Joe Paterno remains just as polarizing as ever.
That’s the main takeaway from our latest reader poll. After the release of the Moulton report, and Governor Corbett’s comments that he would never “condemn” Paterno, we believed it would be an opportune time to test the feelings of our readers.
After a long and storied career coaching at Penn State, Paterno was fired when it was revealed he had been informed at least once about Sandusky’s actions yet never contacted the state police.
Since then, JoePa has become a divisive figure with many stridently defending him.
According to our results, though, about 54%, or 455 respondents disapprove of Paterno’s conduct in the Sandusky case.
Still, 383 readers approve of his actions.
The full results are included below:
Do you approve of Joe Paterno's conduct concerning the Jerry Sandusky scandal?
- No (54%)
- Yes (46%)
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17 Responses
While he may have done the bare minimum…..the problem if he had done more was this….say he contact the state police. if somehow Sandusky never went to prision, guess what would have happened…….this…paterno would have been sued and lost big, so would the school and state. all of them would have been taken to the cleaners. while there is a point to be made that the law sets a low bar and morally more should have been done……had more been done and nothing came of it……you would be bitching about how much money would be paid out in a lawsuit for joe pa opening his mouth. the law is the way it is for a reason. if you feel it should be more, then let the law be changed. but dont get all high and mighty because you feel the law is so low bar.
For those who think he followed the law, what he did was do the bare minimum required by law. Just like if you are standing on the shore and see someone drowning, the minimum you are required to do is nothing.
The law sets a very low standard for acting. He would have totally been within his rights to either direct McQueary to call the police, or call them himself. Pennsylvania law would protect him from liability for reporting child abuse too.
Pathetic, that people would defend his inaction.
Nick : REALLY?
Time to stop using the Paterno name for cheap clicks and start asking why the PaOAG under the leadership of Tom Corbett didn’t immediately investigate the Second Mile.
Doesn’t take much of a nose to sniff out the fact that Sandusky’s child victims came from Sandusky’s children’s charity, a charity that raked in HUGE amounts of cash while under the oversight by the PaOAG.
At least there are 54% sane people out there as crimes against children are so heinous that accused pedophiles like numerous, Sylvain Kustyan, Jerry Sandusky, etc. and their ENABLERS, must be apprehended before they have years to continue to destroy young lives. Sandusky and Savile are now safely out of the picture. But unfortunately, Kustyan, who has been formally charged with two counts each of 1st Degree Sodomy and Sexual Abuse of a ten-year-old little boy, fled to avoid imminent arrest. Kustyan, formerly of Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Hermin/ Mazingarbe, France, as an English teacher, has led numerous groups of schoolchildren on trips to the UK, the US and Ireland.. Pedophiles condemn their victims to a lifetime of emotional and psychological trauma and often permanent physical ailments as well. Since the average pedophile has 300 different victims in their lifetime and since the recidivism rate among pedophiles is virtually 100% and since there is no effective treatment and no known cure they must be stopped ASAP!
If the many unsuccessful attempts by me and others to work with Nick Field, the new editor here, are an indication of what PoliticsPA is becoming, we can expect more “surveys” like this. Nick, nearly every word you wrote about the Sandusky crimes was inaccurate. You seem to dislike Paterno, OK. But you’ve got to be a journalist first, and you need help there, son.
It was the accusations of Joe Paterno, which I KNEW to be untrue and frankly against the very core of what was exhibited in his long and public life. That fact led me to dig deeper. Paterno was a minor player in this scandal, actually a smokescreen. Did you know that the 6figure head of the The Second Mile still works with children? Are you aware that nothing – zip – nada – has been done to investigate and improve upon all the “misses” by Child Protection Services and Department of Welfare? Oh and how about this one – Penn State is well over 200 MILLION dollars in pay outs to lots of lawyers and PR types (also friends of the board of trustees). Something is definitely amiss – but Joe Paterno is not at the center of it. Follow the money.
Another poll I saw recently said that 36% of Americans actually think that it was Joe Paterno who was molesting children in the Penn State scandal. This story is the greatest case of media sensationalism and deliberate misreporting in American history.
When Joe Said he wished he would have did more –he should of.
He knew what was going on for years and turned a blind eye –Sad
Typo Correction: *false
So sad that this many people (poll result) have (because of terrible journalistic coverage) missed a golden opportunity to address the REAL issues of the failures of CYS, DPW, and the OAG, instead remain focused on the flase “Paterno” meme. Nick, you are a “newbie” at this org. Time to do something constructive.
Yes, following university policy and the LAW is never enough! What a joke. The 54% of you who feel Joe didn’t handle the situation well are living near, working with or know a child predator (you just don’t know it yet). What are you doing to stop them?
Wow! Beyond your implication that Joe Paterno’s knowledge of Jerry Sandusky’s “actions” include a definitive report of child abuse, you also suggest he should have reported second hand information to the wrong agency. Nicely done!
Bogus poll. Hindsight is always 20-20. Poll was probably taken in Pittsburgh. Journalism IS dead.
why are you polling dead people!!!???!! omg
What exact question with what background information was actually given to respondents in order to answer the question?
What kind of sham poll is this? What “conduct” were you even asking about? Journalism is dead.
What ever happened to the Second Mile Foundation? How did this 501c3 get a totally get of free jail pass?