By now everyone has heard about the scandal at Penn State University. If you haven’t, I’ll give you the gist of it. Assistant coach Mike McQueary said he witnessed former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky raping a 10-year-old boy in a locker room shower in 2002.
McQueary then left the locker room and the next day told head coach Joe Paterno what he saw. Paterno told Penn State athletic director Tim Curley, who failed to report it to the police. The issue basically got swept under the rug until McQueary went to the police earlier this month.
When I first heard about this scandal I was flat out amazed at what I heard. I couldn’t believe that this could happen at any college, especially Penn State. I’ve always thought Joe Paterno ran a straight program without any controversy.
Paterno and McQueary were both let go as coaches last week following the allegations that came out.
I agree that they shouldn’t coach anymore, simply because they didn’t go to the police originally. Yes, I understand that they both went to their bosses, but after hearing of crimes as horrible as these, they should have gone straight to the police.
What Sandusky did is horrible. There truly isn’t a crime I can think of worse than raping a young child. I can honestly say I believe these alleged crimes are morally worse than murder.
I don’t feel sorry for Sandusky, McQueary, Curley or Paterno in this instance. All four were in the wrong and don’t deserve my sympathy.
Sandusky runs a program called “The Second Mile.” The program is much like “Big Brothers Big Sisters”; it helps young children who need additional help in life. Sandusky is on record saying that the mission of the program is the “safety and well-being of young children.” If Sandusky truly believed the mission of his program, he wouldn’t have committed these alleged crimes.
The people I feel most sorry for in this case are, of course, the victims. Children who are abused physically, sexually or psychologically have to live with the horror of the memories for the rest of their lives.
Statistics show that abuse in children affects them in many ways. One study shows that 14 percent of all males in prison in the United States were abused as children. Another study states that children who experience child abuse and neglect are 59 percent more likely to be arrested as a juvenile, 28 percent more likely to be arrested as an adult and 30 percent more likely to commit violent crimes.
The effects of child abuse on criminal behavior easily shows just one way that abuse can ruin the lives of the victims. Sandusky was not only hurting the current state of his victims, but he was also jeopardizing their futures. If he truly cared about these kids, as he says he did, he would not have performed these horrible acts.
Child abuse can also have an effect on mental health. This is probably what makes me the most irate.
Seventy percent of male victims of child abuse seek psychological treatment for issues such as substance abuse, suicidal thoughts and attempted suicide. Sandusky certainly wasn’t looking out for the “well-being of young children.”
The effects of child abuse are just one part that blows my mind in the situation. The other are the words of Sandusky himself. Sandusky was interviewed by Bob Costas on the TV show “Rock Center with Brian Williams” on Monday night. The words of Sandusky on the news program truly amaze me.
“I have horsed around with kids. I have showered with kids after workouts. I have hugged them, and I have touched their legs without intent of sexual contact,” Sandusky said during the interview.
First of all, why would an adult male take a shower with a 10-year-old in the first place? Second, how could touching those boys’ legs not be in a sexual manner? I cannot think of one instance where touching the leg of a naked 10-year-old boy in the shower can be deemed appropriate.
Sandusky was asked if there was anything he did wrong. He replied, “I shouldn’t have showered with those kids.”
Well of course he shouldn’t have. In my eyes, the only time an adult should shower with a child is when the child and adult are family members. Many young children take showers with their parents because they aren’t able to take showers on their own yet. By the age of 10, most children have the ability to take a shower without supervision.
The interview also asked Sandusky if he had inappropriate sexual contact with any of the young boys. Sandusky said he did not. I don’t understand how he can say he hasn’t had sexual contact when McQueary is on record saying he saw Sandusky forcibly raping a young boy. McQueary gave a rather detailed and convincing report that Sandusky was indeed partaking in the alleged crime.
While watching the interview on TV Monday night, my roommates and I were laughing. We weren’t laughing at the crimes committed, but at the blatant denial of Sandusky. There are witnesses to the crimes he committed, and somehow he actually thinks he can lie and defend himself.
I have no interest in what Penn State decides to do with Paterno or McQueary. The only thing I’m interested in is that Sandusky pay for his actions. There are no excuses for what he did, and he should be given a life sentence. Many of his victims are probably scarred for life, and there is no reason he shouldn’t pay for his actions.
I can only hope that this doesn’t get dragged through the court system. I hope this gets resolved quickly and that Sandusky gets what he deserves.
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