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The biggest question regarding Joe Paterno and his handling of Jerry Sandusky’s crimes is what did he know and when. Supporters of JoePa believe he acted correctly by reporting Mike McQueary’s allegation that he saw Sandusky in the shower with a boy up the chain of command when it occurred.
Other people, people with common sense and shit, think there’s no chance in hell a child molester existed in Paterno’s presence for decades without him knowing all about it.
So… which is it?
Well, a court order in the claims case Penn State is filing against its insurance company just dropped a line that might make the former argument, already hella implausible, completely untenable.
From Penn Live:
The line in question states that one of Penn State’s insurers has claimed “in 1976, a child allegedly reported to PSU’s Head Coach Joseph Paterno that he (the child) was sexually molested by Sandusky.”
Oh okay.
The order also cites separate references in 1987 and 1988 in which unnamed assistant coaches witnessed inappropriate contact between Sandusky and unidentified children, and a 1988 case that was supposedly referred to Penn State’s athletic director at the time.
Penn State is taking its insurance company to court, hoping to recoup some or all of the $60 million it paid out to victims.
An attorney for the Paterno family vehemently denied the claims.
“An allegation now about an alleged event 40 years ago, as represented by a single line in a court document regarding an insurance issue, with no corroborating evidence, does not change the facts. Joe Paterno did not, at any time, cover up conduct by Jerry Sandusky.”
Okay then.
[Via Penn Live]