I did not know Joe Paterno personally, but I have seen him on TV on various occasions over the years and
he has always seemed to me to be a gentleman from an earlier, more innocent, time.
When Paterno was appraised of the child abuse being perpetrated by Sandusky, I feel certain that he did
not know quite what to do – so he reported the matter to his superiors, thinking that they would know
what to do. It’s what would happen in the military: one reports up the chain of command. When the sad
events did come to light, those same "superiors" then appear to have sold Paterno down the
river in what seems to be an obvious attempt to save themselves.
So I say, leave Paterno’s legacy intact. Paterno may have been naive, but I don’t believe he is a
criminal.
I can not say the same about his "superiors" at Penn State, for whom I have nothing but
contempt.
W.E. Feeman, Jr, M.D.
Bowling Green