Penn State Scandal and the end of Joe Paterno
- Thread starter SpasticGramps
- Start date
One of the articles I read refered to Pen St football as a religion in that area..Seems to fit well with what is being done there....
Joe Paterno's name removed from trophy
Joe Paterno's name removed from trophy
By Adam Rittenberg
ESPN.com
Archive
In light of the child sex-abuse scandal at Penn State, Joe Paterno's name has been removed from the new Big Ten championship trophy, the conference announced Monday.
The Big Ten said that the crisis at Penn State, which led to Paterno's firing as coach Wednesday night, prompted the decision to remove his name from the trophy. The new trophy, to be awarded Dec. 3 at the inaugural Big Ten football championship game at Indianapolis, had been named for both Paterno and former University of Chicago coach Amos Alonzo Stagg.
It will now be known only as the Stagg Championship Trophy.
"We believe that it would be inappropriate to keep Joe Paterno's name on the trophy at this time," Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany said in a statment. "The trophy and its namesake are intended to be celebratory and aspirational, not controversial. We believe that it's important to keep the focus on the players and the teams that will be competing in the inaugural championship game."
The Big Ten pointed to the recent grand jury indictments against retired Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky and two other officials, a U.S. Department of Education investigation into Penn State's response to the allegations of sexual abuse involving Sandusky, and Paterno's dismissal by the school's board of trustees as reasons to remove Paterno's name from the trophy.
Joe Paterno's name removed from trophy
By Adam Rittenberg
ESPN.com
Archive
In light of the child sex-abuse scandal at Penn State, Joe Paterno's name has been removed from the new Big Ten championship trophy, the conference announced Monday.
The Big Ten said that the crisis at Penn State, which led to Paterno's firing as coach Wednesday night, prompted the decision to remove his name from the trophy. The new trophy, to be awarded Dec. 3 at the inaugural Big Ten football championship game at Indianapolis, had been named for both Paterno and former University of Chicago coach Amos Alonzo Stagg.
It will now be known only as the Stagg Championship Trophy.
"We believe that it would be inappropriate to keep Joe Paterno's name on the trophy at this time," Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany said in a statment. "The trophy and its namesake are intended to be celebratory and aspirational, not controversial. We believe that it's important to keep the focus on the players and the teams that will be competing in the inaugural championship game."
The Big Ten pointed to the recent grand jury indictments against retired Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky and two other officials, a U.S. Department of Education investigation into Penn State's response to the allegations of sexual abuse involving Sandusky, and Paterno's dismissal by the school's board of trustees as reasons to remove Paterno's name from the trophy.
CEO of Sandusky charity resigns amid child sex abuse scandal
CEO of Sandusky charity resigns amid child sex abuse scandal
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The Second Mile, the nonprofit organization at the center of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal, has accepted the resignation of its CEO, Jack Raykovitz, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Monday.
The nonprofit was founded by former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky in the late 1970s to help disadvantaged children.
Sandusky, 67, was charged last weekend with 21 felony counts for allegedly abusing eight male minors over a period of 15 years. He denies the charges.
The grand jury report in the case alleged that Sandusky used the charity to pick out his victims.
Announcing Raykovitz's departure, The Second Mile said, "We will conduct an internal investigation to assess our internal policies, procedures and processes and make recommendations regarding the organization's future operations." The charity said it hopes to release those findings by the end of the year.
Raykovitz had served as CEO for the past 28 years. The day-to-day operations of The Second Mile will now be overseen by David Woodle, the Board of Directors' vice chairman.
"I hope that my resignation brings with it the beginning of that restoration of faith in the community of volunteers and staff that, along with the children and families we serve, are The Second Mile," Raykovitz said.
In its statement, the charity maintained that Sandusky's alleged abuse of young boys "occurred outside Second Mile programs and events."
CEO of Sandusky charity resigns amid child sex abuse scandal
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The Second Mile, the nonprofit organization at the center of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal, has accepted the resignation of its CEO, Jack Raykovitz, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Monday.
The nonprofit was founded by former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky in the late 1970s to help disadvantaged children.
Sandusky, 67, was charged last weekend with 21 felony counts for allegedly abusing eight male minors over a period of 15 years. He denies the charges.
The grand jury report in the case alleged that Sandusky used the charity to pick out his victims.
