Here's what Anderson had to say:
On Nov. 9, 2011, Joe Paterno was fired by the Board of Trustees without due process, despite his 61 years of unparalleled service to this university and this community. The board, confused and conflicted, was influenced by a vengeful Gov. Corbett and a trustee with a personal vendetta that hijacked its leadership. In addition, there was a bold-faced lie written by Pennsylvania Prosecutor Jonelle Eshbach.
[Editor's note: The bold-faced lie was that Mike McQueary had witnessed Sandusky raping a 10-year-old boy in the showers. After 18 years, no alleged victim has come forward; prosecutors claimed the identity of the boy was "known only to God." A previously undisclosed federal investigation determined that the alleged facts of the incident didn't make any sense, and that the only alleged witness, McQueary, wasn't credible.]
The board, fearing the NCAA, and lacking experience from within, jumped outside the university for counsel. They neglected to seek advice from PSU Professor John Coyle, an internationally recognized logistics expert, who was the faculty representative to the NCAA for 30 years, and John Bove, who served as Penn State's compliance coordinator for 14 years. Both men had intimate knowledge and personal relationships with the NCAA.
The NCAA, not sure of their own standing on this matter, bluffed the university with the help of the Freeh Group and a lying and leaking attorney general's office. It is important to note that [NCAA President] Mark Emmert was told by his own staff not to get involved -- this was not in their jurisdiction! Eventually, the NCAA accepted the Freeh Report in place of their own investigation and levied one of the harshest sanctions in their history on Penn State.
On Aug. 28, 2012, a statement of past chairs of the Penn State Faculty Senate was released. This ad-hoc group of 30 faculty members wrote the following:
"As a document in which evidence, facts, and logical arguments are marshaled to support conclusions and recommendations, the Freeh Report fails badly. Not only are the assertions about the Penn State culture unproven, but we declare them to be FALSE."
John Snedden, a [former] NCIS investigator, was sent by the federal government to investigate President [Graham] Spanier and the alleged cover-up. He concluded that there was no crime and therefore NO COVER UP.
The A-7 report was a breath of fresh air. It exposed the Freeh Report for what it is -- dishonest, deceitful, and geared to fulfill a narrative.
In the end, the Freeh Report provided the impetus for the extreme NCAA sanctions, the incarceration of two outstanding administrators, the dismissal of another, the prosecution of President Spanier, the vilification of Joe Paterno, and unmeasurable damage to the university, the football program, its coaches, and this community.
By your silence, you have made yourself complicit with the Freeh Report. Many are of the opinion that the money that has been squandered is the underlying factor that prevents the board from acknowledging the truth.
Regardless, the board and President Barron need to stand up and publicly reject the Freeh Report. Truth, transparency, and integrity are critical to the university's mission. Embracing the mantra that time will erase the memory of this catastrophe is false. It will not go away.
Ladies and gentlemen, by the very nature of your position, you control our legacy and future. We have been wronged by many people and are hurting as a result. You can take a big step in the healing process. Please do the right thing and denounce the Freeh Report.
Earlier: Easy Money At Penn State; Trustees Give Away $118 Million to alleged victims without doing anything to corroborate their stories.
Prosecutors spinning a criminal version of facts of crimes that never occurred and feeding them to journalists to condemn the innocent is a crime and should be punishable by law.
ReplyDeleteThe mainstream media has to recognize the part they are playing in the grand scheme of a defendants downfall. Realizing the government lies and twist facts for their own benefit has become more apparent with the Whites Houses version of the Meuller Report.
I would suspect that journalists would be highly offended if they were accused of violating fellow citizen's civil rights by writing erroneous facts.
Facts that condemn these citizens to death, the loss of liberty, disgrace, loss of reputation, bankruptcy,the inability to be employed. Facts that convince their neighbors, coworkers and the region of the citizens' guilt, all on the words of unscrupulous prosecutors.
Interpreting laws to give the government the upper hand is the intended outcome over defendants and using the media to instill outrage on alleged crimes works especially well. Jurors rely on prosecutors, to tell the truth, not sway the verdict with confusion and fear.
