com headline: Penn State coaching vacancy is 'toxic situation'

And this year's Special Pulitzer Award for Mind-Numbingly Stating the Obvious goes to...

 

[tundra1]

From the comments:



Preeeeeetty sure it was the boys being raped in the shower that "changed things".

What a fucking bunch of fucks.

Actually, it wasn't even the boys being raped in the shower that changed things. Boys were probably being raped in the Penn State shower back before they joined the B1G. At least one alleged victim from the 1970s has come forward already.

It wasn't even a member of the Penn State coaching staff seeing a boy being raped in the shower that changed things. That happened in 2002, and nothing changed for years.

It wasn't even the State College Police Department questioning Sandusky and Sandusky admitting to hugging a boy while showering naked with him that changed things. That happened in 1998, and the DA refused to bring charges.

It wasn't even a Clinton county high school barring Sandusky from contact with a 15-year old that changed things. That happened in 2008.

It was after a 3-year investigation, in November 2011, after Sandusky was finally arrested, arraigned, and released. That's what finally changed things.

That's what is so pathetic about Penn State...and even more pathetic about their fans.

 

[NFBuck]

[ped aggy]That's unpossible! All sorts of coaches are lining up for this job, but the BoT is dragging their feet and letting cheaters steal all the recruits away![ped aggy]

[censored]ing idiots.

There's a sizeable contingent on their scout board that think Chip Kelly is a legitimate possibility. Never mind the fact that he has the Lyles stuff hanging over his head...the fact that they think he'd leave Phil Knight U for that smoldering glass parking lot is pure comedy and shows just how isolated they are from reality.

 

[sandgk]

There's a sizeable contingent on their scout board that think Chip Kelly is a legitimate possibility. Never mind the fact that he has the Lyles stuff hanging over his head.

Either that establishes the heirarchy of heinous acts acceptable in Happy Valley, or it simply adds to the list of heinous acts acceptable in Happy Valley.

Neither option is particularly good.

 

[Mike80]

Serious question. Has this board ever had a solid poster that was a Penn State fan? With all the traffic we get from opposing fan bases, I would think there must have been some, but since I've been posting on here, I can't remember a single one.

Cults don't generally socialize. That's not a joke. I read most of the B1G's other scout boards, and Ped State has BY FAR the least interaction with opposing fanbases of any of the major programs. They generally don't stray from their own boards. It's one big Paterno-worshipping circle-jerk.

Describing it as a CULT is exactly on target.

I've been saying it for years - these people (and I use that term loosely) think they are BETTER than everyone else. The next time they actually face reality with anything close to objectivity will be the first time.

 

[CHU]

I agree with Stewart Mandel. Not that it's right, but he's probably correct (and it doesn't seem right).

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/stewart_mandel/12/20/future.ncaa.penalties/index.html

Penn State: Despite President Mark Emmert's tersely worded letter following the Jerry Sandusky grand jury report, I don't believe the NCAA will ever follow through with a formal investigation into the school's institutional control, nor should they. It's too slippery a slope. All the schools above violated or may have violated specific bylaws regarding recruiting, eligibility and amateurism, issues with a direct impact on a sport's "level playing field." The Penn State scandal involves issues of enormous societal magnitude but no impact whatsoever on actual athletic competitions.

Emmert's letter cited vague bylaws about unethical conduct (including the infamous 10.1 clause used against Tressel) in justifying a query, but if it's going to start investigating all manner of unethical conduct in athletic departments, it's going to have its hands full. Does a coach's DWI arrest like Missouri's Gary Pinkel merit a visit from investigators, too? What about the Kansas ticket-scalping scandal a couple years back that landed former athletic department employees in prison?


Some matters are better left for actual judges and juries. Their punishment options include far bigger deterrents than bowl bans and scholarship cuts.

 

[Gatorubet]

I agree with Stewart Mandel. Not that it's right, but he's probably correct (and it doesn't seem right).

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/stewart_mandel/12/20/future.ncaa.penalties/index.html

I agree. That was likely just pure PR instead of an actual plan. If they want a bad day, then watch Penn State win its challenge in court after the NCAA disciplines them for some nebulous unethical violation - when every past case always referred to violations of NCAA rules only.

 

[localyokel]

Thought I'd see what Ped State fan is saying about the fight.

Instead, I stumbled upon this. This has to be the most sickening response I've yet seen to the charges.

http://bwi.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?fid=36&tid=150996485&mid=150996485&sid=890&style=2

I honestly suggest people read this thread, so they can get a true grasp for how unhinged and debased that fanbase is and how the whole sick cult of Paterno has turned them into heartless sick bastards.

Well, [markmay] that'll teach me not to keep up. The link goes to a blank page now--someone apparently had the wisdom to delete it.

 

[cincibuck]

Well, if OSU gets a bowl ban because the coach didn't reveal that athletes were selling memorabilia for tattoos, what will PSU get for a coach failing to report child abuse... an invitation to Div II?

 

[ant80]

State College Police: Penn State Riot Most Costly, Destructive in 15 Years

The Nov. 9 riot at Penn State after legendary head coach Joe Paterno was fired was the most costly in the university?s history, PennLive.com reports.

The property damage total comes in at an estimated $190,000 with a bulk of the sum going towards the cost of a Pennsylvania area satellite news van, which was flipped over in the riot. The previous most costly riot was in 1998 after an arts festival with over $150,000 in damage.

To date, 38 people have been charged with ?participating in destructive behavior? with seven additional arrests pending. The majority of those charged were identified by tips after still photos of the suspects were posted on the State College Police website.

Since the 1990?s there have been three large riots in the Penn State area (1998, 2001, and 2008). The latest riot had almost double the arrests made in the prior three riots since the 90s. Additionally, State College police have logged over 725 hours of overtime for Sandusky scandal related purposes, including the riots. Approximately $47,125 in tax payer dollars will go towards covering the costs.

 

[Steve19]

You can't make these things up. Now longtime Philadelphia Daily News sports columnist and frequent ESPiN guest, Bill Conlin, has been charged with child abuse by several people who include a niece. He will not face prosecution over child sex abuse allegations due to the statute of limitatiopns. The 77-year old retired from his job last week when allegations emerged.

I'm guessing that we won't see this reported on the front pages of ESPiN and that Penn State fans will find a way to blame it on the B1G?

(link)

BB73 edit - Comments on Conlin can be made in his BP.thread

 

[Oh8ch]

Well, if OSU gets a bowl ban because the coach didn't reveal that athletes were selling memorabilia for tattoos, what will PSU get for a coach failing to report child abuse... an invitation to Div II?

PSU will only be in trouble with the NCAA if the opportunity to molest children was used as an inducement to recruit and thus compromise the "level playing field".