Penn State, by far Pennsylvania’s most glorified college football program, has been under scrutiny since former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was arrested and charged with 40 counts of sexual abuse of a child, among other charges.
According to ESPN, the alleged abuse dates back to 1994, when Sandusky was still coaching at Penn State. He retired in 1999 after university police interviewed him about alleged misconduct involving a child. In the interview, Sandusky famously said that he ”wouldn’t shower with children anymore.”
In 2002, Mike McQueary, then a graduate assistant, now the Penn State wide receivers coach, witnessed Sandusky “fondling or doing something of a sexual nature” to a 10- year-old boy, according to Paterno’s grand jury testimony. McQueary informed Penn State head Coach Joe Paterno of what he saw.
Paterno then followed school policy by notifying the athletic director of what he saw. Though Paterno did what he legally had to do, the police were never called following that incident.
Penn State’s athletic director and vice president of finances were each charged with perjury and failure to report sexual abuse, which is a crime in Pennsylvania. According to childwelfare.gov, those who are charged with failure to report sexual abuse can receive between 10 days to 5 years in jail, and may pay fines up to $5,000. Perjury carries a sentence of up to 5 years.
Paterno and McQueary testified in front of the grand jury, although neither was charged. Though Paterno hasn’t been charged with a crime, many question his morals because he didn’t call the police immediately after being informed of Sandusky’s alleged actions.
Although the Penn State community is generally devastated over the loss of ‘Joe Pa,’ who was a beloved presence on campus for 61 years, the scandal has reached much farther than Happy Valley.
Eric Anderson, 23, criminal justice major from Fairless Hills, expressed shock and disappointment. ”I have been a PSU fan forever, it blows my mind that this happened. This was such a cover-up. We were supposed to be the program that did things right, and when you hear about this it’s really disturbing.”
Paterno originally announced that he would retire at the end of the season in a statement, saying, ” I am absolutely devastated by the developments in this case. I pray for the children and their families. I have come to work every day for the past 61 years to serve the best interests of this university and the young men who have been entrusted in my care, that’s why I have decided to announce my retirement at season’s end.”
However, just days later the PSU board of trustees met for approximately three hours to decide on whether or not Paterno would be allowed to finish out the season at Penn State. At around 10 p.m. the board held a press conference on campus and released a statement: “The Penn State board of trustees tonight decided it is in the best interest of the university to have a change in leadership to deal with the difficult issues that we are facing.”
Despite the fact that only four games remained in the Penn State football season, Paterno was relieved of his coaching duties. The Penn State spokesperson succinctly said, “Joe Paterno will no longer be working here.”
Paterno said he was “disappointed’’ by the board’s decision, but that he had to accept it. “A tragedy occurred, and we all have to have patience to let the legal process proceed. I appreciate the outpouring of support, but want to emphasize that everyone should remain calm, and please respect the university. I have been incredibly blessed to spend my entire career working with people I love. I am grateful beyond words to all of the coaches, players and staff who have been a part of this program. And to all of our fans and supporters, my family and I will be forever in your debt.”
Opinions vary wildly on whether or not Paterno should have been fired. Some feel that because Paterno did all that he was legally obligated to do by reporting the 2002 incident to his superior, he should have been allowed to remain at Penn State. Others feel that the severity of the charges against Sandusky outweigh Paterno’s decades of service.
Steve McDermott, 20, a business major from Warrington, thinks, ”We live in a society where it’s not cool to rat on your friends, and now that he didn’t call the police he’s being forced out. He did what he legally had to do. I don’t understand how anyone can place blame on him. Sandusky was out as coach as soon as he heard about it.”
”He has to go, he allowed Sandusky to be on campus after he had heard about his action in 1998,” Samuel Good, 24, a business management major from Quakertown said.  “He had full access to the school, and had little kids with him. There’s simply no excuse for this, they need to clean house, not just get rid of Paterno, I don’t care who you are and what your reputation is.”
In addition to Paterno, Penn State’s president of 30 years, Graham Spanier, was fired. As the scandal unfolded, it was revealed that Spanier was also a part of the decade-long cover up. Rodney Erickson, Penn State’s executive vice president and provost, replaced him as interim school president.
Mike McQueary remained on the coaching staff and wasn’t mentioned by the board of trustees during their press conference. Tom Bradley, who replaced Sandusky in 1999 as defensive coordinator, was named interim head coach by the board.
The board of trustees announced that it has hired a special investigative committee to investigate the scandal. Gov. Tom Corbett said  that “he who preys on a child is the worst type of person in the world, as far as I’m concerned.”
The Pennsylvania Board of Education is launching its own investigation as to whether or not Penn Stare reported the allegations of sexual abuse, as required by federal law.