I would definitely destroy the thing if were up to me.
Michael - 12 years ago
Leave the statue as a reminder to posterity. He did help a lot of children, young boys become men, and many more. For those reasons the statue was placed.
Next to the statue however should be a permanent reminder so that we don't repeat history. An eternal flame for the innocence lost....or something like that. Reward the life of giving as the statue already has. Remind us forever that he was not perfect.
Caïro - 12 years ago
Tear down that statue!
At least put a condom on his finger.
I joke but how can be misery of some human been a source of proud for some else?
Martha - 12 years ago
Joe Paterno knew INSTANTLY what to do when told.....had it been one of his own children
Sandusky would have been in jail within the hour....if he were lucky. At that instant
Joe Paterno went from football coach to pimping children. If Joe Pa even suspected something was wrong with Sandusky and he wanted him gone, Sandusky would have been gone by sunset.......everyone in Happy Valley knows that. Paterno acted in his own interest, NOT PSU's. Paterno showed his lack of character again the night he was fired........all he had to do was go out, call for calm and quell the riots. He didn't care if someone or property got hurt in the riots.... that would have helped PSU, but no.....all he ever cared about was Joe Paterno. Too bad he's dead, otherwise he'd be convicted of purgery. Take the statue down and put it in a hall of shame....
Steve - 12 years ago
The statue will come down along with his legacy.
E Dub - 12 years ago
Ever think that Joe Paterno only reported it to Penn State instead of the police because Joe knew he would be consulted on or be able to control how it was handled at Penn State. Which is exactly what happened, allowing Joe to protect his friend, his own reputation and his football program's reputation. If he had gone to the police, it would have been handled differently very quickly and Joe would have lost control.
Instead, he chose to enable a child rapist. The statue should come down.
irene - 12 years ago
There is a reason why the powers cannot be given for unlimited time: many tyrants started as best visionaries and ended up believing that are above the law. This is just another example of it. Their statues were destroyed as their misgivings to society were uncovered. Another personality cult has fall apart in front of us. Let the idol go down. The statue represents nothing else than a shame.
smy1950 - 12 years ago
We must send a strong message to other leaders or organizations that turn their back on this type of behavior. The witnessed act was communicated to Joe Paterno and yet Sandusky was still allowed the use of University property to continue to molest children. Joe did nothing out of fear for his reputation as the GREAT ONE! Take the mockery down!
Archie - 12 years ago
We are all endowed with an ego.
I am sure Joe's ego got the best of him.
He did much good for PSU and unfortunately one unfortunate wrong.
Let those who were the molested by Jerry Sandusky be his judge and not the hypocritical.
Bill - 12 years ago
He was the most poweful man at PS. He knew but did nothing. He is a coward.
Lex - 12 years ago
Winston Churchill stated " Courage is readily esteemed as first in human quality as it
gurantees all other human quality". Paterno's lack of follow up and buck passing action
amounts to turning his back on the continued evil that was inflicted on innocent poor
children. The statue should be removed to demonstrate that PSU has the Courage to
shove this black page in history behind them.
heather Miller - 12 years ago
I have no ties to Penn State. I respect lots of things Joe Paterno did but what everyone knows is that Joe was the guy at the top. People answered to him. The fact people want to say he followed the chain of command is foolish. The higher ups did what he wanted done. He was the one more responsible than any other. Like it or not. The statue must be taken from down and put in the library where it can remind people to be quite.
Susan Smith - 12 years ago
STOP with the national bullying of Penn State! Paterno is NOT the pedophile and the Freeh report is biased. Freeh did not EVEN interview PA Gov Corbett who was the PA Att Gen at the time and did not go after Sandusky, nor the DA.....Most of you haters have not even read the report and have not bothered to educate yourselves. You anoint yourselves experts after listening to a few talking heads that didn't bother to actually read the full report either. Penn State Trustees- actually grow a pair and leave the statue up. This is a decision for your Alums and student body- not the crazy internet trolls who are stealing their employers money by being on the internet when they should be working. Enough of this nonsense!
PSU 12 - 12 years ago
Joe Paterno was a devoted man to Penn State and believe in Penn State; why are we not standing behind the man that gave Penn State their name and millions of dollars$$$$ Now, if there is a statue or memorial of Sandusky --- that is where we should be focusing our time and effort to === tare down anything pertaining to Sandusky; not to Paterno who loved PSU through and through!!!!
