When a scandal is so large it is difficult to believe that more people did not know. In the case of 40 counts of sexual abuse by a respected coach and emeritus faculty member, it is even harder to believe. That disbelief gives rise to conspiracy theories. Here is one:
The Penn State scandal very closely mirrors a recent episode of "Law & Order: SVU", called "Personal Fouls." In the episode a well-respected basketball coach is accused of sexually abusing his players over a number of years. In order for the police to make the charges stick they need the cooperation of reluctant players from previous years, some of whom have gone on to play professionally.
Here's where the conspiracy theory comes in. The episode in question was written by Bryan Goluboff, who also penned "The Basketball Diaries." Goluboff is not a very common name in the US and yet...there are two faculty members at Penn State with the surname Goluboff.
Could the SVU episode be a fictional representation of the real Penn State scandal? Might Bryan have heard from his relative/sister/cousin/brother at Penn State about allegations regarding a coach--months before those things became public knowledge?
That's why we love conspiracy theories...
I had NO idea you had made this connection, as Carrie and I had recently seen this episode when the story broke and made the same comparison.
Posted by: Anthony | November 28, 2011 at 10:15 AM