I know many good people who want to let bygones be bygones, and give Joe Paterno a free pass on the Jerry Sandusky affair. Indeed, he fulfilled his “legal” obligation back in 2002 when he notified superiors that one of his direct reports had witnessed a child being raped in Penn State’s Lasch Football Building. And think of all the great things that JoePa did while he was coach: The stellar achievements on the field, the academic records that his boys set, the lives that were changed by going through the “football program” at Penn State, etc. And there are the donations the Paterno’s have made to the University over the years. After all, the library bears his name, as does the campus spiritual center. 61 years at Penn State. Unreal. And then this: The All-Time Winningest coach in NCAA history.

He’s 85 now, with lung cancer and a broken pelvis. He sits in a wheelchair, trying to heal as he goes through chemo treatments. His wife is devoted and they have a loving, solid marriage with lots of great-grandchildren to dote on.

Yes, all the factors that I’ve just mentioned weigh heavily on a public that wants to forgive an elderly man for the mistakes he’s made. We are a forgiving people, as God forgives us daily for our sins and He has taught us to turn the other cheek time after time when we are being sinned against. Yet we are torn, we want to forgive but…

JoePa, in an interview today with the Washington Post, indicated he wished he had done more than he did when he heard of the rape in 2002. He said he had never heard of an instance of the rape of another man before this and he had no idea what his response was supposed to have been. He also said his assistant was reluctant to share all the details with him at the time.

His assistant came to him on a Saturday. Joe didn’t call his superior until Sunday. A meeting was set up with the campus police chief and the school’s athletic director. In the meeting, Joe’s  assistant was more forthcoming, according to the story. He said he had been reluctant to be more graphic with Joe out of respect for the then 75-year-old coach.

(Authors Note: Read the interview here: http://wapo.st/xycCKB)

Jerry Sandusky has been charged with 50 counts of sexually abusing young boys over a 15 year time span. Jerry was Joe’s assistant coach for the Penn State football team for 30 years, from 1969 to 1999. Sandusky ran a youth foundation, called Second Mile, in addition to his duties as coach. In fact, Sandusky only retired from his football position after he found out that he would not succeed Paterno as PSU’s coach. After he retired, Jerry ran football camps for youth out of Penn State Facilities and had keys to those facilities as well. In fact, he used those facilities for some of his attacks on young boys.

If only Paterno had done more….then maybe some kids that were raped and abused after the 2002 incident would be living normal lives now. That’s why I’m not willing to give Paterno a free pass. He could have done more and he should have done more. I have a hard time relating to someone like Paterno, who admitted that he had to think through the problem and then act. As a society, we should, without hesitation, protect the defenseless, like children and women. There is no thinking involved, except where is the phone to dial 9-1-1.

He may not be guilty of any crime, but he is culpable of gross stupidity and showed a total lack of care for the victim of the rape.

Ultimately, though, forgiveness is and will be elusive for Paterno. Forgiveness should not come from us, the spectators in all of this, it should come from the post 2002 victims, whom he failed to protect.

By the way, we’ve all heard that Paterno was “fired” from his job at Penn State. He wasn’t. He still on the payroll as a tenured professor. Read about that here: http://cbsloc.al/yOEkT8