I'm a Miami fan; we know rallying post-scandal, if not a longtime legendary coach. And kids are stupid. What I really have a problem with here is HIS behavior -- he knows what's in that report, knows how badly all these kids were failed, knows how horrifying the story really is, has known for a VERY long time that a grad assistant saw his longtime friend fucking a little boy in the showers and has obviously been seeing that friend around the office very often ever since and knew his longtime friend is still in contact with other kids, and knows that his just knowing led to other children being terribly abused. And instead of hushing the crowd to tell them he's not a victim but their sympathy should be given only to the 20 (at last count) traumatized children, that he realizes now more could have been done, that everyone should do everything they can to prevent child abuse, that they should all think about situations they may know of and contact authorities, or even that he has more to say but cannot comment right now -- instead of any of that, he came out smiling and said "Beat Nebraska!" before offering up one sentence about the victims and moving on to a school cheer. Yes, it's about that on some level, but it's not about that RIGHT NOW. A great man should do better than that in that moment. A terrible man should do better than that.
Say a West Virginia player was having sex with a ten-year-old girl and Dana Holgorsen finds out, mentions it to a boss but never sees anything happen, and then another 12-year-old gets pregnant with his baby and investigators discover the player has been producing all sorts of child porn with a number of sixth grade girls. If the first thing Holgorsen does is lean out a window and say, "Go Mountaineers!" before admitting, "These girls are gonna be messed up for life, but hoo boy I do love West Virginia! Give me an E! E! R! S!", he should be fired.
Never has Paterno looked more and more like a sad old man who has no idea what's going on around him. And that's sad, and what has happened to his legacy is sad, but it's not the saddest part. I guess I just thought it was an awful scene considering the details, and I can only imagine how it looked to the boys who weren't protected, and to their families. Wouldn't anyone like to act like an adult here?
aterno is old as dirt, oblivious, and senile. he probably couldn't even fathom the accusation let alone even hear the kid say it.
