Photo by Bill Moore. Copyright 2006 Bullz-Eye.com

In the wake of the stunning and disgusting allegations against Jerry Sandusky, legendary coach Joe Paterno is facing the inevitable questions about what he did he know and when did he know it.

It seems clear that Paterno is not being charged and he was cooperating with the grand jury investigation. Paterno was told of allegations in 2002 and he did the right thing by reporting it up the chain of command. The issue is whether he followed up and what he knew about the allegations. Given the severity of the allegations, how could Paterno not become more involved and try to get to the bottom of the situation? Penn State barred Sandusky from bringing minors to the athletic facilities, yet the police were never informed. Did Paterno ever ask what happened and whether the police became involved?

As of last night, the fallout began at Penn State:

Athletics director Tim Curley is going on administrative leave at his request, according to a statement from the school board of trustees late Sunday. Senior vice president for business and finance Gary Schultz will step down and go back into retirement.

The two face charges they perjured themselves before a grand jury and failed to notify law enforcement authorities of child sexual abuse allegations against Jerry Sandusky, the one-time presumed successor to legendary coach Joe Paterno. Curley and Schultz are expected to turn themselves in to law enforcement in Harrisburg today. The move follows an emergency meeting of the trustees.

Also Sunday, Facebook page “Fire Graham Spanier” began as the specter of the scandal grew. On Saturday, Spanier had issued a statement offering strong support for Curley and Schultz.

Spanier’s comment suggests the real problem here – that Penn State was more interested in protecting the program and their own people than they were about protecting kids. Spanier should resign today due to this comment alone. Again, this begs the question of what did Paterno know. Wouldn’t allegations like this result in some meetings by all the powers that be at Penn State about how to proceed? Shouldn’t the issue of notifying the authorities be a minimum requirement by all involved?

Paterno claims he was “fooled” by Sandusky and denied knowing the specifics of the allegation:

Paterno wasn’t charged, and the grand jury report didn’t implicate him in wrongdoing. His son Scott, an attorney who helped his father draft the statement, said in a phone interview Sunday evening that his father didn’t know the severity of the alleged crimes until he read the grand jury’s findings Saturday.

“When he read the presentment and called me, he could barely speak,” Scott Paterno said.

“It was like a punch in the gut.”
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“As my grand jury testimony stated,” Joe Paterno said in the statement, “I was informed in 2002 by an assistant coach that he had witnessed an incident in the shower of our locker room facility. It was obvious that the witness was distraught over what he saw, but he at no time related to me the very specific actions contained in the Grand Jury report. Regardless, it was clear that the witness saw something inappropriate involving Mr. Sandusky. As Coach Sandusky was retired from our coaching staff at that time, I referred the matter to university administrators.”

The problem with this statement is that it looks like Paterno did the minimum required here. Yes, he reported the incident, but where was the follow-through? Even if you don’t know the particulars, why continue to allow Sandusky to use the Penn State facilities? Why not insist on a full investigation? Paterno may not have committed a crime, but the issue is whether through his lack of follow-through he enabled Sandusky’s additional crimes.

Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Enquirer think that Paterno has to go.

Paterno escaped indictment because he told athletic director Tim Curley about an alleged 2002 incident in which a graduate student reported discovering Sandusky performing sex acts on a boy who was about 10 years old in the shower area of a football locker room. Paterno told Curley, who failed to report it to the proper authorities, according to the attorney general. Then Paterno apparently did nothing.

That is where we start to see the difference between the fictional Joe Paterno, whose reputation and that of the university has been built on rock-solid morals, and what might be the real Joe Paterno.

The fictional Joe Paterno would have said, “Hey, this is awful, but we have to clean it up. We have to do the right thing. It’s going to look bad for us, but you can’t let something like this go. We have to get Jerry some help, and we have to make sure he doesn’t hurt any kids.”

The real Paterno, as nearly as can be determined from the indictments, passed the information to Curley and then washed his hands. He apparently didn’t follow up when there was no further investigation. He apparently didn’t ask questions when Sandusky continued to enjoy his emeritus status on campus, complete with an office and access to the same building in which the alleged assault took place.