Delaware Dennis - 12 years ago
He was the worlds laregest fraud and an incredibly selfish man. The entire University still buries there heads in the sand and the statue issue is proof they do not get it . Leave it up so all reasonable people can look at it smirk and leave that fraud of a learning institution.What a joke that it is an issue.
brokenheart - 12 years ago
I am proud to be a PSU alum. I grew up in a family of Penn State football crazies. Tailgaiting was our past time, so much so that JoePa was a surrogate member of our family. If we couldn’t make it to the games, we welcomed JoePa into our living room on Saturday afternoons. But make no mistake, Penn State was and has always been so much more than football. It’s family, it’s a way of life. Since the Sandusky scandal hit the news last year I have been heart broken. You may not love Penn State, you may even hate Penn State. But think of a place or organization you hold dear to your heart and then imagine all of this happening to your beloved. It isn’t as easy to come to grips with as you may think, it isn’t as easy to jump to convictions without all of the facts when you love Penn State like Penn Staters do. I absolutely understand it is the victims of this sick monster that our prayers and hearts should be mindful of, sadly I don’t have to be reminded of what being a victim actually means. What happened to my family years ago tore us apart and there isn’t a day we don’t feel the pain. What is happening now at PSU brings so many painful memories back, so before all of you THINK you KNOW what JoePa did or didn’t do, and pass your judgments I would caution you this; we have ONE FACT thus far surrounding the Sandusky scandal; Sandusky was convicted of brutally sexually abusing innocent children. That’s it, that’s the ONLY conviction we have. The rest is indictment and charges, and if you understand the word indictment you understand that it is a formal accusation, NOT a conviction. The Freeh report should NOT be accepted as a conviction, it is at best an indictment, again, AT BEST. So, I caution all of you calling for the statue to come down, to calm down, put down your pitchforks and let what convictions may come be handed down by a court of law, but AFTER those being accused have had a chance to defend themselves. AND then, when at least we have factual condemnation, not condemnation based on opinions offered by a biased report and hyped by media organizations desperate to sell stories, then we can base our condemnations on facts, when calmer heads prevail and just punishments are exactly that, just. And if it is true, based on fact, that JoePa KNOWINGLY covered this up, then by all means take down the statue. Until then, a witch hunt isn’t what we need to help the victims. Please stop the hate, it’s not helping. We Are! Penn State!
J. Kent Eckles - 12 years ago
They need to bring down the statue of that pedophile.
toad 390 - 12 years ago
Let common sense prevail. We hould not tear down the Washington monument, or the Jefferson memorial. Joe was forced to resign his position and died in shame, enough already.
Sean - 12 years ago
To say that Paterno 'knew' what Sandusky was doing is incorrect. I have not seen that there is any proof that Paterno had first hand knowledge of what Sandusky was doing. Paterno knew of the allegations, he knew that Sandusky was investigated by the state's attorney, and he knew that Sandusky was NOT charged after that first investigation by the state's attorney, so what was he to think? And then McCready comes to him with his report, which I am still not clear on exactly what McCready told Paterno or what Paterno understood (really, McCready supposedly witnessed a rape and did nothing but go home and tell his dad? I think McCready was a bit unsure of what was happening in the shower and probably communicated that uncertainty to Paterno directly or indirectly), but Paterno reported it up to his supervisor and the head of the Penn State police and probably thought that was as good as calling the regular police. Could Paterno have been more vigilant? Yes, no doubt and he is at fault for that and everyone needs to learn from it. But I don't see anything malicious in Paterno's actions or inactions and I don't think he actively worked to cover up what he knew was child rape in order to protect the university or football program nor did he 'allow' Sandusky to rape kids. Sandusky is the real wrong doer here and people are allowing their anger for him to color their judgement of Paterno.
Bill - 12 years ago
Does the University really want to stand behind the statue of Joe Paterno. By leaving the statue up is like condoning what he did or did not do. All parties involved who did not report the abuse should be charged with the same charges as Sandusky was. If this happens, people would not even think twice about calling the police. And if they had reported what they knew to the proper authorities it could of saved someone from being abused. Football is secondary to education and it sounds like this University is lacking the Education.
J - 12 years ago
The Second Mile is a state-sanctioned and state-audited organization. Everything requires more investigation. The Freeh report is a joke. Leave the statue, that decision should be made later.
bws - 12 years ago
Take the darn thing down.
