There are always at least two sides to every story, but not when it comes to the scandal Penn State is currently enduring. Former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky is facing 40 charges of sexual abuse of children, and details continue to trickle in.
Sandusky's transgressions reportedly date back to well before 2002; that is the year when Penn State officials first became aware of his actions. Former Penn State graduate assistant and current wide receivers coach Mike McQueary reportedly witnessed Sandusky sodomizing a young boy in the Penn State locker-room shower.
Rather than immediately alert the authorities, McQueary called his father, and the two of them notified head coach Joe Paterno. While it is understandable that McQueary would want to tell Paterno first, what happened from that point forward was inexcusable.
Paterno moved the information up the chain of command by telling athletic director Tim Curley what McQueary had seen, and then Curely had a meeting with McQueary. Whether or not McQueary was completely forthcoming with what he saw we may never know, but following that meeting, the decision was made to not tell the authorities about what Sandusky had allegedly done.
Much of that obviously falls on Curley's shoulders, but McQueary made a huge blunder as well. He may have been afraid that blowing the whistle of Sandusky would damage the university's reputation and possibly cost him his job, but that should have taken a back seat to doing the right thing.
If McQueary did, in fact, witness Sandusky sexually assaulting a child, as had been reported, then there is no excuse for why McQueary either didn't stop the act himself or contact somebody who would do something about it.
Even going to Paterno first wasn't an unforgivable decision, but when it became clear that Curley wasn't going to do the right thing, then McQueary should have. Because of McQueary's fear of reporting Sandusky, he may have put countless other children in danger.
Also, had the scandal been reported immediately by McQueary, the magnitude would have been far less than it is now. One of the most amazing things about this is that Sandusky allegedly got away with molesting children for many years, oftentimes in Penn State facilities.
There is no question that the true monster in this case is Sandusky, but people like McQueary who failed to report what they had witnessed are guilty as well.
Chad Moeller Jorge Posada Lance Berkman Reegie Corona Juan Miranda Colin Curtis
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