Penn State Heartbreaking Scandal

            Jerry Sandusky has done so much damage to Penn State and all the victims that he abused and this could all be avoided if some people were not covering for him.  There is also a huge finical cost for the university because of their actions =. Dan Shallman, a partner at O'Melveny & Myers LLP in Los Angeles, estimates that costs associated with the scandal could reach $100 million. It cost the coach with the most wins ever in division one football history his job.  There is so much disturbing information about this case. I just hope something like this never happens again because it is very heartbreaking.  There could have been so many victims in this case that could have been prevented if some adults stepped up and  take charge of the situation but instead they decided to just sweep it under the rug. Which was the worst possible way to handle it and because of it, many children suffered.

There are so many details to this elaborate story. In 1994, a boy identified as Victim 7 in the grand jury report meets Sandusky through the Second Mile program. Jerry Sandusky starts a shelter for boys in 1997 to help troubled boys (The Second Mile Program). Jerry was supposed to being helping boys when he started the Second Mile Program, but instead he was using it as a “hunting ground for young boys. That is the one of the most twisted things that I have ever heard of happening. Adults are supposed to help out kids when they are in trouble, not abuse them. “Victim 7 says that after a couple of years in the program, he often spent Friday nights at Sandusky's house and attended football games with him the next day. He says Sandusky touched him in ways that made him uncomfortable, primarily during car rides and when the two showered after a workout. 1998, an 11-year-old boy returns home with wet hair after an outing with Sandusky. Victim 6 tells his mother he took a shower with Sandusky and that the coach hugged him several times. The boy's mother contacts university police, triggering an investigation. Sandusky later admits to hugging the boy in the shower, and says he will not shower with children again. A main message that I take from these tragic event is that even if someone is in a position of power, you should have no fear of them or else there is a chance that they can abuse their power.

In 1999, Sandusky retired from Penn State's football program but was still allowed him access to campus facilities, including the locker room and an office in the Football Building. In 2000 Jim Calhoun (a janitor at the football building) tells his supervisor that he saw Sandusky engaged in sexual activity with a boy in the assistant coaches' shower. Jim Calhoun was concerned that they might lose their jobs if they spoke out about what had happened. In 2002, a graduate assistant Mike McQueary, reported seeing Sandusky sexually assaulting a boy in the showers at the Football Building on the Penn State campus. The assault on the boy was reported to Paterno the next day. Paterno, in turn, passes the information to Curley (Penn State’s Athletic director) one day later. I wouldn’t even care if I lost my job; I would do my best to help some kid when they are in need because I would like someone to do that for someone that I care for. I don’t care who was hurting a kid, I would step in and fight for that kid’s safety. I must have grown up with different values than other people.

Many people were fired/ resigned because of this scandal. On November 6, Curley (athletic director) and Schultz (the senior vice president for finance and business) were fired from their university. On November 7, Curley and Schultz are arraigned on charges of making false statements to the grand jury and failing to report the possible abuse of a child. Than on November 9, the Penn State Board of Trustees announces that it has fired both Paterno and school President Graham Spanier. If my friend for 30 plus years was a sexual predator (just as Joe Paterno was with Jerry Sandusky) and I knew about it, I would bring him to justice because that is just not right. On November 11, Penn State places McQueary on administrative leave. I could not believe that very important members of Penn State’s University would cover up for this monster. They have an obligation to those children to bring their tormentor to justice but instead they enabled Jerry Sandusky to keep being a predator.

This scandal will also have a huge impact on the finical side for Penn State. Penn State could easily spend $500,000 or more per criminal defendant .The school has said it will cover the legal expenses for former athletic director Tim Curley and university administrator Gary Schultz. In 2009 the Penn State's football program's economic value at $99 million (only behind Texas and Notre Dame among FBS programs). It is predicted that the scandal could have an immediate $10 million impact in lost sponsorships and donations.  It is sad to see a very good organization for many years have its reputation ruined by a select few but that is the only way to make sure it does not happen again. I feel for the students and athletes because they did not do anything wrong but they will get punished as well. I just pray that something like this never happens again because nothing good can come out of this situation.

References

ESPN: The Worldwide Leader In Sports. (n.d.). ESPN: The Worldwide Leader In Sports. Retrieved December 9, 2011, from http://espn.go.com/

Number, S. (n.d.). Grand Jury Report Released In Penn State Sex Abuse Scandal « CBS Philly. CBS Philly - News, Sports, Weather, Traffic and Philly's Top Spots. Retrieved December 9, 2011, from http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2011/11/07/grand-jury-report-released-in-penn-state-sex-abuse-scandal/

Penn State Nittany Lions scandal -- Jerry Sandusky arrested on new sex abuse charges - ESPN. (n.d.). ESPN: The Worldwide Leader In Sports. Retrieved December 9, 2011, from http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7327280/penn-state-nittany-lions-scandal-jerry-sandusky-arrested-new-sex-abuse-charges

Penn State Scandal: The Grand-Jury Report vs. Sandusky’s Claims - The Daily Beast. (n.d.). The Daily Beast. Retrieved December 9, 2011, from http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/11/16/penn-state-scandal-the-grand-jury-report-vs-sandusky-s-claims.html

The Penn State Child Abuse Scandal: A Guide And Timeline : NPR. (n.d.). NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR. Retrieved December 9, 2011, from http://www.npr.org/2011/11/08/142111804/penn-state-abuse-scandal-a-guide-and-timeline