Announcing Raykovitz's departure, The Second Mile said, "We will conduct an internal investigation to assess our internal policies, procedures and processes and make recommendations regarding the organization's future operations." The charity said it hopes to release those findings by the end of the year.
Raykovitz had served as CEO for the past 28 years. The day-to-day operations of The Second Mile will now be overseen by David Woodle, the Board of Directors' vice chairman.
"I hope that my resignation brings with it the beginning of that restoration of faith in the community of volunteers and staff that, along with the children and families we serve, are The Second Mile," Raykovitz said.
In its statement, the charity maintained that Sandusky's alleged abuse of young boys "occurred outside Second Mile programs and events."
Judge Who Set No Bail for Penn State Sex Abuse Suspect Volunteered for Him
Judge Who Set No Bail for Penn State Sex Abuse Suspect Volunteered for Him
The judge who set Jerry Sandusky return home without paying any bail and without an ankle monitor after being arrested on 40 counts of child sexual assault chargeswas a volunteer at Sandusky's charity, The Second Mile.
Sandusky turned himself in to District Judge Leslie Dutchcot's office on Nov. 5, after a 23-page grand jury presentment detailing the allegations against Sandusky was accidentally posted online on Nov. 4, according to the attorney general's office.
Despite prosecutors' request for $500,000 bail and an ankle monitor to be placed on Sandusky, Dutchcot ordered Sandusky freed on $100,000 unsecured bail, only to be paid if Sandusky failed to show up for court.
The Second Mile charity is listed as one of a handful of organizations Dutchcot volunteers for in a biography on her law firm's website.
The Patriot News reported today that Dutchchot only volunteered a few times in 2008 and 2009, after Sandusky had stopped participating in the Second Mile, according to a source.
Dutchot did not return calls for comment.
Christopher Mallios, an attorney with AEquitas, part of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape, said that having unsecured bail is extremely unusual for a defendent charged with a high number of serious crimes.
"The fact that it's unsecured at all, we are dealing with pretty serious crimes. If the allegations were just involving one victim, it would be unusual for a defendant to get unsecured bail. But with multiple possible victims and ongoing investigations and out of state investigations, I'm shocked," Mallios said.
Mallios said that in his work in the Philadelphia District Attorney's office there was always concern over whether a defendenant who had a position of authority within the community or financial means would receive preferential treatment.
"You know, we don't have two courthouses, one for the rich and one for the poor, or one for white people and one for black people. This just seems out of proportion for the crimes," he said.
Second Mile, Penn State Execs Out After Sandusky Scandal
Authorities are now investigating how many people had heard that Sandusky had assaulted boys or had behaved inappropriately with them and didn't tell police. The list is getting long, starting with former Penn State coach Joe Paterno, an assistant coach who witnessed an alleged rape, the former president of the university, two top officials now charged with perjury and failure to report sex abuse.
In addition, there were staff on the Penn State police force, the state Department of Public Welfare, the district attorney, and staff The Second Mile, Sandusky's charity for at risk youth.
Today, the executive director of the Second Mile, Jack Raykovitz, resigned from the organization amid a flurry of questions about whether the group ignored sex abuse allegations against Sandusky and allowed him to continue working with and preying on young boys.
According to an earlier statement by Raykovitz, the organization was notified by Penn State officials in 2002 about an incident in which assistant coach Mike McQueary saw Sandusky allegedly raping a boy in the showers on campus. Raykovitz said he was told only that an employee was "uncomfortable" seeing Sandusky in the shower with a boy.
Raykovitz did not notify police, and Sandusky continued to have contact with Second Mile children until 2008, when he notified the board that he was being investigated and stopped working with the organizations.
Raykovitz was also reportedly informed that Sandusky had been banned from a local high school because of inappropriate behavior with children, according to court documents.
Patricia Coble, a now former The Second Mile fundraising volunteer who worked for the organization for the past 10 years, said that when she heard the news of Sandusky's arrest she felt like she was punched in the stomach.
"I do absolutely think that Jerry Sandusky started this foundation with the intent of having children readily available for his needs," Coble said. "To work for a foundation that is nothing but a front for child abuse? No, they should be held accountable."
Besides Raykovitz, a lawyer who worked with the Second Mile and Penn State resigned last week. Many honorary board members, including Hall of Fame baseball player Cal Ripken Jr., have distanced themselves from the organization.
