The sports world was rocked harder than a punch from Mike Tyson after it was revealed that former Penn State defensive coach Jerry Sandusky was arrested on 40 counts of sexually abusing young boys over a 15 year period.
STORY: Jerry Sandusky: “I Shouldn’t Have Showered With Those Kids”
Sandusky was caught abusing a young boy by assistant coach Mike McQueary in 2002 and told Penn State football coach Joe Paterno what he had saw.
STORY: HOLD UP! Jerry Sandusky Lives Next To An Elementary School?
Paterno, caught between a rock and hard place, told his boss Athletic Director Tim Curley about the incident, instead of reporting it to the police. Now, many are calling for charges to be brought against Joe Pa for not contacting the authorities after he was told about the abuse.
STORY: Penn State Students Hold Vigil For Victims
This outcry makes sense because whose voice is louder than Joe Paterno’s on the Penn State campus? Joe Pa knew and did nothing.
Back in March of 2011, a grand jury made Sandusky the subject of an investigation into allegations that he assaulted teenage boys. Coincidentally, in that same month, Paterno decided to sell his house, which he purchased with his wife in 1969 and is now valued at $594,484.40. Paterno turned over the house to his wife for $1, placing ownership of the property solely in her name.
Did Joe Pa foresee the future and plan ahead, knowing that one day the Sandusky case would come to light? A couple days after news broke of Sandusky’s allegations, Joe Pa also hired a high-profile criminal defense lawyer.
Looks like Joe Pa is putting up a defense better than the steel curtain. Legal experts say that Joe Pa will likely be called as a witness at Sandusky’s pending trial.
So will the 84-year-old Joe Pa survive the blitz coming to him in the next couple of months? The pressure of that upcoming trial won’t compare to the pressure on the grid iron, it will surely take a toll on his health, family and friends.
I guess that’s the price you pay when you stay silent.
