If you thought the major Penn State University child sexual abuse scandal that has dominated national discussion, cost legendary Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno his job and the subsequent campus riots that followed, there’s a chance that the worst of it has yet to come to pass.
Sports radio host Mark Madden went on WEEI in Boston and reported a rumor that Jerry Sandusky and Second Miles Foundation pimped out young boys to rich donors, according to BusinessInsider.com.
“I hear a rumor that there will be a shocking development from the Second Miles Foundation … That Jerry Sandusky and Second Mile were pimping out young boys to rich donors.”
If true, this rumor threatens to dismantle any shred of optimism regarding Joe Paterno’s legacy at Penn State and that of the program in general. Paterno goes from the man of the people who came to be the face of a place called Happy Valley and all that was good and wholesome about college football (possibly the biggest sham) to a naive old man who allowed a monster unlimited access to his program and facilities for years,even after Sandusky was investigated for sexual child abuse.
Sandusky, who retired in 1999 and worked with the Second Miles Foundation, a charity set up to provide foster care for children, would face life a prison, a fate that may already be inevitable if more of his alleged victims come forward.
But, ultimately, this all comes back to Paterno. Penn State Football housed a sexual predator for years, offering him unlimited access to the program and an alleged cover up for his demonic behavior in exchange for his retirement. The university banned Sandusky from campus on November 6, 2011, about 12 years and multiple potential victims too late.
Of course, if this rumor turns out to have merit, the real damage will come when the “rich donors” are found out. To quote the great philosopher Lestor Freemon, “you follow the money, there’s no telling where you’ll end up”.
With regards to the program, the big question is, could this be a case of lack of institutional control? Yes, it’s very easy (and also foolish) to feign outrage at college students taking free money in the face of the con of amateurism, but what damages the NCAA brand more than one of its most storied schools and hallowed coaches being alleged accessories to child prostitution.
Buckle up, this scandal is far from over and about to get very real.