News To Me

Canada: No Statute Limitations on Horrific Behavior

Most Americans do not pay close attention to legal matters in Canada, even if they involve sports figures. Fewer still follow the results of events that happened decades ago, even as they are thrust into the national spotlight. The Sandusky and Fine scandals, for instance, flashed upon our national consciousness briefly, but are no longer the top stories.

So it is little wonder that the case of Graham Jones has remained largely under the radar in the US. Graham Jones was a well-respected junior hockey coach in Canada, personally selecting young men to receive additional coaching and opportunities which ultimately could land them in the NHL. He was also a serial child molester who repeatedly targeted boys and then threatened those future hockey plans if they did not succumb to his pedophile behaviors.

Yesterday Graham Jones pleaded guilty to child molestation charges based on events that happened in the 1980's. It took a professional hockey star, Theo Fleury, to write a memoir long after Jones could do him any harm, to draw attention to the power that these coaches have over young, immature and impressionable minds.

Too many boys. Too often. Mostly unnoticed. How do we stop it?

The Drum Beat Continues

One of my predictions of the Sandusky case was that eventually victims would number in the dozens. Today it was revealed that alleged victims 9 and 10 have come forward, and that their testimony was deemed credible. As a result, Sandusky was re-arrested, and placed in prison pending $250K in bail, which he currently has been unable to post. This new arrest adds two victims and 12 new counts of sexual assault of a minor, bringing the total to more than 50.  

Perhaps the most damaging piece of information to come out of today's news is this:

The alleged victim also said that Sandusky tried to rape him on at least 16 occasions... According to the grand jury report, “the victim testified that on at least one occasion he screamed for help, knowing that Sandusky’s wife was upstairs, but no one ever came to help him.”

Doesn't that last line doesn't describe the whole sordid tale? Young, vulnerable, at-risk boys screaming for help knowing that there were people around to help them...but no one ever came. Not a janitor. Not various coaches or assistant coaches. Not players. No one.

And it can't have been much of a secret. I have always contended that Joe Paterno knew about the behavior for years, but was determined to handle things "in house" as he had always done. Now the news comes out that Sandusky applied for other coaching jobs after leaving Penn State. First of all, why would a man with nothing to hide or lose leave one of the premier coaching positions in the country (Penn State), and a role where he was the heir apparent to a legend, only to apply to coach at Juniata College--not even on the map as far as football is concerned.  And I love this line from the Juniata College press release:

Juniata spokesman John Wall said the college was not informed of the details of the investigation or the existence of a grand jury, but based on the report informed its coaches Sandusky was not to have contact with the program.

"We basically did our due diligence," Wall said.

"We basically did our due diligence." That is a very pithy line to describe what officials and leaders from Penn State and The Second Mile Foundation failed to do--basic due diligence into the character of Jerry Sandusky. Now let's continue to work to make sure that this doesn't happen again.

 

Did JoePa turn a blind eye? Or is Sandusky lying?

Jerry Sandusky says that Joe Paterno never confronted him about allegations of abuse.  Never. Not in 1998 when a mother reported Sandusky for showering with her son. Not in 2002 when Assistant Coach McQuery went and spoke with Paterno about an attack that he stopped. 

Never.

In the same interview, Sandusky says that he never did anything wrong. Not one of the eight victims listed in the Grand Jury indictment. None. The assistant coach and the janitor did not see what they said they saw. Neither of them. And he, Sandusky, did not abuse any of the children.

Never.

So do you believe him? Or do you believe some things he said and not others? Is he a credible source of information?

 

The Recipe for Abuse?