Again, this addresses the real questions here. Ford makes some assumptions about how Paterno handled this, and Paterno needs to answer these questions. Did he in fact wash his hands of this as the current knowable facts suggest?

Dan Wetzel offers a good summary of the allegations against the Penn State officials. These items stand out:

Curley later met with Sandusky and told him he was no longer allowed to bring children onto the Penn State campus. He forwarded the report on to university president Graham Spanier, who approved of Sandusky’s ban from bringing children onto campus and himself never reported the incident to police.
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More importantly, Spanier needs to be immediately removed from an authority position since his culpability is tied to Curley. After all, Spanier both knew of the allegations against Sandusky and approved of Curley’s handling of the case.

That includes an act almost unfathomable in its insensitivity. According to the attorney general, no one at Penn State ever tried to find the boy. At worst, he was raped in a shower. At best, according to testimony that law enforcement finds non-credible, he was either “horsing around” with or being “inappropriately grabbed” by an old man in an empty locker room.

Yet no one thought they should go find the kid so he and his family could get proper help or further protection. Not even the university president?

“Despite a powerful eyewitness statement about the sexual assault of a child, this incident was not reported to any law enforcement or child protective agency, as required by Pennsylvania law,” said Kelly, the attorney general. “Additionally, there is no indication that anyone from the university ever attempted to learn the identity of the child.”

How? How could all these people of power, people of education, people of authority simply look the other way? And how could Graham Spanier maintain a level of arrogance to release that statement on this day?

Again, how could Paterno not follow through here? He hears about disturbing allegations, and whether or not he knew of the specifics, he had to know that Sandusky was later banned from bringing children to the campus. To anyone, this would look like the university was protecting itself as opposed to helping children. How could Paterno let this go? Did he?

Paterno’s son tried to explain the context:

Paterno first met Curley, a 57-year-old native of State College, when the future athletic director was in his teens. His indictment, Scott Paterno said, has left his father “shocked and saddened” as well.

“This has been as hard on Joe as anything I’ve ever seen him endure in the sense of, trying to come to grips with, ‘How did this happen?’” Scott Paterno said. “… When he was first told this (in 2002), he was 75. This was so far from what he could possibly conceive of. You come back to him now, he’s 84. It’s so outside of what he can even imagine.

“This guy grew up in a Norman Rockwell painting and wanted to live in one in State College,” Scott Paterno said about his father. “The sad reality is, even in Norman Rockwell paintings, there’s the back side of the painting. It’s just a very dark, ugly thing that happened around us that we didn’t see.”

Will this fly? I don’t think the public will let Paterno hide behind his age and his record. In the end he has to be open about the facts and the timeline, and if he failed to follow up, he has to own up to it and be ready to accept his share of responsibility.

I’m not the first person to write that headline. Heck, I wouldn’t have been the first had I written it 10 years ago.

But after today’s showing against Illinois, and this season in general, I think we can all agree that it’s time for Joe Paterno to step down at Penn State and let a new regime come in. In all honesty, he probably should have hung it up last year, as Daryll Clark walked out the door with a host of seniors, leaving behind a young team in a rebuilding state.

There’s no need for Joe Paterno to go through any kind of rebuilding, not at 83 years old. He probably didn’t need to be going through it as a 76-year-old, either, but he did and managed to make it out with a few more quality seasons. Whether or not that was good for the future of the Penn State program, who knows. I don’t know what coaches would have taken that job in 2004 or 2005, and even if I did, there’s no way to say they would have succeeded.

But now — with a young team that, even though it’s hitting some serious bumps in the road this year, has quite a bit of talent — would be a good time for Paterno to hand the reins to someone else. Whether it’s his son Jay or Greg Schiano (not the wisest move, in my opinion) or a great up-and-coming coach like a Jim Harbaugh (this is the best-case scenario for Penn State), it’s time.

Paterno has given more to college football than most anyone in history. He basically put Penn State on the map, and that will never be forgotten. But he needs to realize that now is clearly the time to step away and let the program grow without him.

Say what you want about Nick Saban and Urban Meyer (and believe me, there’s plenty to say about both of them), but they are very likely the two best coaches in college football right now.

