[NU Sports] If you ran Penn State...
Beamsley, Jeff
Jeff.Beamsley at covisint.com
Tue Nov 8 14:26:06 CST 2011
I ran the coaching organization for our local soccer association for ten years.
Before any coach could take the field with their team, they had to go through my clinic and pass a thorough background check. It didn't matter what certification or experience they had. If they weren't at the clinic, they didn't coach and they didn't come in contact with any kids until the background check cleared.
At the clinic, besides the basics of coaching, I gave them the rules about handling kids.
Rule #1 was that you are NEVER alone with somebody else's kid. Your assistant can't leave until all of the kids have been picked up. If the parent doesn't show up, you have to call the emergency contact and make arrangements for them to pick up the kid. If that didn't work, call me, and my wife and I would pick up the kid, take them to our house and the parent could pick them up from there. I never had a parent come to pick their kid up from my house more than once.
Fortunately we never had an incident, but it's only because we were lucky and paying attention.
Jeff
-----Original Message-----
From: nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com [mailto:nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com] On Behalf Of Roy S. Lamberton
Sent: Tuesday, November 08, 2011 1:22 PM
To: 'SjT (Stephen J. Truog)'; 'Northwestern Wildcats'
Subject: Re: [NU Sports] If you ran Penn State...
I think what disturbs me about the entire Penn State scandal is that, like the Roman
Catholic Church, now we will have hundreds more charges from other athletic programs.
Remember that NU had the video taping of the Wrestling Locker room a few years back. NU
took immediate corrective action so it quickly died.
Paul Levinson reminded me last night that it wasn't the actual crime that finished Richard
Nixon, it was the attempt to cover up the campaign's participation in the crime that led
to all of the jail time, and humiliation. Penn State is going to pay a serious price for
trying to protect the reputation of the school and football team.
Now, to JoPa's defense, he was told that someone had broken the law in his facility. It
was really the job of the TA to report that to the University higher-ups since Paterno had
only heard about the crime. Many, many careers and reputations have been destroyed by
someone saying that they had heard about someone else doing something wrong, but if you
never witnessed the act, you 1. Shouldn't pass it on, and 2. Comment on it. Isn't that
what hearsay is about?
Mr. McQueary should have dropped the dime on Sandusky right then, but I'm sure he was in
fear of losing his job.
My wife's elementary school saw one of their support staff person's life ruined because of
a self inflicted act that led to the man's arrest on child endangerment. The child made a
false allegation that this man had done something that everyone on the hall knew was
impossible but he was till arrested and jailed. A year later, the charges were dropped,
but of course, he had lost his job, home and family.
I'm afraid after this week, all of college football will be affected. I've lived with a
teacher for 30+ years and know you are never one-on-one with a student. I'd guess that
kind of rule will now come into play in college athletics.
rsl
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Coach Roy's Random Thoughts - http://coachroy.org
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========== Go Cats - Beat 'em All ===========
-----Original Message-----
From: nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com [mailto:nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com] On Behalf Of SjT
(Stephen J. Truog)
Sent: Tuesday, November 08, 2011 12:33 PM
To: Northwestern Wildcats
Subject: Re: [NU Sports] If you ran Penn State...
>> Another question is what the NCAA will do about this. It's by far the worst scandal in
the history of college football.
I'm not trying to minimize these sad and sickening actions at all ... but worst in the
history of college football??? Really?
First off, this isn't really a college football scandal - so the NCAA really doesn't have
jurisdiction or any power (as if they have any to begin with) ... it's a legal and moral
problem for the school and Joe Paterno, but there won't be any sanctions or NCAA penalty.
Since the allegation first came to Paterno after Sandusky was retired from coaching
(granted he still had use of team facilities) and did not involve PSU players, there's not
really any direct tie to the university.
This is a much larger problem for PSU because it is the breakdown of trust in an
institution - much like the pedophilia scandals of the Catholic church a few years back.
And PSU and JoePa are institutions that have now had their trustworthiness shattered.
But then again, not many higher-ups in the Catholic church paid a price for that scandal
... and on a more recent front, look at the adoration showered on Michael Jackson in the
past year or so despite his charges. So maybe we're caught up in the moment and this will
die down. Hopefully not, because in all these cases there are real victims with real pain
that won't go away.
So legally? JoePa appears to be in the clear. And NCAA wise? No problem.
The big issue is a moral/trust one for JoePa and this will undoubtedly stain him in the
eyes of most.