What do the sexual abuse scandals at Penn State and Syracuse have in common? If we can analyze that, then perhaps we can concoct a recipe for potentially abusive situations in the future, and act before they get out of hand. With that in mind, here are six similarities between the two scandals:

1. A head coach who is perceived as "unassailable" by the university. The label "unassailable" in this context is used to denote not-fireable, above the law or rules of the school, more identified with the college than any other factor (including academics), etc.  
2. A long-time assistant coach who mostly flies under the radar. By being a "second fiddle," successful assistants enjoy all the trappings of a successful program without the limitations of notoriety or scrutiny. Realistically had anyone (outside of rabid fans) really heard of Jerry Sandusky or Bernie Fine before the scandals broke?
3. A means to gain access to victims outside of "normal" channels. For Sandusky, it was his Second Mile charity, which brought at-risk young boys into his circle. For Fine it was the coach/ballboy relationship with the team. 
4. A college campus and/or program that is unrealistically driven by a history and expectation of success. Penn State has two national championships in football; Syracuse has one in basketball, one national runner-up and numerous Sweet Sixteen appearances.
5. A place without the media coverage of the large markets (except for the sport in question). Though well-known in athletic circles, Happy Valley, PA, and Syracuse, NY, both qualify as "off the main path" places.
6. Evidence of a lack of concern over athletic misbehavior on the part of the head coach. Paterno was notorious for handling even the most serious allegations "in house." While prior to this scandal Boeheim was not implicated in serious wrong-doing, his program did receive sanctions for NCAA violations in 1992, and several of his players have had marijuana violations (most notably Carmelo Anthony).

So what programs fit this recipe? Here is a chart showing the longest tenured NCAA Football coaches (courtesy of Business Insider):

In basketball, there are 19 Division I coaches with tenures longer than 15 years (from Rivals.com). If we shorten the list to include only those school with rabid fans and long-standing winning traditions, the list looks like this (in order of tenure):

• Jim Boeheim, Syracuse (Paterno was #1 on the football list before his firing this year)
• Mike Krzyzewski, Duke
• Jim Calhoun, Connecticut
• Tom Izzo, Michigan State

If we similarly shorten the football list to those programs that regularly compete for the national championship, we get:

• Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech
• Mack Brown, Texas
• Bob Stoops, Oklahoma

I am in no way trying to suggest or implicate any of these seven programs in any kind of scandal in any way. Period. But...shouldn't we take a closer look at these seven to see if they match any of the other ingredients for a scandal?

Sandusky Home Life Troubling Too? Plus Penn State scandal predictions...

Reports from ABC News indicate that Child Welfare services was contacted in 1993 (or thereabouts) regarding Jerry Sandusky's behavior toward one of his adopted sons. The boy's biological mother began to see changes in his behavior, eventually leading to a juvenile conviction of arson. She reported the changing behavior to the authorities, but again nothing was done about it.  And more information is coming out, as people are gaining courage based on the actions of others.  

I predict that:

• we will eventually find out that there was widespread knowledge of Sandusky's behavior, 
• victims will number in the dozens,
• Sandusky also had other aberrant behavior (in additional to homosexual child rape).
• we will see a huge ban on the Penn State football program--five years of no recruiting and no scholarships, minimum.  
• Jerry Sandusky will spend the rest of his life in prison

 

Et tu, Syracuse?

The Penn State scandal cannot and should not go away. But it is now joined by the Fine Case of Syracuse basketball. While the extent of the allegations (8 victims and 40 counts of abuse at Penn State vs. 3 victims and no official legal charges yet at Syracuse). The cases have similarities:

• A long time, well-respected assistant coach at a very successful, big-time college sports program
• Initial denials by administration and other coaches
• Abuse is of at-rick boys, who have little or no other voice to support them
• Abused boys were allowed to "sleep over" at coach's house with little or no supervision
• Abuse was originally investigated years ago, but not believed or pursued with vigor. 

People with a lot more time and resources than I have will undoubtedly explore these similarities over the next few days. The questions we should be asking are:

• Are there other scandals out there waiting for someone to believe them? The accusers in the Syracuse case brought their allegations years ago (2002) and no one believed them. They are of questionable character, to be sure, and the primary victim of abuse also had sexual relations with the abusers wife, as well as trying to extort money from him years after the abuse.
• What are the conditions that exist/should be avoided that made this type of abuse possible?
• How can we create a system that allows us to believe accuser/victims without opening up coaches and institutions to unfounded allegations?
• Is it possible to have a successful division I athletic program over a long-period of time without creating a separated sub-culture of exceptions for the athletes?

