Joe Paterno Dies

Over 40+ years of Penn State football died this Sunday morning. An old fashioned coach who cared as much about the character of his players as winning...but marred last year with a scandal....this man's greatness(and it was much!) will be discussed for decades, where-ever those who love football congregate...let the debate...and the legend...begin!!

The real question that has been ignored by the pre-judging, sanctimonious jackals here and elsewhere is:  Exactly what did McQueary tell Paterno? 
 
McQueary testifed under oath to the grand jury that he was purposefully vague with Paterno, out of deference to his age and generation.  He said, "You don't talk about those things with Joe Paterno."
 
And despite this fact the jackals tore and gnashed for their pound of flesh.
 
The Coach is gone now. 
 
The world no longer deserved him.

Jim, I agree totally with your point. The media and the bureaucrats in the University and the State Govt. are as much at fault as any other issue regarding the demise of the Coach.
Rest in Peace, Joe Paterno. You deserve a better world than the one you leave behind. A Pox upon those who would destroy a man's life to "sell their story".

Alas, the scandal and the joy the media and some folks have of "pulling a good man down" will endure.  Frankly, I have been sickened by the self-righteous comments i have seen tearing this guy apart.  Was he perfect?...no....Was he "damn good".....i think so.  A hell of a lot better than me and most of the posters/media/writers, I suspect. If JOEPA hadn't done what he did over 60 years, Penn State might still be just a school teacing farmhands how to milk cows.  He brought an "aura" (true or not - entirely or partly) of trying to have athletes who were at least students, also, if not students, first.  He raised millions, if not billions for the University - personally or by his "prescence" as a great football coach.  And he gave millions personally!
 
I would have rather have had Paterno as a friend/mentor/boss/coach/co-worker than 90% of the others I see out there.
 
Go, Joe.........You Did DAMN GOOD!

Joe Paterno will always be one of my heros.   He was great at what he did.  May he rest in peace.

God Bless JoePa and his life's work.  RIP

I agree.  He was a great coach, a great citizen, a wonderful family man and much to be admired.  RIP, Joe.  You earned it.

Elsewhere, the jackals are still bathing in their sanctimony.  So, again: McQueary testifed under oath to the grand jury that he was purposefully vague with Paterno, out of deference to his age and generation.  He said, "You don't talk about those things with Joe Paterno." 
 
Despite having the benefit of only a highly sanitized version of what had happened Coach Paterno told his boss, the Director of Athletics and his boss' boss, the Vice President for Administration to investigate.  Both those individuals have now been indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice.
 
Technical "ranks" aside, as a practical matter, when the Coach told anyone at PSU to do something, it was done.  That privilege was earned over a half-century of acts that led even his competitors to weep openly upon the news of his death; I'm sure that the Coach of all Coaches believed in his heart that was all he had to do to ensure a thorough, proper, legal investigation that would result in justice being done.
 
I have to return to McQueary with two questions:
 
1)  As you are a 6'5" 240# athlete in your physical prime, what prevented you from stopping whatever you witnessed a 60 something AARP member doing in that shower?
 
2)  Failing that, why didn't you "grow some", get the sh*t out of your mouth, and tell the Coach exactly what you witnessed, rather than - in your own sworn words - be purposely vague about it?
 
Frankly, I think the answer to #1 is physical cowaardice and the answer to #2 is moral and physical cowardice as he knew that, had he been frank and honest with the Coach, the first words out of the Coach's mouth would have been an unsanitized version of question #1!
And that question, given Paterno's famous temper, would have been hard to face.  For a coward it would have been impossible.
 
This whole sad affair would have had quite a different ending had McQueary simply told Coach Paterno:  "I saw Sandusky (blanking) a 10 year old boy in the (blank)."  Frankly, I don't know what Paterno would have reached for first - the phone or a gun.
 
Time will tell this story properly.  Even the jackals will know shame.