JasonK - 12 years ago
How is it that ANYONE can (in good conscience) view a football program's legacy, the guarantee of negative publicity, and unpleasant impacts on the school's finances as more important than a vile sexual predator repeatedly being allowed to rape young, vulnerable boys? Sociopaths and psychopaths might think this way... Penn State will recover. The Nittany Lions will play at a high level again. But for all victims of sexual abuse the world over have basic decency and respect and TEAR THE STATUE DOWN!
Mike - 12 years ago
If it is determined that he was well informed and understood the accusations, and knowingly chose to ignore them, if not cover them up, then the statue should come down.
He thought he had washed his hands after he was informed of the incidents by giving his problems to higher up. Just like an Ostrich, he planted his head in the sand and isolated himself from responsibilities. It's called, "Pay now or pay later."--May he rest in peace.
Tuck - 12 years ago
Anyone who believes that "Saint Joe" isn't cuplable in the cover-up, either by callous neglect or gross misconduct, still believes in the Tooth Fairy and that O.J. was nowhere near the scene.
I love Meg's comment up top. Apparently, she's already forgotten that it's a state school and that the entire epsisode occurred under the current alumni watch.
Bacon - 12 years ago
Get it off of Penn State property, absolutely. Destroy the statue, not so fast. I agree that what he did was terrible, but this man was still important in the lives of so many people (family, players, etc.) who didn't know about Sandusky. They should be allowed to recover or buy the statue from Penn State.
ICare - 12 years ago
This isn't limited to PSU alumni; it's an American embarrassment and therefore all Americans have an obligation to have an opinion that they are (as of yet) still free to express. Tear it down, I don't care if it's art or not.
Canonization of the morally bereft indicates a deep cultural ill. Stop defending the actions of ill-motivated, sick people and take a stand against evil actions!
Meg - 12 years ago
This is a question to be answered by the 500,00 Penn State Alumni not the media or the general public.
Paul - 12 years ago
Don't destroy the statue - it is a work of art.
Instead, transfer it carefully for placement at the cemetery where Joe is buried.
Erin - 12 years ago
Statues for $hitbags? Come on, get serious.
Ron - 12 years ago
A statue honoring an accessory to child rape? Give me a break! Tear it down!!!
Laurie - 12 years ago
A statue is meant to be something that is honored and admired, a symbol of reverence and respect. Unfortunately Joe Paterno and his legacy no longer deserve that honor.
Ginger - 12 years ago
The statue should remain. The University is at fault. They should have taken action when this was first brought to their attention. Paterno is being used as their scapegoat. On top of the University turning their back on what Sandusky did, now they are willing to let Paterno take the fall for their inaction.
lorna kegler - 12 years ago
tear it down, he might have been a good coach, but he was nothing but a scumbag who only thought of himself and his football team............he will be remember as a spineless no good!!!!
Pdiddy - 12 years ago
Accusations are flying in from the 1970's about Dirtbag-usky....Paterno had knowledge of this conduct from at least the turn of the century, yet lied to a grand jury about this as well as personally enabling the Dirtbag......in for a penny in for a pound I say. His failure to act upon his knowledge from the early 00's makes him just as guilty as his longtime Dirtbag friend.
Didn't we try to impeach a sitting U.S. President for lying to a grand jury about a consensual affair? What makes Paterno or his disgusting inaction any better?
kjm - 12 years ago
agreed
lawdawg - 12 years ago
Sadly, the legacy of Joe Paterno is that of an enabler. His actions, lack of action or avoidance of action allowed countless children to be abused by a pedophile known to him.
The statute needs to come down, his portrait or likeness needs to be removed from the Penn State Campus, and his estate deserves to be sued by the victims as well as the University and its Board of Governors.
kjm - 12 years ago
Tear the sucker down! I think he was a great coach but sitting by and letting innocent children get molested is way beyond wrong. In my opinion, it is his fault (along with a few others) that more children were molested after they "reported" the incident. If he wouldve followed up --like any decent person would have-- instead of assuming it was taken care of...those children would have been safe. They would never have known the horror of being molested. No nightmares or court or therepy for the rest of their lives....just terrible. Great coach, horrible person. I dont care how much he donated. He probably donated so much to make himself feel better.
dan lockwater - 12 years ago
Tear it down and if the NCAA had any balls they would take away Penn States eligibility for all NCAA sports for a minimum of five years.....the NCAA needs to send a message!