The duo has combined for four national titles since 2003, and it wouldn’t be that far fetched to say they’ll combine to win another four in the next eight seasons. Alabama and Florida are at the top of the college football heap, and will continue to be there as long as these two men are at the top.

Apparently, they could have been together, but Saban big-timed Meyer and didn’t return his call in 1990. In Saban’s defense, 1990 was before caller ID (right?) and maybe his wife lost the phone number, or took it down wrong. Or maybe Saban is a big-timer (this is probably more likely). Either way, Urban seems to have forgiven him. Probably because he’s done well enough for himself since then.

Their teams play each other today, in what’s probably the game of the day when you consider everything (records, rankings, history, etc.). Click ahead to see who wins that one and more. Read the rest of this entry »

There’s a reason that ESPN is calling today “Monster Saturday”: It has completely run out of creative ideas. It’s a huge freaking day for college football.

If you’re a college football fan, today is one of those days where you put off all household chores, and curse your friends for even thinking of having a significant event. Or, if you’re a sports writer/part-time blogger, you curse the people who decided to hold your 10-year high school reunion during the Alabama/Penn State game. I mean, c’mon.

Miami is at Ohio State, Penn State is at Alabama, Florida State is at Oklahoma, and Michigan and Notre Dame might actually mean something. That’s a lot of tradition and meaning all packed into one day.

So how’s it all going to go?

Read the rest of this entry »

Along with a complete list of point spreads and odds for Week 10’s action in college football, here is a quick-hit look at some of the marquee matchups:

No. 9 LSU at No. 3 Alabama, Saturday, 3:30PM ET
After losing to Florida in Baton Rouge three weeks ago, LSU has rattled off two wins in impressive fashion. While Auburn and Tulane aren’t powerhouse opponents, the Tigers combined to score 73 points in those games and showed an offensive pulse. But can they do the same against a worthy defensive opponent like Alabama? The Tigers only mustered three points against the Gators and will certainly have their hands full trying to move the ball against a Tide defense that ranks No. 4 in the nation and should be well rested coming off a bye.
Odds: Alabama –7.5.

No. 8 Oregon at Stanford, Saturday, 3:30PM ET
Oregon is one of the hottest teams in the nation right now, but will they suffer a letdown after beating No. 5 USC last week? Stanford has been solid at home this year, beating previously ranked Washington 34-14, UCLA 24-16 and a decent Arizona State team 33-14. They had defensive troubles in road losses to Oregon State and Arizona this season (and also lost to a pesky Wake Forest team earlier in the year), but otherwise the Cardinal has been competitive. The Ducks’ offensive attack is firing on all cylinders right now, but the game this week in Stanford is far from a gimmie.
Odds: Oregon -6.

No. 16 Ohio State at No. 11 Penn State, Saturday, 3:30PM ET
If either of these teams wants to keep Iowa in their sites in the Big Ten, a win is a must this Saturday in University Park. Since his brutal display in Purdue three weeks ago, Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor has looked better the past two weeks. But Minnesota and New Mexico State don’t have the kind of defensive prowess that Penn State has and Pryor could be in for a long day on Saturday. The Lions have been outstanding since their loss to Iowa in late September, rattling off five straight wins while beating opponents by a 176-43 margin. The Buckeyes’ defense should be up for the challenge, but will Pryor?
Odds: Penn State –4.

Read the rest of this entry »

Michigan vs. Ohio State
It’s Michigan-Ohio State – a classic rivalry that unites strangers and divides friends once a year for three and half hours. The Buckeyes are 9-2 with dreams of a BCS bowl bid in their future, and a victory over the Wolverines will give them a share of their fourth consecutive Big Ten title. How bad is it for Michigan? Well, last week’s home loss to Northwestern officially stamped this season as the worst in school history. Never has a Wolverine team lost eight games in one season and Ohio State would love to lower the bar even further. National coverage begins Saturday at 12 PM on ABC. Click here for the official Michigan-Ohio State smack thread.

Michigan State vs. Penn State
A win for Joe Pa on Saturday could clinch Penn State’s first Rose Bowl appearance since 1994, their second year competing in the Big Ten. If Michigan State running back Javon Ringer cannot run the football, the Spartans will have no chance of winning this game. It will be a difficult task, as the Nittany Lions are ranked first in the Big Ten and 10th in the country against the run. Michigan State’s last victory in Beaver Stadium was in 1965, the year before Joe Paterno became head coach of the program. Regional coverage begins Saturday at 3:30 PM on ABC.