The media influences the public, the jury and the trial judges, a fact that has not escaped them. Prosecutors voices are believed over defendants who are always assumed to be guilty by the media and juries.
Innocent voices fall on deaf ears, while prosecutors have prime time 24-hour coverage.
If criminal justice reform can take place it has to start with the media being aware of the injustice they have caused to innocent defendants. The conversation of reform has to include the media or all is lost, all the good works by individuals trying to right all the wrongs committed by prosecutors who lie will come to nothing without dedicated journalists working with defendants, not against them.
Penn State had Corbett, the vengeful trustee, and Frank the Rat Fina.
ReplyDeletePhiladelphia Traffic Court had Ron Castille, a lying FBI agent, disgruntled employees and a court clerk changing the outcome on her niece's tickets for following too closely to a police cruiser on 95.
Traffic Court needed a revamping and extermination of incompetent self-servicing employees, not a federal trial.
The Traffic Court Judges, who did not take a dime, were accused of defrauding the City of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania of revenue.
A five-year investigation and a costly trial, which accomplished nothing, whatsoever, except the loss of 10 million dollars per year into the state's coffers.
USAA Denise Wolfs opening remarks made her sound a lot like Dr. Evil one million dollar ransom, when she stated that $137.00 did not make it to the state, she proceeded to read through more lowly tickets amounts, all in attendance had the same reaction to her remarks, really laughable.
Thanks to a media who did not attend the trail or listen to any evidence, we have the prosecution's version of facts set in stone.
Mike McQueary was never properly investigated and the Prosecutors manipulated testimony without proper corroboration to push the case.
ReplyDeleteFreeh/Mueller are cut from the same Justice Department Cloth, they are grand standing corrupt lawyers who grew up thinking they were better than everyone below them and loved to exercise power.
There have been few power brokers when given power have acted fair and honorably.
Except that Mueller was dealing with actual facts and events. Freeh was dealing in theory, without corroborating evidence.
DeleteStick to the topic! This has absolutely zero to do with Robert Mueller who is, by all accounts, a decent and honorable man.
DeleteCriminal justice is the topic, there is no separating the Mueller Report, the Penn State scandal or the Philadelphia Traffic Court case. Prosecutors/Attorney Generals who alter facts, invent crimes and spin lies to juries or the public, with the aid of the media, is the topic.
DeleteFreeh/Mueller serve as a despicable example of the criminal class that will serve the Clintons, Obamas, Bidens and Rendells who have escaped prosecution, so far, for crimes far greater than those charged at Penn State.
DeleteFor the beleaguered Traffic Court Victim, I can state unequivocally that I know of money passed to Jim Kenney when he was Fumo's Bagman to fix Traffic Court Cases. There were Lawyers, Judges,Committeemen, Ward Leaders who were part of this enterprise for generations.
Ralph, has done a little digging of Kenney's suspected criminal behavior, but does not have the fire and fury to chase down and publish crimes that would send Jimmy the Drunk to serve a fate similar to DA Rufus the Dawg.
If you did time, I hope you enjoyed spending your theft and proceeds before and after your time served.
There are huge differences between the reports by Mueller and Freeh. Mueller could, and did, use subpoenas and search warrants. Freeh could not.
DeleteMueller did not indict Trump. Freeh's investigation was the basis for indicting Spanier and adding more serious charges against Curley and Schultz.
Mueller did not refuse to interview a willing principal, like Paterno, and then vilify him after he was dead.
Mueller's Report was read and redacted by his bosses before it was released. Freeh's employers did not exercise any oversight over his report.
Thank you coach. Not only for the years of service you provided to our University but for speaking up. Knowing Joe Paterno, the way you did, you know that Joe would have punched Jerry S. in the face himself if he knew factually that things had happened. Fact is, most were afraid to tell Joe in laymans terms what went on. They used "horseplay" to describe the events. God bless you, Joe Pa and our University.
ReplyDeleteTruly appreciate the tribute to Anderson and Paterno. We should note, though, that the drift of the post above is that fear had nothing to do with telling Paterno "what went on." The Snedden investigation concluded that there was no abuse to talk about in that incident--that it didn't happen. The only eyewitness had at least 3 different versions of what he saw. The majority of those versions did not claim abuse. The original (October 2010) couldn't even identify Sandusky in the same room as the lad. The mandated reporters who carefully questioned the eyewitness the night of the episode decided there was nothing worth reporting. They testified in court and were never censured, let alone indicted for anything.
