NEW CASTLE —
As scorn and punishment continue to be heaped upon Penn State University, a question lingers:
What truly has been learned in light of the Jerry Sandusky scandal?
Penn State personnel — those left to pick up the pieces — can expect extended reminders of the university’s gross failure in leadership. This week’s penalties issued by the NCAA on the school’s football program are just the tip of the iceberg. As we have written previously, the full cost of the Sandusky travesty has yet to be assessed.
Not only are there state and federal criminal investigations still ongoing, but the civil suits from Sandusky’s sex abuse victims will take a further financial and psychological toll on the university.
In short, the Sandusky saga will impact Penn State for years. The NCAA penalties alone, with the forfeiting of past victories, bans from bowl games for four years, loss of football scholarships and $60 million in fines will affect the school’s athletic programs in multiple ways long after they officially end.
And with major universities, football programs are crucial to financial support from alumni and similar boosters. The influence of football at Penn State and other universities helps to explain how the school wound up in the current mess.
Penn State is hardly the first institution to fail to pursue claims of internal wrongdoing aggressively. It’s just that in this instance, the crimes involved — the sexual abuse of children — so shock the conscience that public outrage has reached new heights.
The multiple punishments meted out, along with those still pending, presumably will provide the lesson Penn State needs to avoid any such situation in the future. In fact, we would hope that any time a university is inclined to sweep an allegation under the rug, the name “Jerry Sandusky” will come immediately to the minds of school officials.
But will it? Arrogance is a powerful human characteristic. And the tendency to circle the wagons in response to bad news is an ever-present temptation.
However, we can’t help but think of how different things would have been had the leadership at Penn State established better priorities. The adage about honesty being the best policy holds true, and some genuine concern for the children involved would have produced a different outcome.
Yet it’s obvious no one in charge at the university was thinking about those children — or others yet to be targeted by a pedophile. If they had, Penn State’s reputation would be intact.
At many universities, football has become the tail that wags the dog. Penn State has learned the consequences of that the hard way.
Will other universities learn? And will other institutions learn the value of dealing with wrongdoing in a forthright manner? That’s the real test here.
Penn State Scandal
Our Opinion: Penn State penalties show benefits of dealing with problems appropriately
- Penn State Scandal
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Paterno family speaks at child abuse event
On the night before he died, Joe Paterno scrawled a message that his wife Sue did not find until after the legendary coach had passed away. In that message, Joe Paterno noted the silver lining in the child sex abuse coverup that led to his firing might be that the scandal could inspire a greater awareness about child abuse.
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Judge: No new trial for Sandusky
Jerry Sandusky lost a bid for a new trial Wednesday when a judge rejected his argument that his lawyers were not given enough time to prepare for the three-week proceeding that ended with a 45-count guilty verdict.
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Ex-PSU president Spanier charged in sex abuse scandal
Former Penn State President Graham Spanier on Thursday became the latest high-ranking school official to face charges in the child sex-abuse scandal involving former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. Additional charges were also filed against two other school officials already charged in the case.
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Our Opinion: Sandusky jail term protects children and sends a message
There probably isn’t much new to say about the Jerry Sandusky saga at this point. However, yesterday’s sentencing of Sandusky to 30 to 60 years in prison — essentially a life term — for his conviction on child sex abuse charges, warrants additional comment.
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Jerry Sandusky will die in prison, judge says
Jerry Sandusky was sentenced Tuesday to at least 30 years in prison — effectively a life sentence — in the child-sex-abuse scandal that brought shame to Penn State and led to coach Joe Paterno's downfall. A defiant Sandusky gave a rambling statement in which he denied the allegations and talked about his life in prison and the pain of being away from his family.
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Former PSU assistant Jerry Sandusky sentenced to at least 30 years in prison
Jerry Sandusky was sentenced Tuesday to at least 30 years in prison — effectively a life sentence — in the child sexual abuse scandal that brought shame to Penn State and led to coach Joe Paterno's downfall. A defiant Sandusky gave a rambling statement in which he denied the allegations and talked about his life in prison and the pain of being away from his family.
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Penn State officials lose pretrial motion on perjury
Two weeks before former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky is expected to be sentenced on child molestation charges, a county judge determined that perjury charges should remain in place against two university administrators.
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Lawyer: Sandusky regrets not taking the stand
Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky regrets not taking the stand at his child sex abuse trial and likely will be sentenced next month, his defense lawyer said Wednesday.
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Paternos adjust to new Penn State era
Penn State’s season opener Saturday will be the first since 1949 not featuring someone with the name Paterno on the coaching staff. The Paternos are out of the picture, like the campus statue of the family patriarch; erased like his coaching records.
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Penn State Scandal: Former president Spanier goes on offensive
Penn State’s disgraced former president is trying to convince the public he had no idea that Jerry Sandusky was a child molester. Graham Spanier claims that he most certainly did not protect one.
- More Penn State Scandal Headlines
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Paterno family speaks at child abuse event
