November 25, 2011 · 9:28 AM

Happy Valley spin wars

It might be time to start taking those “a source close to Paterno” tales of woe with a grain of salt.

13 Comments

Filed under You Can't Put A Price Tag On Joe Paterno's Legacy

13 responses to “Happy Valley spin wars”

  1. Brandon
    November 25, 2011 at 9:47 AM

    I hope when the dust settles and all of the facts are fully out Paterno is in fact as big a bastard as it appears because if it is shown he did more or wasn’t told the worst of things it will be a sad day for the media in this country. My heart goes out to all of the victims in this case but I guess as a lawyer I hate to see people tried, convicted, and sentenced in the court of public opinion when so so often in history when their has been a feeding frenzy like this it is later discovered to have been an erroneous rush to judgment.

    Like

  2. Scape That Goat
    November 25, 2011 at 11:01 AM

    “It might be time to start taking those “a source close to Paterno” tales of woe with a grain of salt.”

    Then again, maybe you shouldn’t just mindlessly pass on every litte tidbit you find on the internet that fits you pre-judged narrative:

    “Some readers have believed this story is incorrect because the university Natatorium is closed for Thanksgiving. Sue Paterno normally works out in the football building pool and was turned way, university spokesman Bill Mahon confirmed yesterday.”

    http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/11/sue_paterno_told_she_cant_use.html

    Like

    • Senator Blutarsky
      November 25, 2011 at 11:40 AM

      Thanks for that. Ganim’s done excellent work on the story, so your point is well taken.

      That being said,

      And, as an aside, if you want to talk about JoePa’s legacy in Happy Valley, this uncertainty about the wife of a living legend swimming in a pool that her husband either directly or indirectly built would be Exhibit A in the short-term.

      Like

    • Scott
      November 25, 2011 at 4:09 PM

      +1 “Then again, maybe you shouldn’t just mindlessly pass on every litte tidbit you find on the internet that fits you pre-judged narrative”. LOL
      Scape That Goat, I thought I was standing alone on this subject. Welcome.

      Are the Paterno haters really happy to see an old lady kicked out of the gym after she donated $4 million to build a library?

      Like

      • hoagie1
        November 25, 2011 at 4:31 PM

        Not really, but I don’t see why the ‘don’t rush to judgement’ people care about it. Seems pretty irrelevant to anything. The rich lady didn’t get to use a pool. Wah.

        Like

      • Anon
        November 25, 2011 at 5:40 PM

        Where did that $4 million come from out of curiosity? Is her family independently wealthy?

        Like

        • PatinDC
          November 25, 2011 at 6:24 PM

          From Joe’s salary and fund raising.

          I think she should be able to swim in the pool. I am sure Joe Pa gets retiree benefits from the school and access to the facilities is probably included( I mean it is at my job).

          Like

      • UGAfoo
        November 25, 2011 at 10:58 PM

        They should give Joe and Sue their money back. Buy their house from them, raze it, and build a new one. Fire all the coaching staff and start over.

        It is unfortunate that so many people are continuing to defend Paterno based on the fact he “did what he was supposed to do”. It seems clear, even by his own admission, that he did not do enough. He chose to ignore a serious allegation against someone he knows very well walking around his facility.

        Like

  3. DarrrenRovelll
    November 25, 2011 at 1:28 PM

    The Paterno boys will use the similar defense strategy for their Mother that is being used by the surviving Madoff son for Ruth Madoff.

    I do not feel sorry for Ruth Madoff nor do I feel sorry for Sue Paterno. To me it does not matter whether they were active parties in the lies or deception or not – they benefitted immensely from the wealth and status provided by their husbands.

    I wish them no ill will. I do not think that they should be harassed. But at the same time please spare us from the “woe is me” tales that try illustrate how much they are suffering as an “unintended” victim. The Madoff victims and Sandusky victims have suffered much more pain than the loss of a billionaire’s wife standard of living or the former head coach’s wife being asked to leave a pool.

    I would have more respect for them if they worked on behalf of the victims or similar types of charity work while acknowledging that they were grateful for the life they have lived up to the scandal. Instead, all I see is people who think that since they were not “involved” that the deserve to continue their lifestyle as before as if something bad never happened.

    Like

    • muckbeast
      November 25, 2011 at 7:14 PM

      Joe Paterno is not a billionaire.

      Like

      • DarrrenRovelll
        November 26, 2011 at 8:39 AM

        I never said that he was. I only pointed out that the Paterno family and the Madoff family have used similar media tactics to elicit sympathy from the public when the family believes that the mother has something unjust happen to them. Both of them have lived a comfortable lifestyle well beyond most of us and the family would prefer that we feel sorry for what they have or might lose. Instead they might gain more respect from the public if they acknowledged how blessed they have already lived and do more help the situation.

        Like

  4. Just Chuck
    November 25, 2011 at 3:07 PM

    How many of the comments on the original post come from Penn State people? Sounds like there is a substantial anti-Paterno contingent. Did this just develop since the firing or has it been there waiting for an opportunity to express itself?

    Like

    • Scott
      November 25, 2011 at 4:11 PM

      Just waiting to express itself is my guess. It it had been Herschel Walker and Vince Dooley in place of McQueary and Paterno, we would be seeing a completely opposite position.

      Like