David Woodle, the current vice chairman of the board of directors for Second Mile, will now take over day-to-day operations, according to a statement released today.
At Penn State, the university president, two top officials, head coach Joe Paterno, and McQueary have all been fired or placed on leave for their roles in the scandal.
Law enforcement sources told ABC News the Sandusky case "has generated a strong public response," while sources have said the case "has generated multiple leads" and "information from the public" that has required state police to commit additional investigative resources.
As the investigation of sexual assault charges widens, at least one alleged victim has now hired an attorney to explore a civil lawsuit.
Pennsylvania attorney Ben Andreozzi told ABC News he has been retained by one of Sandusky's alleged victims to explore a civil lawsuit against not only against the former coach, but anyone who may have not reported the alleged attacks against his client. That could include a number of officials and staff at Penn State University and the Second Mile.
As the investigation unfolds into the charges that Sandusky assaulted eight boys over 15 years, it is still unclear how many victims will come forward. While he criticized police, school officials and even the whistleblower that witnessed one of Sandusky's alleged assaults, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett said that he thinks that more victims will come forward.
"When the word gets out, when people understand that authorities are actually doing something about this, that they may be believed, then more people come forward," Corbett said on "Fox News Sunday." "If I had to speculate I wouldn't be surprised if we had more victims come forward."
"We would have expected law enforcement to be involved much sooner," he added. Mike McQueary, the coaching assistant who testified that he saw Sandusky sexually assaulting a boy in a campus shower almost a decade ago, "did not in my opinion meet a moral obligation" in reporting the abuse, the governor added.
McQueary, who the university has put on leave, met the legal "minimum obligation" after he reported the incident to his superiors. For many, this represents part of the problem -- that state law doesn't require all people to report child abuse to police.
"Pennsylvania's law is in need of repair," Wes Oliver, associate professor at Widener University School of Law, told ABC News. "Pennsylvania's law requires someone who learns through the course of his or her employer that a child is being abused that person go to their supervisor -- all the way up to the head of the organization."
Speaking on "Good Morning America" Monday, newly appointed Penn State University President Rodney Erickson said that the university is committed to the victims of the crime and raising awareness of child sexual abuse.
"We understand there will be lawsuits filed. We're prepared to do the right thing for all the victims. We will do everything we can do … We're going to engage in a wide range of programming that will raise the issue of child sex abuse, to make this a national issue," Erickson said.
Since the scandal broke last Saturday, Sandusky's home in State College, Pa. has been vandalized, although the man whose alleged crimes led to the dismissal of beloved head coach Joe Paterno last week is free to roam the streets of his town on $100,000 bail -- granted by a judge who has connections to the The Second Mile organization. Sandusky is also still collecting a Penn State pension.
Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General via Commonwealth Media Services/AP Photo
In this photo provided by the Pennsylvania... View Full Size
Penn State President Rodney Erickson on Scandal Watch Video
Interview with Tom Corbett Watch Video
First Game of the Post-Paterno Era Watch Video
According to Oliver, Penn State has responsibility in the case against Sandusky, particularly if officials and police knew the extent of Sandusky's alleged crimes.
"[Penn State] has a lot of liability," Oliver told ABC News. "Because they knew they had a predator on their hands, and they did nothing to stop it."
There are now six separate investigations occurring -- including one by the state's Attorney General, who is soliciting new victims via telephone hotline that asks for any additional information to be reported.
According to Gov. Corbett, state lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have proposed changes to strengthen the state's sex assault laws, and he said these laws could be changed as early as this year.
Judge Who Set No Bail for Penn State Sex Abuse Suspect Volunteered for Him
The judge who set Jerry Sandusky return home without paying any bail and without an ankle monitor after being arrested on 40 counts of child sexual assault chargeswas a volunteer at Sandusky's charity, The Second Mile.
Sandusky turned himself in to District Judge Leslie Dutchcot's office on Nov. 5, after a 23-page grand jury presentment detailing the allegations against Sandusky was accidentally posted online on Nov. 4, according to the attorney general's office.
Despite prosecutors' request for $500,000 bail and an ankle monitor to be placed on Sandusky, Dutchcot ordered Sandusky freed on $100,000 unsecured bail, only to be paid if Sandusky failed to show up for court.