DeleteAs a former federal judge, Louis Freeh should be extremely embarrassed by the recent decision to vacate Spanier's conviction because his constitutional rights were violated.
ReplyDeleteEither Freeh was ignorant of basic constitutional law and relevant Supreme Court precedents, or he deliberately allowed Curley, Schultz and Spanier to be wrongfully convicted. It's another stain on an already well-stained record.
I hold Freeh in as much contempt as the current FBsly leaders. Never even having interviewed Paterno or ever met with him, his conclusions stink. Any Trustees that are still around from that time need to be removed. Hell hath no fury like a scorned Macademian.
ReplyDeleteNot only was Joe Paterno not complicit in any crime, the actions he took in reporting what McQueary told him were precisely what the NCAA has now codified as the standard for dealing with this type of situation. Paterno, his family and other decent people were vilified without cause or due process. The NCAA rolling back their sanctions is an admission of their overreach, but cannot undo the damage to his character and legacy. Shame on Emmert, Freeh, Surma and the rest of the spineless Board of Trustees.
ReplyDeleteFreeh was not allowed to speak with Joe or any of the other principals, nor was he allowed to issue subpoenas or put anyone under oath. I believed what the story the media was telling...until I started reading the Freeh Report. The way he used snippets of the information he was permitted to gather to reach the conclusions he did was some sort of acrobatic logic. From there I began doing my own investigating and am livid and appalled at what the media could have easily found , yet omitted, to make the story more sensational. Vilifying a legendary coach who achieved great success with honor was too much fun, I guess, and certainly made for higher ratings. I would love thoughts from others on here--I've been trying to remember if things were reported that were actually lies or was it only the omission of key facts that has left the public believing this twisted narrative. I'm thinking that it has all been truthful and as well as highly and nefariously selective. What I do know is that I rarely watch the news any more, I don't believe that anything I see or hear is an accurate depiction of what is happening.
ReplyDeleteIt is not true that "Freeh was not allowed to speak with Joe or any of the other principals." Joe indicated he wanted to speak to Freeh but Freeh waited too long, and Paterno died. Then he vilified a dead Paterno in his report without decent evidence and ignoring contrary evidence.
DeleteFreeh could have spoken to Mike McQueary because PSU required that all PSU employees speak to Freeh. He chose not to speak to McQueary, ex-PSU police chief Tom Harmon and unnamed others at the request of the PA Attorney General. There was no legal way the PA Attorney General could have stopped Freeh from speaking to Mike McQueary. Freeh just wasn't interested in doing a thorough, independent investigation because the fix was in.
Freeh also could have spoken to McQueary's father and Dr. Dranov but probably didn't because their testimony contradicted Mike McQueary's in several important ways. Freeh ignored those contradictions in his report even though he had their court testimony to draw on.
Freeh did speak extensively to Spanier only after almost all the report was written and then misrepresented, or did not include, Spanier's side of the story.
Freeh also did not speak with the man who claimed he was the boy Mike McQueary saw in the shower with Sandusky in 2001. Likely he did so at the request of the PA Attorney General. He did not even mention that a man had come forward claiming to be victim 2.
Did anyone notice how the investigation into Urban Meyer's handling of the assistant coach was done: OSU formed an internal committee and circled the wagons.
ReplyDeleteWhat coach Anderson said was spot on. The BOT should have said "We stand behind Coach Paterno based on his dedication, commitment, and loyalty to PSU and consider him innocent of any crime or cover-up until due process proves otherwise." Those board members were spineless at best and treasonous at worst.
Everyone fails to remember that Jerry Sandusky was considered a hero of sorts in the State College area for his work with the Second Mile. He was already investigated once by C&YS & the Police, with no findings. Why didn't McQueary's father & his doctor friend go to the police, Mike told them the entire story in detail. Or, maybe they didn't want to stick their necks out because they didn't believe that Mike had seen anything that was prosecuteable.
