![]() In early 2013 University of Arkansas law professor Brian Gallini made that point the centerpiece of a 64-page paper published in the Tennessee Law Review. The grand jury presentment inaccurately stated that the witness stated he had seen an anal rape and had told Joe Paterno "what he saw." The perception that Joe Paterno had been told about an anal rape and did nothing took hold and cost him his job. I must reiterate that the witness never told Paterno he witnessed a rape and never told police that he had seen one. It was the first and only time Joe Paterno had ever been told by a witness that Jerry had been in the showers with a young boy. What that witness told him is subject to interpretation, but we do know that the witness never told him that he had seen a boy being raped. Joe Paterno was made aware that Jerry Sandusky was in the shower with a young boy a day after a witness saw it. Clemente's powerful report makes the point that Joe Paterno was but one of many, some infinitely more highly educated on this issue, who missed this. It was a painful statement that if he had only known more, then he could have done more. His own words: "In hindsight I wish I had done more" have been used against him over and over again as a sign of guilt. Joe Paterno has been pronounced by the media as "the most powerful man in the state," the foundation of an argument alleging he could and should have done more. But in the headline and body of editor Joe Sexton's story, the name Penn State appeared six times, Paterno four times, and the man charged at the time, Jerry Sandusky, zero times. Using the specter of boys being violated was inappropriate. A proud university's sense of superiority and privilege and arrogance had been blown up, too." It concluded the email by saying this: "More than boys had been violated it seemed. In an email to their subscribers in November of 2011, The New York Times recapped how they had covered the story. When my father was fired, he reiterated to me that being fired paled in comparison to what had happened to others. This book is not an attempt to include my father as a victim in the horrible Sandusky story. My father did not commit a crime or even witness a crime. Both addressed Joe Paterno's role related to crimes committed by another. Yet both studied the report he issued and found it deeply flawed. Berlin presented a record supported by facts and evidence.īoth Thornburgh and Clemente worked with Louis Freeh. attorney general Dick Thornburgh, former FBI profiler Jim Clemente, and Dr. For my father and Penn State, almost three years later the truth is getting clearer. Initial reporting is often inaccurate and lacks perspective. Our world demands immediate reaction and analysis. ![]() After the facts were uncovered, Jewell was indeed the good guy, but the damage was done. But as FBI director, Freeh took Richard Jewell from hero to suspect in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic bombing. Fred Berlin stated in his report: "In our legitimate effort to protect innocent children, the fair treatment of adults should not become a collateral casualty."Īfter the Freeh Report, I understand why people are angry at the university and my father. However, we must remember what Johns Hopkins University professor Dr. It is outside our comfort zone, creating a lack of awareness that provides cover for perpetrators to operate in plain sight. I fully grasp the powerful emotions wrought by this issue. But what the Freeh Report asserted is far from the truth.Ĭhild sexual abuse is the witch trial topic of our time. My father's life was big, complex, and principled, and he himself would tell you he was not perfect. You want to know what Joe Paterno knew and when he knew it. I also know some are here because you're interested in the Jerry Sandusky scandal and its accompanying fallout. Many of you landed on this page because you are a Penn Stater, a college football fan, or a sports fan wanting to know more about Joe Paterno's life. Realize your mistakes will have consequences for real people." Here is an excerpt of Paterno Legacy. It is the most solemn responsibility of freedom of the press. "In a world where the pressure to be first often outweighs the responsibility to be right, I hope you always look in your heart and pursue the truth. In writing a biography about his father, Jay Paterno makes the point quickly that the book is not an attempt to canonize Joe Paterno: "I know all too well that he was human, an imperfect being." He also says that the book is for journalism students.
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