The Second Mile charity is listed as one of a handful of organizations Dutchcot volunteers for in a biography on her law firm's website.
The Patriot News reported today that Dutchchot only volunteered a few times in 2008 and 2009, after Sandusky had stopped participating in the Second Mile, according to a source.
Dutchot did not return calls for comment.
Christopher Mallios, an attorney with AEquitas, part of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape, said that having unsecured bail is extremely unusual for a defendent charged with a high number of serious crimes.
"The fact that it's unsecured at all, we are dealing with pretty serious crimes. If the allegations were just involving one victim, it would be unusual for a defendant to get unsecured bail. But with multiple possible victims and ongoing investigations and out of state investigations, I'm shocked," Mallios said.
Mallios said that in his work in the Philadelphia District Attorney's office there was always concern over whether a defendenant who had a position of authority within the community or financial means would receive preferential treatment.
"You know, we don't have two courthouses, one for the rich and one for the poor, or one for white people and one for black people. This just seems out of proportion for the crimes," he said.
Second Mile, Penn State Execs Out After Sandusky Scandal
Authorities are now investigating how many people had heard that Sandusky had assaulted boys or had behaved inappropriately with them and didn't tell police. The list is getting long, starting with former Penn State coach Joe Paterno, an assistant coach who witnessed an alleged rape, the former president of the university, two top officials now charged with perjury and failure to report sex abuse.
In addition, there were staff on the Penn State police force, the state Department of Public Welfare, the district attorney, and staff The Second Mile, Sandusky's charity for at risk youth.
Today, the executive director of the Second Mile, Jack Raykovitz, resigned from the organization amid a flurry of questions about whether the group ignored sex abuse allegations against Sandusky and allowed him to continue working with and preying on young boys.
According to an earlier statement by Raykovitz, the organization was notified by Penn State officials in 2002 about an incident in which assistant coach Mike McQueary saw Sandusky allegedly raping a boy in the showers on campus. Raykovitz said he was told only that an employee was "uncomfortable" seeing Sandusky in the shower with a boy.
Raykovitz did not notify police, and Sandusky continued to have contact with Second Mile children until 2008, when he notified the board that he was being investigated and stopped working with the organizations.
Raykovitz was also reportedly informed that Sandusky had been banned from a local high school because of inappropriate behavior with children, according to court documents.
Patricia Coble, a now former The Second Mile fundraising volunteer who worked for the organization for the past 10 years, said that when she heard the news of Sandusky's arrest she felt like she was punched in the stomach.
"I do absolutely think that Jerry Sandusky started this foundation with the intent of having children readily available for his needs," Coble said. "To work for a foundation that is nothing but a front for child abuse? No, they should be held accountable."
Besides Raykovitz, a lawyer who worked with the Second Mile and Penn State resigned last week. Many honorary board members, including Hall of Fame baseball player Cal Ripken Jr., have distanced themselves from the organization.
David Woodle, the current vice chairman of the board of directors for Second Mile, will now take over day-to-day operations, according to a statement released today.
At Penn State, the university president, two top officials, head coach Joe Paterno, and McQueary have all been fired or placed on leave for their roles in the scandal.
Law enforcement sources told ABC News the Sandusky case "has generated a strong public response," while sources have said the case "has generated multiple leads" and "information from the public" that has required state police to commit additional investigative resources.
As the investigation of sexual assault charges widens, at least one alleged victim has now hired an attorney to explore a civil lawsuit.
Pennsylvania attorney Ben Andreozzi told ABC News he has been retained by one of Sandusky's alleged victims to explore a civil lawsuit against not only against the former coach, but anyone who may have not reported the alleged attacks against his client. That could include a number of officials and staff at Penn State University and the Second Mile.
As the investigation unfolds into the charges that Sandusky assaulted eight boys over 15 years, it is still unclear how many victims will come forward. While he criticized police, school officials and even the whistleblower that witnessed one of Sandusky's alleged assaults, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett said that he thinks that more victims will come forward.
"When the word gets out, when people understand that authorities are actually doing something about this, that they may be believed, then more people come forward," Corbett said on "Fox News Sunday." "If I had to speculate I wouldn't be surprised if we had more victims come forward."
"We would have expected law enforcement to be involved much sooner," he added. Mike McQueary, the coaching assistant who testified that he saw Sandusky sexually assaulting a boy in a campus shower almost a decade ago, "did not in my opinion meet a moral obligation" in reporting the abuse, the governor added.