Kathy - 12 years ago
And further, be sure all traces of Sandusky and other implicated Penn State employees have no credibility left to their name, their reputation, statues, documents, etc.
Kathy - 12 years ago
Here's a good idea...Auction the statue to some loyal alum crazy enough to purchase it...ALL the money goes to those damaged, hurting boys/young men. Money goes directly to them; not lawyers, not the government, not a foundation, not the artist, not Paterno's family and certainly not the school!!
But, just get rid of it.
kyjelly - 12 years ago
Take it down and sell it on Ebay....some wacko will buy it. Then take the proceeds and distribute amongst the victims. Paterno ultimately was a pedophile enabler.
beth - 12 years ago
If Paterno was alive, he would have been convicted. Ask the victims how they feel about that statue. TAKE IT DOWN.
bucigirl - 12 years ago
The statue should go down immediatley. He knew what was going on and protected the scum bag for years just so avoid tarnishing the football program. The Penn St staff looked the other way because Joe donated millions to the university and they did not want to upset the football dictator.
chris - 12 years ago
"Jopa did nothing wrong."
-Ted Bundy.
tom - 12 years ago
PSU sucks - disgusting... disgusting... freaks!
Aaron - 12 years ago
Last time I checked SANDUSKY was the one found guilty, not Paterno. How many laws did he break? Oh none? OK than leave the statue up. Paterno has donated MILLIONS to Penn State and the THON charity that does more for children than any internet commenter.
Too many people base their opinion on headlines alone and don't actually read all the facts. Yes I think he could have done more, but hindsight is 20/20. Show me a D1 school where their athletic program/athletes don't receive preferential treatment. Hell I went to a D3 school and even our athletic program got first class treatment.
Dennis Dohrman - 12 years ago
So this question is being handled by 'polldaddy'? Isn't that a bit awkward?
Steve Embry - 12 years ago
We could leave it in place and be reminded that their system failed because the pieces of that system failed. We could leave it standing to remind the victims what some "fixtures" of this university did to them. We could leave the statue of Joe Pa up and remind ourselves what inaction by a "responsible" and "dedicated" man looks like. Or we can remove it and start rebuilding on what Penn State is really all about. The ride was great for Joe Paterno and Penn State. They both benefited from their association with one another. But to honor a man who let a cover up continue and fester is beyond wrong. Penn State is greater than this.
REALTORDOG - 12 years ago
Paterno should have been proactive rather than abdicating his ultimate responsibility to the youths involved. I am convinced he protected the sanctity of the footall program rather than protecting the children. What a disgusting individual he turned out to be. Take it down at once, remember he left in "disgrace".
Robert Smith - 12 years ago
Leave the statue, erect another one of a male child- place them back to back to reflect Joe's indifference
Jiminy - 12 years ago
Yeah, the statue itself has nothing to do with the scandal, but what it represents does.
Clearly, the world has revolted on Joe Paterno and as such various groups have cut ties with his name, including his alma mater-Brown University, Nike, paintings at middle schools, etc.
Therefore as much as it pains the fans, alumni of PSU, Penn State too is going to have to cut ties with Joe Paterno in order for people to not be as easily reminded about what he did and didnt do.
Unfortunately for him, he has been the face/name of PSU for so long that even though he didnt personally commit the acts, his image is tarnished and therefore the only way to erase that image and help people to forget him is to take down the statue as well as his name with any other fund/scholarship/building/etc located at that university.
If there was a statue of the others involved in this, they would be torn down too.
I think the Paterno family and PSU need to realize that his legacy is now forever tarnished and as such need to realize that people dont want to see or think of him when on that campus or anywhere else.
However if PSU doesnt take it upon themselves to do it, I wont be surprised if some group of people do it instead.
The statue shouold stay up because it was put up because of Coach Paternos great job as a coach, not because he was best buds with a pedofile or failed miserably to follow up on the sex abuse charges. However if it comes down it won't hurt my feelings one bit.
e - 12 years ago
It's disgusting, allowing child abuse and looking the other way. This guy could have stopped it and chose not to do anything, how can you look at his statue and forget that. "He was a great coach, but he let all these kids get sodomized." Hmmm
Ron - 12 years ago
I also think the pensions for Paterno and Sandusky, and all else who were involved should be discontinued.
jj - 12 years ago
It should be taken down asap. The whole thing is a disgrace. I am tired of hearing people defend the program once again by saying they shouldnt get the death penalty. What would have happened to the program if this came out 12 years ago? How would Penn State have been effected? But they got to continue on making millions off of the Program. Before people defend them think about the children who have already been affected by this cover up.