And to the millions that were handed out to the victimns: take a CLOSE look at that - $35M or roughly 1/3rd was paid to 5 guys - allow me to repeat that - 1/3rd of the payout to 5 "victims", who all knew and assoiciated with each other from the Lock Haven area. Check out what they did with their wealth! They squandered it on houses, cars, drugs, and women - I'm not making that up - thats well documented. $35M to 5 "victims" - laughable."
Louise, there were flagrant lies repeated thousands of times by the media. The media reported what it was told to report, starting with the biggest lie of them all. That was the "McQueary witnessed a child being anally raped by Sandusky." McQueary sent an email to Jonelle Eshbach saying his words were being twisted and he wanted to set the record straight. He also testified that he never said that to anyone. Eshbach told him to keep quiet. That should have cost her that license to practice law, but instead she is running for judge in York County. Here in PORNsylvania, we lack ethics in government.
ReplyDeleteThere will be a level of vindication for Penn State and the Paterno Legacy when the NCAA is exposed as the lying racketeering criminal enterprise that was a willing participant with sports agents, apparel manufacturers, players and their pimp parents who have participated in debasing Amateur Athletics with favored Coaches and Schools.
ReplyDeleteThe NCAA should be investigated and charged with the intensity and ferocity that they have sought to bring on others.
When did Paterno know that Sandusky was a pervert and is that why he was dismissed as a coach?
This weekend we witnessed the Fraud known as the Kentucky Derby. Only the great sage Jimmy the Greek could have framed the indictment so well, when he compared the breeding of Champion Equines with Human Athletics.
Breeding cannot be judged simply by speed and size but never discount character. The institutions whose provenance is to preserve and protect decent and honest performance are disintegrating under the weight of self serving corruption.
Bring in Freeh/Mueller to investigate the disgusting aberration of an International Sporting Event, and perhaps a new and clearer picture can be identified of the fixing and manipulation of Sports to fit a fraudulent outcome.
Sports Betting has now reached the level of Protected Status.
Hire that Great Legal Proctologist Louie Freeh to shine a scope up the rectum of those three Churchill Downs Stewards and let's see how clean their stools are.
I feel they treated JoePa very unfairly. The poor man died before being able to clear his name n reputation. The least they could do is honor. JoePa buy puting his Staue back.For people to see
ReplyDeleteSo if JoePa and the University were wrongly convicted and judged ... what does that say about Jerry Sandusky? He still claims his innocence to this day. We're "all in" to fight for Joe and his legacy, but does that mean an innocent man is rotting in jail? Who speaks for him?
ReplyDeleteJerry Sandusky is an innocent man. He continually works with his attorney on receiving a new trial. It is inconceivable how people do not see what happened in this travesty.
DeleteResponse to Anonymous May 6, 2019, 8:04 regarding Traffic Court.
ReplyDeleteIf Jimmy Kenny was the bagman when he worked for Senator Fumo, where he worked right out of college, you could be talking 30 years ago, none of these Judges were involved.
If that was the case, as most are the same age as Jimmy Kenny, one older and one is young enough to be his son. None were working at Traffic Court at the time you seem to be referencing. This had nothing to do with the Judges that were indicted.
Most of the indicted were there only a few years at most, Jimmy Kenny was on the city council or mayor at the time they were on the bench. So really your comment does not pertain to these Judges. Had there been a bagman, the loot must have gone missing as not one prosecutor alleged there was a dime that was taken by the Judges.
One indicted Judge from the counties filled in during vacations, he was on the bench days, not weeks, not months, not years. The Supreme Court should have acted years ago if judges, lawyers, ward leaders, committee people were paying off Traffic Court Judges, they should have been indicted as well.
Why wait until Ron Castille retired to indict, for revenge, a political payback. Nothing to do with what or was not going on at Traffic Court.
Traffic Court needed one day of Castille's time, one day is all that was needed for a revamping and if a smackdown was needed he surely failed the citizens of the city and the state as now they lose 10 million dollars a year since the trial.
So really who defrauded the city and state, Ron Castille, Denise Wolf, and Tony Zworick. As for the FBI agent that lied, repeatedly, talk about human bondage, being forced to lie for your government.