Texas Tech vs. Oklahoma
A win in Norman on Saturday night would leave the Red Raiders two victories away from playing in the BCS national championship game. But an Oklahoma win will leave us with oh so many possibilities for our little bowl series come January. First off, we will have a three-way tie (Texas-Oklahoma-Texas Tech) for the top spot in the Big 12 South, and the conference has an interesting tie-breaker to determine the representative in the Big 12 title game against Missouri. The winner will be decided by which school has the highest ranking in the BCS bowl standing. So, Orwell’s big brother will have a vested interest in the outcome of this weekend’s game. National coverage begins Saturday at 8 PM on ABC. Click here for the official Texas Tech-Oklahoma smack thread.

New York Jets vs. Tennessee Titans
Two of the hottest teams in AFC will square off this Sunday, as the New York Jets travel to Memphis to face the undefeated Tennessee Titans and the winner could emerged as the conference favorite to reach the Super Bowl. The East-leading Jets are riding a four-game winning streak into the game, while the Titans are looking to become the 13th team in league history to open a season with a 11-0 record. The media spotlight has shine brightest on quarterback Brett Favre, but the team’s turnaround can be contributed to the Jets running attack. New York has averaged over 160 yards per game and scored eight rushing touchdowns in its last five games. The Titans defense could welcome back two starters this week with defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch (groin) and cornerback Nick Harper (ankle) returning to the lineup. Regional coverage begins Sunday at 1 PM on Fox.

If Alabama, Penn State and Texas Tech win out, we’ll be hearing plenty of arguments over who should be facing Alabama in the National Championship game. Call it this year’s BCS mess.

In today’s BCS standings, Texas Tech has jumped Penn State to take the #2 spot, mostly due to better computer rankings even though Penn State is #2 in the polls. That’s not too surprising given Texas Tech’s win over Texas, tough that’s little consolation to Penn State fans.

It’s hard to have much sympathy for Penn State, however, given their embarrassing non-conference schedule – Coastal Carolina, Oregon State, Syracuse and Temple. Would it kill Joe Paterno to schedule some national powers?

But, Texas Tech’s non-conference schedule is even worse – Eastern Washington, Nevada, SMU and Massachusetts. Pathetic. Of course, Texas Tech is playing in the Big-12, which has some very good teams this year, even if the entire conference seems to have forgotten how to play defense. In the end, playing in this conference will save Texas Tech.

Or will it? They still have to face #9 Oklahoma State and #6 Oklahoma on the schedule, not to mention the Big-12 championship game. If they win out, they deserve to play for the BCS championship. It will be a tough road.

Which brings us back to Penn State. If Joe Paterno and an undefeated Nittany Lions team get left out of the title game, it might be enough of an outrage to finally force a playoff format.

Oklahoma State vs. Texas
Top-ranked Texas has won 10 straight games against OSU and have staged some incredible comeback victories during this streak. In 2004, Oklahoma State led 35-7 before surrendering 49 straight points to the Longhorns. In 2005, Texas trailed 28-9 late in the third quarter, only to rally and win. Last year, the Longhorns came back from a 35-14 deficit late in the fourth quarter to win on a field goal as time expired. This season, the Cowboys are 7-0 and are in the top 10 for the first time since 1988, but are they mature enough to finish a game against Texas? Regional coverage begins at 3:30 PM ET Saturday on ABC.

Penn State vs. Ohio State
A win on Saturday night could put Penn State in prime position to finish the season undefeated and earn no worse than their first Rose Bowl berth since the 1994 season. The best matchup on the field could be between the Nittany Lions offensive line vs. the Buckeyes defensive front. Penn State is the No. 1 rushing offense (235 yards per game) in the Big Ten, while Ohio State has the No. 1 rushing defense (97 yards per game) in the conference. And the Nittany Lions are trying to win in Columbus for the first time since 1978. Let the pushing and shoving begin. National coverage begins at 8:00 PM ET Saturday on ABC. Click here for the official Ohio State-Penn State smack thread.