TimL - 12 years ago
The statue has nothing to do with the scandal. Joepa told his superiors use the chain of command which he did, passed the buck as they say. Should he have called the police yes. I say leave it a alone. No other college coach will match what he has done as far as the program goes. They are just haters that want it taken down.
Sue - 12 years ago
Would people be so willing to leave the statue up if it had been THEIR child that had been abused?
PSU 11 - 12 years ago
The statue should come down. It will forever draw negative attention to Penn State, its failures and his failures. When Joe Paterno had the chance to do the right thing, he turned the other way, enabling a monster to prey on children.
It's gone!!!!
I would definitely destroy the thing if were up to me.
Leave the statue as a reminder to posterity. He did help a lot of children, young boys become men, and many more. For those reasons the statue was placed.
Next to the statue however should be a permanent reminder so that we don't repeat history. An eternal flame for the innocence lost....or something like that. Reward the life of giving as the statue already has. Remind us forever that he was not perfect.
Tear down that statue!
At least put a condom on his finger.
I joke but how can be misery of some human been a source of proud for some else?
Joe Paterno knew INSTANTLY what to do when told.....had it been one of his own children
Sandusky would have been in jail within the hour....if he were lucky. At that instant
Joe Paterno went from football coach to pimping children. If Joe Pa even suspected something was wrong with Sandusky and he wanted him gone, Sandusky would have been gone by sunset.......everyone in Happy Valley knows that. Paterno acted in his own interest, NOT PSU's. Paterno showed his lack of character again the night he was fired........all he had to do was go out, call for calm and quell the riots. He didn't care if someone or property got hurt in the riots.... that would have helped PSU, but no.....all he ever cared about was Joe Paterno. Too bad he's dead, otherwise he'd be convicted of purgery. Take the statue down and put it in a hall of shame....
The statue will come down along with his legacy.
Ever think that Joe Paterno only reported it to Penn State instead of the police because Joe knew he would be consulted on or be able to control how it was handled at Penn State. Which is exactly what happened, allowing Joe to protect his friend, his own reputation and his football program's reputation. If he had gone to the police, it would have been handled differently very quickly and Joe would have lost control.
Instead, he chose to enable a child rapist. The statue should come down.
There is a reason why the powers cannot be given for unlimited time: many tyrants started as best visionaries and ended up believing that are above the law. This is just another example of it. Their statues were destroyed as their misgivings to society were uncovered. Another personality cult has fall apart in front of us. Let the idol go down. The statue represents nothing else than a shame.
We must send a strong message to other leaders or organizations that turn their back on this type of behavior. The witnessed act was communicated to Joe Paterno and yet Sandusky was still allowed the use of University property to continue to molest children. Joe did nothing out of fear for his reputation as the GREAT ONE! Take the mockery down!
We are all endowed with an ego.
I am sure Joe's ego got the best of him.
He did much good for PSU and unfortunately one unfortunate wrong.
Let those who were the molested by Jerry Sandusky be his judge and not the hypocritical.
He was the most poweful man at PS. He knew but did nothing. He is a coward.
Winston Churchill stated " Courage is readily esteemed as first in human quality as it
gurantees all other human quality". Paterno's lack of follow up and buck passing action
amounts to turning his back on the continued evil that was inflicted on innocent poor
children. The statue should be removed to demonstrate that PSU has the Courage to
shove this black page in history behind them.
I have no ties to Penn State. I respect lots of things Joe Paterno did but what everyone knows is that Joe was the guy at the top. People answered to him. The fact people want to say he followed the chain of command is foolish. The higher ups did what he wanted done. He was the one more responsible than any other. Like it or not. The statue must be taken from down and put in the library where it can remind people to be quite.
STOP with the national bullying of Penn State! Paterno is NOT the pedophile and the Freeh report is biased. Freeh did not EVEN interview PA Gov Corbett who was the PA Att Gen at the time and did not go after Sandusky, nor the DA.....Most of you haters have not even read the report and have not bothered to educate yourselves. You anoint yourselves experts after listening to a few talking heads that didn't bother to actually read the full report either. Penn State Trustees- actually grow a pair and leave the statue up. This is a decision for your Alums and student body- not the crazy internet trolls who are stealing their employers money by being on the internet when they should be working. Enough of this nonsense!