More questions will be asked an answered. For now, Syracuse is not Penn State. Boeheim is a highly successful coach, but not the campus godfather that Joe Paterno was, and consequently did not wield the same kind of power that Paterno did. There has been no grand jury investigation at Syracuse (though the police and the FBI are involved). That said, the abuse is similar, and the conditions are at least somewhat comparable.

Shame on Syracuse (lack of institutional control again?). 

 

Tracking Penn State Theories

Our little thoughts on Penn State were picked up by another web site called Penn State Conspiracy Theories. Let's keep pushing until changes happen and the truth is available for the world.

Why Paterno Didn't Fire Sandusky Earlier

By many accounts Joe Paterno is a gracious and humble man, who would go out of his way to help a total stranger and who is often surprised by the accolades he receives. That is the "JoePa" grandfatherly figure that we know from his off-field behavior.

But on the field, Paterno is a controlling egomaniac, who believes that all questionable behavior can be remedied with a few extra laps. Which brings us to the real reason that Paterno and Penn State looked the other way when it came to Jerry Sandusky and his problems. 

Winning percentage.

The cold hard numbers are these:

• WITH Jerry Sandusky as an assistant for 31 years, Penn State and Paterno won 79% of their football games, with only one losing season and two seasons with no bowl games.
• WITHOUT Jerry Sandusky as an assistant over a 14 year period (before and after Sandusky), Penn State and Paterno won 69% of their football games, with four losing seasons and five seasons with no bowl games.

Football success trumped children's safety. What a disgrace.

As you settle in this holiday season to enjoy football games--and I plan to watch an enjoy as many as I can--please remember the cost of those victories. Penn State looked the other way while children were raped--in the name of football success. Let's celebrate the teams that truly do "win with honor," that win with high academic standards and high expectations of moral conduct. Let's celebrate true victory--conquering self. 

And let's hope that Penn State turns town any bowl invitations this season in a first step to restoring its honor.

A rivals view of Penn State

According to ESPN, many people believe what I believe: that Joe Paterno knew about the Sandusky scandal:

"Joe doesn't know why [Sandusky] resigned?" says a former athletic director at a rival institution. "Bull----. That was the first cover-up. … In '99, when Sandusky resigns, you think this coaching staff didn't know what was going on? 

"In 2002, this could have been a two-day story: 'Ex-Penn State assistant coach is arrested.' I'm not saying it wouldn't have been a painful story, but it would have been dealt with. But there's so much arrogance to think they can keep it a secret. And it starts with Joe … Monumental ego and arrogance."

 

Paterno's "Boys will be Boys" Attitude

As part of my analysis that Joe Paterno knew about Jerry Sandusky's behavior, I cited his reaction to an opponent's sexual assault scandal. Seems I was not alone in my assessment.

Paterno apparently believes that current poor sexual behavior by players is only a problem because more people know about it. For example, "I can go back to a couple guys in the '70s who drove me nuts," he said. "The cops would call me, and I used to put [the players] in bed in my house and run their rear ends off the next day. Nobody knew about it. That's the way we handled it."

Seriously, Joe? Again, his attitude seems to be "boys will be boys." He would handle discipline his own way, by allowing the behavior, and then running their rear ends off. None of the players cited for legal violations ever missed a game.

Dr. Vickey Triponey was Penn State's officer for standards and conduct.  She repeatedly found that Paterno looked the other way when it came to poor behavior on the part of his football team. She feared that Penn State was creating a separate set of standards regarding football player conduct, and that the football leadership--including Paterno--was ignoring her requests to meet. She said, 

"Coach Paterno would rather we NOT inform the public when a football player is found responsible for committing a serious violation of the law and/or our student code despite any moral or legal obligation to do so."

Eventually her insistence led to a meeting, at which she was insulted and belittled by Paterno. Paterno loudly criticized Triponey for "meddling". So that's "Winning with honor" Joe?

No, Paterno did not commit the crimes against children. But by creating a culture of indifference towards sexual assault, he as much as gave Sandusky free reign to behave however he wanted. What did Joe do to Sandusky after he first learned of the assaults--make him run laps?