JoePa Speaks As Two Top Penn State Officials Step Down

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The disgusting drama surrounding Jerry Sandusky and Penn State University continued to unfold late Sunday evening when athletic director Tim Curley and the other top university official charged with perjury, VP for finance and business Gary Schultz, stepped down from their current roles at the university.

It was just hours earlier that Joe Paterno released a statement on the ugly matter.

The announcement of the two men stepping down from their roles came following an emergency meeting of Penn State's Board of Directors on Sunday night.

From the Associated Press:

Penn State athletic director Tim Curley requested to be placed on administrative leave so he could devote the time needed to defend himself against perjury and other charges, university President Graham Spanier said. Gary Schultz, vice president for finance and business, will step down and go back into retirement, Spanier said. He declined to comment to reporters after the meeting.

University spokesman Bill Mahon said resignations of famed football coach Joe Paterno and Spanier weren't discussed at the meeting.

I think it's worth noting that Curley was only placed on administrative leave.

As far as Joe Pa and University President Spanier, it could only be a matter of time until they are out as well.

As Paterno pointed out in his statement earlier Sunday, I think it's wise to continue to allow the facts to come out before making too quick of judgement on all names mentioned, or grouping some who may not be directly involved in the same category as the abominable Sandusky.

"I understand that people are upset and angry, but let’s be fair and let the legal process unfold," Paterno said.

While many, such as the Inquirer's Bob Ford, are calling for Paterno's ouster, I believe most of those people believe Joe Pa knew of the disturbing graphic nature of the alleged shower incident involving Victim 2. According to Paterno, he did not know of those sickening details.

From the New York Times:

On Sunday, Paterno issued a statement insisting that the graduate assistant had not told him of the extent of the sexual assault that he said he witnessed, only that he had seen something inappropriate involving Sandusky and the child. 

What Joe knew and when he knew it are likely key factors in whether or not this could be a most ugly finish to what had been a historical career for one of sports most respected men.

But the above Times piece also points out that just because Joe Pa may have acted appropriately according to the law and/or chain of command, that doesn't necessarily mean he has clean hands.

From Nicholas P. Carfardi, whose expertise in the area comes from covering the Roman Catholtic Church's sex abuse scandal: "It’s not enough to say you have done all that the law requires of you.
If you know nothing is being done to stop the abuse, the moral
obligation kicks in."

The alleged crimes committed by a man intimately involved with the Penn State football program are part of one of the biggest scandals we've ever seen in sports. How Sandusky was able to continue down that path for so long is simply baffling. Somebody had to enable it. And that's incredibly sad.

These are dark days for Penn State.

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Previously:

>>Joe Must Go: Bob Ford on Paterno's Role in the Sandusky Scandal

>>Sexual Abuse Charges Filed Against Jerry Sandusky; Penn State Officials Charged With Perjury and Failure to Report

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