Joe Paterno was a devoted man to Penn State and believe in Penn State; why are we not standing behind the man that gave Penn State their name and millions of dollars$$$$ Now, if there is a statue or memorial of Sandusky --- that is where we should be focusing our time and effort to === tare down anything pertaining to Sandusky; not to Paterno who loved PSU through and through!!!!
He was the worlds laregest fraud and an incredibly selfish man. The entire University still buries there heads in the sand and the statue issue is proof they do not get it . Leave it up so all reasonable people can look at it smirk and leave that fraud of a learning institution.What a joke that it is an issue.
I am proud to be a PSU alum. I grew up in a family of Penn State football crazies. Tailgaiting was our past time, so much so that JoePa was a surrogate member of our family. If we couldn’t make it to the games, we welcomed JoePa into our living room on Saturday afternoons. But make no mistake, Penn State was and has always been so much more than football. It’s family, it’s a way of life. Since the Sandusky scandal hit the news last year I have been heart broken. You may not love Penn State, you may even hate Penn State. But think of a place or organization you hold dear to your heart and then imagine all of this happening to your beloved. It isn’t as easy to come to grips with as you may think, it isn’t as easy to jump to convictions without all of the facts when you love Penn State like Penn Staters do. I absolutely understand it is the victims of this sick monster that our prayers and hearts should be mindful of, sadly I don’t have to be reminded of what being a victim actually means. What happened to my family years ago tore us apart and there isn’t a day we don’t feel the pain. What is happening now at PSU brings so many painful memories back, so before all of you THINK you KNOW what JoePa did or didn’t do, and pass your judgments I would caution you this; we have ONE FACT thus far surrounding the Sandusky scandal; Sandusky was convicted of brutally sexually abusing innocent children. That’s it, that’s the ONLY conviction we have. The rest is indictment and charges, and if you understand the word indictment you understand that it is a formal accusation, NOT a conviction. The Freeh report should NOT be accepted as a conviction, it is at best an indictment, again, AT BEST. So, I caution all of you calling for the statue to come down, to calm down, put down your pitchforks and let what convictions may come be handed down by a court of law, but AFTER those being accused have had a chance to defend themselves. AND then, when at least we have factual condemnation, not condemnation based on opinions offered by a biased report and hyped by media organizations desperate to sell stories, then we can base our condemnations on facts, when calmer heads prevail and just punishments are exactly that, just. And if it is true, based on fact, that JoePa KNOWINGLY covered this up, then by all means take down the statue. Until then, a witch hunt isn’t what we need to help the victims. Please stop the hate, it’s not helping. We Are! Penn State!
They need to bring down the statue of that pedophile.
Let common sense prevail. We hould not tear down the Washington monument, or the Jefferson memorial. Joe was forced to resign his position and died in shame, enough already.
To say that Paterno 'knew' what Sandusky was doing is incorrect. I have not seen that there is any proof that Paterno had first hand knowledge of what Sandusky was doing. Paterno knew of the allegations, he knew that Sandusky was investigated by the state's attorney, and he knew that Sandusky was NOT charged after that first investigation by the state's attorney, so what was he to think? And then McCready comes to him with his report, which I am still not clear on exactly what McCready told Paterno or what Paterno understood (really, McCready supposedly witnessed a rape and did nothing but go home and tell his dad? I think McCready was a bit unsure of what was happening in the shower and probably communicated that uncertainty to Paterno directly or indirectly), but Paterno reported it up to his supervisor and the head of the Penn State police and probably thought that was as good as calling the regular police. Could Paterno have been more vigilant? Yes, no doubt and he is at fault for that and everyone needs to learn from it. But I don't see anything malicious in Paterno's actions or inactions and I don't think he actively worked to cover up what he knew was child rape in order to protect the university or football program nor did he 'allow' Sandusky to rape kids. Sandusky is the real wrong doer here and people are allowing their anger for him to color their judgement of Paterno.
Does the University really want to stand behind the statue of Joe Paterno. By leaving the statue up is like condoning what he did or did not do. All parties involved who did not report the abuse should be charged with the same charges as Sandusky was. If this happens, people would not even think twice about calling the police. And if they had reported what they knew to the proper authorities it could of saved someone from being abused. Football is secondary to education and it sounds like this University is lacking the Education.
