I am so sad for JoePa -
It's too easy and from such a comfortable vantage point to say that he should have 'done more' (or to have the equivalent underlying assertion that you yourself would have done more when confronted with the same situation - i.e. being told a second-hand account by an eyewitness graduate student about Sandusky who was a former colleague and perhaps friend.)
. . . and this is an aside to many reporters - Joe's public statement saying 'He wished he had done more' is not admitting he's a guilty party; it's the humble lament of a man who's seen 84 years of life, now realizing what Sanudsky had perpetrated, and wishing desperately that he could have stopped it, much like any of us would wish to stop children from being abused . . .
I don't know given the same events if I myself would have 'Done more' than Joe did. Credit to him that he reported it to the university - keep in mind Joe was the head football coach, not the person in charge of watching the university facilities, let alone being accountable for Sandusky who had at that point been off his staff for years.
I wish that many who seem to be out for Joe's blood would remember that Joe is not the one who is accused of abusing children. Sandusky is; and according to our legal system he, although this may infuriate some, is innocent until proven guilty - not negating that his accused crimes are heinous - or that he has already been tried in the court of public opinion. Many seem to forget there are purported real victims, children who have been wronged immensely.
I am sad for these children and their families and the loss they have suffered. I am sad for Sandusky and any others directly involved - sad because of the darkness that is sure to dwell in their hearts.
I'm sad too for Joe - probably most so because I have always and still will admire him as a person of great character, leadership and servanthood. He is a man of legacy who has impacted thousands directly and indirectly through what he represents. He too, although not in anyway to diminish their suffering, is a victim like the children of abuse. And as his character would imply, he is handling this unjust firing with grace.
It's too easy and from such a comfortable vantage point to say that he should have 'done more' (or to have the equivalent underlying assertion that you yourself would have done more when confronted with the same situation - i.e. being told a second-hand account by an eyewitness graduate student about Sandusky who was a former colleague and perhaps friend.)
. . . and this is an aside to many reporters - Joe's public statement saying 'He wished he had done more' is not admitting he's a guilty party; it's the humble lament of a man who's seen 84 years of life, now realizing what Sanudsky had perpetrated, and wishing desperately that he could have stopped it, much like any of us would wish to stop children from being abused . . .
I don't know given the same events if I myself would have 'Done more' than Joe did. Credit to him that he reported it to the university - keep in mind Joe was the head football coach, not the person in charge of watching the university facilities, let alone being accountable for Sandusky who had at that point been off his staff for years.
I wish that many who seem to be out for Joe's blood would remember that Joe is not the one who is accused of abusing children. Sandusky is; and according to our legal system he, although this may infuriate some, is innocent until proven guilty - not negating that his accused crimes are heinous - or that he has already been tried in the court of public opinion. Many seem to forget there are purported real victims, children who have been wronged immensely.
I am sad for these children and their families and the loss they have suffered. I am sad for Sandusky and any others directly involved - sad because of the darkness that is sure to dwell in their hearts.
I'm sad too for Joe - probably most so because I have always and still will admire him as a person of great character, leadership and servanthood. He is a man of legacy who has impacted thousands directly and indirectly through what he represents. He too, although not in anyway to diminish their suffering, is a victim like the children of abuse. And as his character would imply, he is handling this unjust firing with grace.
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