Paterno’s Statement: Pathetic and Woefully Inadequate
Steven L. Taylor
·
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
·
8 comments
Read it here: Paterno Issues Statement on Retirement.
About Steven L. Taylor
Steven L. Taylor is a Professor of Political Science and a College of Arts and Sciences Dean. His main areas of expertise include parties, elections, and the institutional design of democracies. His most recent book is the co-authored
A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas and his BA from the University of California, Irvine. He has been blogging since 2003 (originally at the now defunct Poliblog).
Follow Steven on
Twitter
Sorry, what’s wrong with it? Perhaps you should write what you think he should’ve wrote.
I don’t see anything wrong with what he said, just wrong in what he did not do.
The Board of Trustees does the right thing:
PSU Trustees Fire Paterno, Spanier
Gee, I think that I will take your side. Personally, I think it could take several steps up and still not get to pathetic and woefully inadequate.
For the guys who wanted to know what he should have said, how about this:
“I was made aware of evil and I kicked the can down the road instead of acting. I relied on the possibility that I could do the minimum and escape the consequences of not doing more. I am part of the evil that was going on and by inaction turned my back on children who were being abused. I resign–effectively immediately. I’m sorry that I can’t do more, but it is too late now.
AVFAP – Absolutely nailed it.
@Franklin: @Lomax: Well, it is moot now, but I would suggest reading the grand jury report (the portion about victim 2) and tell me that the statement was adequate (it can be found here). While Paterno may have done all that he was required to do under the law, the fact of the matter remains that he was part of a situation that egregiously mishandled a situation where a 10 year old boy had been raped by Sandusky.
I would also recommend Maureen Dowd’s column on the topic: click.
@Steven L. Taylor:
Hard to recommend it given that the original version kept blaming the University of Pennsylvania for the scandal.
@Lomax:
You are joking right? With the benefit of hindsight he wishes he had done more? He didn’t realize at the time that letting somebody get away with raping a child in his locker room was wrong and that the police should be called? He was hoping it would stay quiet and that his legacy would be assured. Now his legacy is that he was one of Sandusky’s enablers in raping young boys. Hell of an accomplishment if you ask me. Good job Coach Paterno you worthless scum.