The Second Mile is a state-sanctioned and state-audited organization. Everything requires more investigation. The Freeh report is a joke. Leave the statue, that decision should be made later.
Take the darn thing down.
How is it that ANYONE can (in good conscience) view a football program's legacy, the guarantee of negative publicity, and unpleasant impacts on the school's finances as more important than a vile sexual predator repeatedly being allowed to rape young, vulnerable boys? Sociopaths and psychopaths might think this way... Penn State will recover. The Nittany Lions will play at a high level again. But for all victims of sexual abuse the world over have basic decency and respect and TEAR THE STATUE DOWN!
If it is determined that he was well informed and understood the accusations, and knowingly chose to ignore them, if not cover them up, then the statue should come down.
He thought he had washed his hands after he was informed of the incidents by giving his problems to higher up. Just like an Ostrich, he planted his head in the sand and isolated himself from responsibilities. It's called, "Pay now or pay later."--May he rest in peace.
Anyone who believes that "Saint Joe" isn't cuplable in the cover-up, either by callous neglect or gross misconduct, still believes in the Tooth Fairy and that O.J. was nowhere near the scene.
I love Meg's comment up top. Apparently, she's already forgotten that it's a state school and that the entire epsisode occurred under the current alumni watch.
Get it off of Penn State property, absolutely. Destroy the statue, not so fast. I agree that what he did was terrible, but this man was still important in the lives of so many people (family, players, etc.) who didn't know about Sandusky. They should be allowed to recover or buy the statue from Penn State.
This isn't limited to PSU alumni; it's an American embarrassment and therefore all Americans have an obligation to have an opinion that they are (as of yet) still free to express. Tear it down, I don't care if it's art or not.
Canonization of the morally bereft indicates a deep cultural ill. Stop defending the actions of ill-motivated, sick people and take a stand against evil actions!
This is a question to be answered by the 500,00 Penn State Alumni not the media or the general public.
Don't destroy the statue - it is a work of art.
Instead, transfer it carefully for placement at the cemetery where Joe is buried.
Statues for $hitbags? Come on, get serious.
A statue honoring an accessory to child rape? Give me a break! Tear it down!!!
A statue is meant to be something that is honored and admired, a symbol of reverence and respect. Unfortunately Joe Paterno and his legacy no longer deserve that honor.
The statue should remain. The University is at fault. They should have taken action when this was first brought to their attention. Paterno is being used as their scapegoat. On top of the University turning their back on what Sandusky did, now they are willing to let Paterno take the fall for their inaction.
tear it down, he might have been a good coach, but he was nothing but a scumbag who only thought of himself and his football team............he will be remember as a spineless no good!!!!
Accusations are flying in from the 1970's about Dirtbag-usky....Paterno had knowledge of this conduct from at least the turn of the century, yet lied to a grand jury about this as well as personally enabling the Dirtbag......in for a penny in for a pound I say. His failure to act upon his knowledge from the early 00's makes him just as guilty as his longtime Dirtbag friend.
Didn't we try to impeach a sitting U.S. President for lying to a grand jury about a consensual affair? What makes Paterno or his disgusting inaction any better?
agreed
Sadly, the legacy of Joe Paterno is that of an enabler. His actions, lack of action or avoidance of action allowed countless children to be abused by a pedophile known to him.
The statute needs to come down, his portrait or likeness needs to be removed from the Penn State Campus, and his estate deserves to be sued by the victims as well as the University and its Board of Governors.
Tear the sucker down! I think he was a great coach but sitting by and letting innocent children get molested is way beyond wrong. In my opinion, it is his fault (along with a few others) that more children were molested after they "reported" the incident. If he wouldve followed up --like any decent person would have-- instead of assuming it was taken care of...those children would have been safe. They would never have known the horror of being molested. No nightmares or court or therepy for the rest of their lives....just terrible. Great coach, horrible person. I dont care how much he donated. He probably donated so much to make himself feel better.
Tear it down and if the NCAA had any balls they would take away Penn States eligibility for all NCAA sports for a minimum of five years.....the NCAA needs to send a message!
And further, be sure all traces of Sandusky and other implicated Penn State employees have no credibility left to their name, their reputation, statues, documents, etc.
