Penn State Mess

Usually I would not even care about sports, let alone sports in Penn State, but it just so happens that Nebraska is to play Penn State this Saturday in football.  Now with this alleged child molestation going on at Penn State, I am glued to the TV...I'm even watching ESPN!  

Last night, the Board of Trustees from Penn State University fired their Legendary coach, Joe Paterno.  Huge outrage from students there and some people on Facebook were showing their support for Joe.  All I was thinking was that the Trustees did the right thing.  If the former coach did do these heinous crimes against young boys and Joe Paterno knew about this then the Trustees did the right thing.  All I could think was how could Joe continue on with his life as a coach, leader, mentor and legend and let this just fall thru the cracks?  Joe should have resigned immediately rather than having it come to the decision of the Trustees.  What choice did the Trustees have but to fire him?  They have to think of the entire University, not just the football program.

So why am I so hyped up about this topic when I don't care about sports?  It's about the victims, they have been forgotten and a monster was allowed to get away with his cruelty.  Unless one has been a victim, I don't think one can say you support a supposed Legend when the right thing to do was to report this abuse to the police and follow thru!  How many kids suffered during this time??  How can these adults live with themselves by not doing anything?

I was a victim of child abuse when I was first adopted.  I was being physically abused by the mother.  I was with this family for 15 months.  I was very badly abused.  Fifteen months in the United States and I still suffered from malnutrition.  Everyone knew about the abuse going on but it it took 15 months to get anything done to get me out of that family.  Why were the adults around me so afraid to help me?  They knew what was being done to me was wrong!  I was a defenseless little 4 1/2 yr old girl, but the size of a 2 yr old.    I knew what was happening to me was wrong, but I was helpless.  That's where adults needed to step in.

I thank God everyday that I was rescued, even after enduring 15 months of abuse.  Is Joe Paterno a monster?  No, he's very much admired and he probably has done some great things thru/out his career, but he is just as guilty as the assistant coach that did the crime.  I'm sure there will be a lot of people that knew what was going on and they are just as guilty.  I've always told my kids, if you are a part of a group that someone did something wrong and you were there, even tho you may not have done the act, you are just as guilty because you didn't report it or tell someone.