Personally, I'm reserving judgement until we get more of the story -- from what's out so
far, it looks like he reported it and maybe wasn't told of everything (and I can see how
even reporting it would be tough for him about a man he probably considered one of his
closest friends ... so I can understand why he didn't want to believe it, but I'm sure he
talked with Sandusky about the charges after the report) ... but you still would hope that
a person like the persona we see of JoePa would make sure this got taken care of by the
authorities back in 2002. But we'll see what else comes out. Regardless, the higher-ups at
PSU appear to be in much more trouble legally, so I doubt anyone will be forcing JoePa
out.
It's a mess any way you look at it and a serious tragedy for these young boys who were
abused. But it's also a media storm right now where you need to be careful not to get
caught up in the hoopla and feeding frenzy.
And as for the point about the worst scandal in college football ... I don't see it as a
college football scandal. I see it as a scandal involving someone who coaches college
football. In terms of college football scandals, I see the ones with
institutions/coaches/boosters/etc. contributing to the corruption of players as just as
serious and worse for "college football" as a whole -- whether it's allowing them to get
away with assaults or abuse to others on campus/girlfriends ... or showering them with
cash/drugs/cars/strippers/etc. ... or academic dishonesty, etc.
It's not the moral/legal equivalent of what's happening at PSU - but those are worse
scandals for college football and the corruption of the game and the teenagers who play it
by people in authority is evil and wrong in its own way.
Go Cats!
-SjT
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
STEPHEN J. TRUOG
sjtruog at yahoo.com
GO CATS!!! GEAUX SAINTS!!!
Super Bowl XLIV Champions!
________________________________
From: Bill Bender <bbds5951 at yahoo.com>
To: "Beamsley, Jeff" <Jeff.Beamsley at covisint.com>; Jim Leonard <jleonard518 at yahoo.com>;
Northwestern Wildcats <nwu-sports at tssi.com>
Sent: Tuesday, November 8, 2011 9:18 AM
Subject: Re: [NU Sports] If you ran Penn State...
Hard to argue that you have institutional control of your program when your AD is facing
criminal charges for covering up serial child rape.
I think they should get the death penalty.
BB
________________________________
From: "Beamsley, Jeff" <Jeff.Beamsley at covisint.com>
To: Jim Leonard <jleonard518 at yahoo.com>; Northwestern Wildcats <nwu-sports at tssi.com>
Sent: Tuesday, November 8, 2011 10:08 AM
Subject: Re: [NU Sports] If you ran Penn State...
Clearly a complex situation because there is the legal question and there is the moral
question.
PSU appears to have covered themselves on the legal front.
There is the "he said/she said" discussion around what the Grad Assistant saw and then
said to JoePa, the AD, and the VP. JoePa appears to have followed PSU policy which was to
immediately notify the AD. The AD followed policy to notify the VP. The AD and VP are
now positioned to take the fall for the rest of the institution and the Grand Jury
appeared willing to accept that trade.
So if it was my job to protect the institution of Penn State, I would do exactly what they
are doing. Limit the damage, cooperate with the authorities, blame the fall guys for bad
judgment, pay for their defense, and hope that some dedicated alum will take care of them
once they've served their time.
I would also have Joe's retirement agreement in my back pocket in case this starts to
reach beyond the existing indictments. If it goes not further than these two, I would
allow Joe to gracefully announce his retirement at a time in the not too distant future
when it won't resurrect the whole scandal.
Finally, I would have to ask myself if this job is worth the moral compromises that it has
required me to make and might start to plan my own retirement. But that's just me.
Jeff
-----Original Message-----
From: nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com [mailto:nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com] On Behalf Of Jim
Leonard
Sent: Tuesday, November 08, 2011 10:44 AM
To: Northwestern Wildcats
Subject: [NU Sports] If you ran Penn State...
If you were the top person at Penn State (I assume it's a chancellor or provost), what
would you do today?
Would you let Coach Paterno's staff finish the season?
Would you selectively let Joe Paterno and Mike McQueary go?
Would you clean house between now and Saturday?
This is not an easy situation. I would imagine that the top brass are hoping beyond hope
that Tom Bradley can honestly say he knew nothing and can take over the reigns for at
least the rest of this season. Joe Paterno may have a a thin veil of protection left,
depending on what he was told. However, if it were up to me Mike McQueary would never
represent the university again, starting today.
Jim
PS - I have come to accept the fact that Ron Vanderlinden would never leave Happy Valley
for Evanston but I wonder if that may change during the off season.
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