Here's a good idea...Auction the statue to some loyal alum crazy enough to purchase it...ALL the money goes to those damaged, hurting boys/young men. Money goes directly to them; not lawyers, not the government, not a foundation, not the artist, not Paterno's family and certainly not the school!!
But, just get rid of it.
Take it down and sell it on Ebay....some wacko will buy it. Then take the proceeds and distribute amongst the victims. Paterno ultimately was a pedophile enabler.
If Paterno was alive, he would have been convicted. Ask the victims how they feel about that statue. TAKE IT DOWN.
The statue should go down immediatley. He knew what was going on and protected the scum bag for years just so avoid tarnishing the football program. The Penn St staff looked the other way because Joe donated millions to the university and they did not want to upset the football dictator.
"Jopa did nothing wrong."
-Ted Bundy.
PSU sucks - disgusting... disgusting... freaks!
Last time I checked SANDUSKY was the one found guilty, not Paterno. How many laws did he break? Oh none? OK than leave the statue up. Paterno has donated MILLIONS to Penn State and the THON charity that does more for children than any internet commenter.
Too many people base their opinion on headlines alone and don't actually read all the facts. Yes I think he could have done more, but hindsight is 20/20. Show me a D1 school where their athletic program/athletes don't receive preferential treatment. Hell I went to a D3 school and even our athletic program got first class treatment.
So this question is being handled by 'polldaddy'? Isn't that a bit awkward?
We could leave it in place and be reminded that their system failed because the pieces of that system failed. We could leave it standing to remind the victims what some "fixtures" of this university did to them. We could leave the statue of Joe Pa up and remind ourselves what inaction by a "responsible" and "dedicated" man looks like. Or we can remove it and start rebuilding on what Penn State is really all about. The ride was great for Joe Paterno and Penn State. They both benefited from their association with one another. But to honor a man who let a cover up continue and fester is beyond wrong. Penn State is greater than this.
Paterno should have been proactive rather than abdicating his ultimate responsibility to the youths involved. I am convinced he protected the sanctity of the footall program rather than protecting the children. What a disgusting individual he turned out to be. Take it down at once, remember he left in "disgrace".
Leave the statue, erect another one of a male child- place them back to back to reflect Joe's indifference
Yeah, the statue itself has nothing to do with the scandal, but what it represents does.
Clearly, the world has revolted on Joe Paterno and as such various groups have cut ties with his name, including his alma mater-Brown University, Nike, paintings at middle schools, etc.
Therefore as much as it pains the fans, alumni of PSU, Penn State too is going to have to cut ties with Joe Paterno in order for people to not be as easily reminded about what he did and didnt do.
Unfortunately for him, he has been the face/name of PSU for so long that even though he didnt personally commit the acts, his image is tarnished and therefore the only way to erase that image and help people to forget him is to take down the statue as well as his name with any other fund/scholarship/building/etc located at that university.
If there was a statue of the others involved in this, they would be torn down too.
I think the Paterno family and PSU need to realize that his legacy is now forever tarnished and as such need to realize that people dont want to see or think of him when on that campus or anywhere else.
However if PSU doesnt take it upon themselves to do it, I wont be surprised if some group of people do it instead.
The statue shouold stay up because it was put up because of Coach Paternos great job as a coach, not because he was best buds with a pedofile or failed miserably to follow up on the sex abuse charges. However if it comes down it won't hurt my feelings one bit.
It's disgusting, allowing child abuse and looking the other way. This guy could have stopped it and chose not to do anything, how can you look at his statue and forget that. "He was a great coach, but he let all these kids get sodomized." Hmmm
I also think the pensions for Paterno and Sandusky, and all else who were involved should be discontinued.
It should be taken down asap. The whole thing is a disgrace. I am tired of hearing people defend the program once again by saying they shouldnt get the death penalty. What would have happened to the program if this came out 12 years ago? How would Penn State have been effected? But they got to continue on making millions off of the Program. Before people defend them think about the children who have already been affected by this cover up.
The statue has nothing to do with the scandal. Joepa told his superiors use the chain of command which he did, passed the buck as they say. Should he have called the police yes. I say leave it a alone. No other college coach will match what he has done as far as the program goes. They are just haters that want it taken down.
Would people be so willing to leave the statue up if it had been THEIR child that had been abused?
The statue should come down. It will forever draw negative attention to Penn State, its failures and his failures. When Joe Paterno had the chance to do the right thing, he turned the other way, enabling a monster to prey on children.