McQueary, who the university has put on leave, met the legal "minimum obligation" after he reported the incident to his superiors. For many, this represents part of the problem -- that state law doesn't require all people to report child abuse to police.
"Pennsylvania's law is in need of repair," Wes Oliver, associate professor at Widener University School of Law, told ABC News. "Pennsylvania's law requires someone who learns through the course of his or her employer that a child is being abused that person go to their supervisor -- all the way up to the head of the organization."
Speaking on "Good Morning America" Monday, newly appointed Penn State University President Rodney Erickson said that the university is committed to the victims of the crime and raising awareness of child sexual abuse.
"We understand there will be lawsuits filed. We're prepared to do the right thing for all the victims. We will do everything we can do … We're going to engage in a wide range of programming that will raise the issue of child sex abuse, to make this a national issue," Erickson said.
Since the scandal broke last Saturday, Sandusky's home in State College, Pa. has been vandalized, although the man whose alleged crimes led to the dismissal of beloved head coach Joe Paterno last week is free to roam the streets of his town on $100,000 bail -- granted by a judge who has connections to the The Second Mile organization. Sandusky is also still collecting a Penn State pension.
Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General via Commonwealth Media Services/AP Photo
In this photo provided by the Pennsylvania... View Full Size
Penn State President Rodney Erickson on Scandal Watch Video
Interview with Tom Corbett Watch Video
First Game of the Post-Paterno Era Watch Video
According to Oliver, Penn State has responsibility in the case against Sandusky, particularly if officials and police knew the extent of Sandusky's alleged crimes.
"[Penn State] has a lot of liability," Oliver told ABC News. "Because they knew they had a predator on their hands, and they did nothing to stop it."
There are now six separate investigations occurring -- including one by the state's Attorney General, who is soliciting new victims via telephone hotline that asks for any additional information to be reported.
According to Gov. Corbett, state lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have proposed changes to strengthen the state's sex assault laws, and he said these laws could be changed as early as this year.
G
greenmatter
^^^^^^^ we all better hope Sandusky never got high. i can already hear the argument that weed is the gateway to chesterville .......... sounds about as logical as this whole situation is so far
I heard one commentator saying PA needs a law that mandates telling the cops when abuse is observed, not dads and bosses.
and to top that off, he didn't have to pay it !!!!
We NEED A Law, that'll fix it.
The guy's internal moral compass didn't get him to stop the rape or call the police, but if there was only a law then he would have acted differently.
Wonder how much the talking head on the TV got paid to come up with that one?
If only we had more government everything would be better!
I think he had to pay the 10%, he just didn't have to secure the other 90 with a bondsman, cash, signing over mortgage etc.
Should he flee, he owns the entire amount.
We NEED A Law, that'll fix it.
The guy's internal moral compass didn't get him to stop the rape or call the police, but if there was only a law then he would have acted differently.
Wonder how much the talking head on the TV got paid to come up with that one?
If only we had more government everything would be better!
maybe if there were a law against raping children this would never have happened..
ohh wait
We NEED A Law, that'll fix it.
The guy's internal moral compass didn't get him to stop the rape or call the police, but if there was only a law then he would have acted differently.
Wonder how much the talking head on the TV got paid to come up with that one?
If only we had more government everything would be better!
Apparently multiple people knew what was happening and didn't do the right thing. A law is what these folks need to know they're supposed to call the cops, not attempt to handle matters themselves.
G
greenmatter
thats why it happened! there is no law that explains that you should tell the cops if you see a 10 year old getting raped in the shower
these people all had to know that not saying anything was wrong. maybe we do need a law to cover this ....... how about ...... having your head up your ass is never an excuse that is gonna help your sorry ass in court!
the wording may be in the rough draft phase, but i think with a little polish it could work
these people all had to know that not saying anything was wrong. maybe we do need a law to cover this ....... how about ...... having your head up your ass is never an excuse that is gonna help your sorry ass in court!
the wording may be in the rough draft phase, but i think with a little polish it could work
G
greenmatter
if any of the clowns who were involved in this file anything about wrongful termination both them and the lawyer who said yes should be stoned to death on the 50 yard line for the super bowl half time show ......... now that would be good quality entertainment (the black eyed peas suck ass anyway!)
