 |
| Iconic Statue of Joe Paterno removed from Penn State's Campus |
The 267-page Freeh report released July 12 examines the
heinous actions of Jerry Sandusky from May 1998 until his arrest in November
2011. I am left feeling sick to my stomach knowing a conspiracy of silence was
given life by Penn State University President Graham Spanier, Football Coach
Joe Paterno, Athletic Director Tim Curley and Vice President Gary Schultz.
For 14 years, these supposedly purist, powerful men at Penn
State University chose to remain quiet.
To look the other way. To conceal
the hard facts. To shield the reputation
of the school’s venerable football program all in the name of pigskin.
And they did it well.
Why my soapbox? I too
am a sexual assault survivor. My
nightmare occurred in an Atlanta hotel while on a business trip at age 27. It took me two decades to even begin the
healing process. What happened to me and
Sandusky’s victims are different only in setting. The impairment of these deep, harsh wounds is
the same. I can assure you it will take
a lifetime of healing for these young men, as it has me.
I am speaking for the young men who survived these attacks
at the hands of Sandusky and countless other victims of rape and assault who
will never come forward and whose voice will never be heard. Many will live in shame and will blame
themselves for something that should have never happened to them.
Many will never recover because sexual assault is so underreported and is silenced
culturally. Our society has this
twisted. Rape is the crime. Talking about it isn’t.
The findings support my point of view fully as it sadly
confirms staff members, from the ranks of janitors to coaches, witnessed
Sandusky showering with young boys, fondling and pinning them against the wall,
and performing sexual acts on them in the Penn State athletic facilities shower. Yet they chose to protect Sandusky, a serial
pedophile, in order to keep their jobs
and at all costs protect the university’s reputation, fearing it might
“open Pandora’s Box” onto Penn State’s almighty football program.
This report revealed “a culture of reverence for this
university’s football program that was ingrained at all levels of the campus
community.” It was, as the report
stated, like a quasi-religious cult. At
many competitive football schools, we find fanatic-like rage reeking of this
same cult-like behavior as the end zone scoreboard offers the glitter of
VICTORY!
Collegiate pigskin is one of the most powerful forces in
this country. Elite followers think
nothing of making $10,000 donations for club seats on the 50-yard line. Such
impressive investments have led Penn State’s football to be among the five most
profitable programs, generating $50 million in the 2009/10 season. Sterling and
ethical leadership, beginning with the University President’s office, must
assure, midst such sporting drama and excitement, no one is “off sides.” To do so
takes shepherding with honor, individuals who do not get caught up in the power
of their governance. For with one clever
sheep going astray and not gathered in, the disorder begins its destructive,
rapid growth such as the Sandusky case.
In the final score, Joe Paterno was not a football hero, but
a coward. He wanted glory, fame for his beloved Penn
State, at all costs.
And the cost is the death of Penn State’s reputation.
No comments:
Post a Comment