The World Series
The World Series could become the wet series this weekend when it shifts to Philadelphia. The National Weather Service latest forecast predicts a 90 percent chance of rain on Saturday. Major League Baseball officials acknowledged that Philadelphia is going to get rain, but the main question for them is how long? Game Three is Saturday at 8 PM ET and Game Four is on Sunday at 8 PM ET; all World Series games are on Fox.

New York Giants vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
They first met as rookies in 2004, Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger have led their teams to Super Bowl victories and both appear to be in good shape for another title run this season. Roethlisberger developed faster at the quarterback position and led the Steelers to three straight road wins en route to a Super Bowl title in 2005. Two seasons later, Manning did the same, guiding the Giants to three road playoff wins before defeating the previous undefeated New England Patriots in the Super Bowl last season. Manning’s New York Giants travel to Heinz Field to take on Big Ben’s Pittsburgh Steelers in a rare matchup of 5-1 teams this Sunday. Coverage begins at 4:15 PM ET on Fox.

Ohio State vs. Michigan State
Ohio State cannot afford to look past the Spartans this week in anticipation of their game against Penn State on October 25th. The Buckeyes will be back in the national title chase if they win their next two games, and who would have predicted that after their loss to Southern Cal? Michigan State has the ultimate workhorse Javon Ringer, an Ohio native that leads the nation in rushing with 1,112 yards and scored 14 touchdowns. He has quietly become a viable Heisman Trophy candidate. Regional coverage will begin Saturday at 3:30 PM ET on the ABC/ESPN family of networks.

Missouri vs. Texas
Texas is No. 1 in the polls during the regular season for the first time since 1984. But coach Mack Brown can remind his players that the 1984 squad went on to lose four of their last five games to finish 7-4-1 and out of the national title hunt. History is working against Missouri, as the Tigers are 0-10 lifetime vs. No.1 teams, and are winless in Austin since 1896. That’s right…1896. This game pits Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel trying to re-establish himself in the Heisman race against Longhorns quarterback Colt McCoy, who some believe is the Heisman front-runner. National coverage will begin Saturday at 8 PM ET on ABC.

Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Baseball fans have been lulled to sleep this post-season by uninspiring play, with no series going one game beyond the required number. And with nine outs remaining, Tampa’s bullpen fell apart and blew a seven-run lead in an 8-7 loss to the Boston Red Sox in Game Five. We now have a series to watch. The never give-up Red Sox could force a Game Seven if struggling post-season ace Josh Beckett can muster a victory against James Shields in Tampa Bay. Game Six will begin Saturday at 8 PM ET and if necessary Game Seven will begin Sunday at 8 PM ET. Both games can be seen on TBS.

Alabama vs. Georgia
This game has actually exceeded all pre-season expectations, since the matchup now pits two top-10 teams against each other. Nick Saban is leading his Crimson Tide into Athens for a program temperature check. How much have they improved will be determined “between the hedges” against the undefeated Bulldogs on Saturday night. Coverage begins at 7:45PM EST on ESPN. Click here for the official Alabama-Georgia smack thread.

Illinois vs. Penn State
Both schools will open conference play on Saturday evening at Beaver Stadium. The key matchup pits swift-footed Fighting Illini quarterback Juice Williams against the #1 defense in the Big Ten. After throwing for over 400 yards against Missouri in the season opener, Williams has since struggled with his passing efficiency and will go against a defense that has only allowed two passing touchdowns on the season. Joe Paterno is trying to avenge a tough loss last year in Champagne. Regional coverage begins at 8 PM EST on ABC.

Major League Baseball
How exciting will baseball be this weekend? Well, considering five teams (Chicago White Sox, Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, and Milwaukee Brewers) are competing for three playoff spots, the excitement level is pretty high. The weather could be the biggest opponent for the teams on the East Coast, as the forecast calls for 80-90 percent chance of rain throughout the weekend. It’s difficult to imagine the amount of chaos several rainouts will bring to the end of the season. But there’s a good possibility that one, two, or three teams will have to play a 163rd or makeup game to break a tie on Monday or Tuesday. Check your local listing on ESPN, Fox Sports, and TBS on game coverage this weekend.