Fantasy Baseball Cafe Forums

by **bigh0rt** » Wed Nov 09, 2011 8:05 pm

I figure maybe this will spark some rousing debate that will after 3 or so pages either degenerate into something completely unrelated, yet people are incredibly vehement about, or it won't get a single reply. Either way. You may have heard this over the last several days, but here's the essential question I'm debating here...

Side 1: Joe Paterno has a moral obligation to report that somebody told him that they saw one of his assistant coaches raping a 10 year old boy in the shower at the team facility. While he may have fulfilled his legal obligations by reporting it to the University, it is unethical and completely wrong for him to not notify authorities. It is too serious and heinous an offense to keep quiet about or to simply report to the University and then go on as if nothing had happened.

Side 2: Joe Paterno did what the law requires him to do. It is not his place to notify authorities on hearsay, and it is the University who should be receiving the brunt of the blame here for not following through on what Joe Pa reported to them. He is being unjustly scape goated here for the horrible acts of one of his assistant coaches, and of his employer.

My initial stance was that of Side 2, but when it was actually role played on the radio this morning, and then we changed the names in the program I teach in at work so that each person involved was one of us, I almost immediately changed my mind to Side 1, where if I was Paterno in that instance I would have been compelled to notify the authorities.

So, who ya got?

vs.

by **Skin Blues** » Wed Nov 09, 2011 9:11 pm

Everybody that knew about it was wrong. That includes Paterno. And especially McQueary, for having witnessed it happening and knowing that it had never been reported to police. They knew boys were being raped, they did nothing about it. I don't see how there could be any argument defending them.

by **Mookie4ever** » Wed Nov 09, 2011 9:24 pm

This is seriously a question?

The choice should be between notifying the police or calling the police while you hold him down with your foot on his throat waiting for them to show up. Firing him but not calling the police, then for 12 years letting him use the facilities to help him be a sexual predator don't enter into it.

I believe that the only reason that Paterno and the others don't file a criminal complaint is to protect the school and the football program and for this they should go to hell and maybe even jail. This may have let him abuse more children. Paterno seems to be out of it now and completely unaware of the seriousness of this and the reprecussions of his inaction. Now it can be chalked up to the onset of senility but back then it was just immoral.

by **Mookie4ever** » Wed Nov 09, 2011 9:25 pm

More cafe discussion about this here

by **bigken117** » Wed Nov 09, 2011 9:28 pm

the fact that Paterno (along with everyone else who turned away from it) wasn't fired and gets to finish out the season is an embarrassment and an insult to the victims.

Deadspin has had some good coverage of the whole ordeal.

by **Dan Lambskin** » Wed Nov 09, 2011 9:34 pm

If an older woman that likes younger men is cougar, does that mean an older man that likes younger men is a Nittany Lion?

by **bigken117** » Wed Nov 09, 2011 9:36 pm

I know it's hard to say as it's not you that's there, but how does anyone watch a 10 year old get sodomized and not kick the ever living crap out of the pervert in the shower?

by **lastingsgriller** » Wed Nov 09, 2011 9:55 pm

i think we're all in agreement, here. raping a 10-year old boy is far different from stealing out of the petty cash. anyone that knew about it and didn't notify the authorities is very, very wrong. anybody that didn't tie this old fu*ker down and stick a fire extinguisher up his ass was also wrong.