Since you obviously get your info from the Inky and seemed to miss the fact that the Judges were all acquitted, those that went to prison did so for making the unfortunate mistake of talking to the grand jury and telling them the truth, the feds did want the truth they wanted indictments.
Sorry to disappoint but I spent no time in jail, not a judge, not involved in politics at all.
But please share your knowledge from the time period of which you speak and let us know why Bernice DeAngelis was not indicted. During the first day of the trial, one of the defendants asked why she was not indicted, the trial Judge put a gag order on the defendant ordering them not to talk to the press. Any idea?
In reply to your comment, as we both prefer to shield our identities, but are known to Ralph, I will say that the criminal acts coordinated through Senator Fumo's Office and carried out by henchmen like Jim Kenney were embedded in the political culture before Traffic Court was created and existed in the Magistrate System.
DeleteThe Inky has always been part of the problem and benefited from 'ticket fixing' by passing their problems through their favored politicians.
The 1st Ward is the shining example, Joe Hoffmann Sr. was a fixer for the Senator and led the way for his son, Junior, to head the Board of Adjudication of the Parking Authority, as opposed to Traffic Court where he was offered a position, but eventually indicted convicted sentenced and incarcerated by the Feds for corruption, succeeding former Traffic Court Judge Dominic Cermele, a long time trusted Fumo Loyalist.
When Cermele was advised that his Office was bugged by the Feds he retired from his post to head Girard College, managed by the Board of City Trusts controlled by the Senator and setting up Junior to take the fall.
Why Ron Castille and the Feds waited decades to bring down Traffic Court and not the Parking Authority as well, which was built and designed to create a well oiled corrupt Political Agency and how Bernice DeAngelis managed to avoid prosecution, probably, was that she was a cooperating informant and witness to the Probe. It is a question that would explain a great deal about the graft corruption and politics of Phila. that only a Grand Jury Indictment of the Kenney Administration would expose and there is a perfect opportunity to show how No-Bid Contracts to the Largest Manufacturer of Voting Machines in the Country, with existing flaws that allow tampering and hacking, and protected by Democrat Hierarchy sleaze Warren Buffett, at the cost of $55 million, should pique greater scrutiny than has been revealed at this time.
Jim Kenney is a shrewd player in a System designed to protect the Criminal Elite and has learned the lessons of a lifetime of political misfeasance from those who came before him.
The 1st Ward was Jim's ground zero and in the end, I suspect his banker and Kingmaker Johnny Doc will flip to save his ass and bring him down.
Don't leave a paper trail and make sure to keep sweeping for FBI Surveillance. He has a target on his back and Trump and Others would love to bring him down.
You seem to have an advantage over me, as I do not know a Domenic Cermele, I suppose I can google him, nor do I know the intimate details you seem know first hand. If the feds were listening to a Mr. Cermele and his staff they should have acted but then so should all the prior Supreme Court Justices or supervisors over the years who had first-hand knowledge of illegal actions. Nor do I have knowledge of criminal enterprises that were run out of any Senate office.
ReplyDeleteAs for your theory on the politically elite escaping prosecution, how do you explain the indictments of US Congressman Fattah, NJ Senator Bob Menendez, Senator Fumo, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, and Ill Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The feds are an equal opportunity indictors.
As for our Traffic Court conversation, my comments have been and remain that it was an unnecessary wasteful trial, the feds alleged that phone calls were made to influence the outcome tickets, except they did a really poor job of proving that theory.
All of the Judges heard over 100,000 tickets per year, the feds offered a few tickets of proof for each Judge, all of which were disproven. The prosecution offered up a representative of the Justice Department who lied and hid a ticket to try to change the outcome of a ticket but was caught in the act. Who badgering an elderly witness for the defense and was cautioned by the trial judge. Or the FBI agent who lied over an over again. If the Traffic Court Judges need to go to jail then so did the FBI agent and the prosecutors, as their acts were egregious.
These people should not be painted with the same brush as their predecessors, there was no need to send good people to jail. I don't want a society that takes its cues from the DOJ and the media to send everyone to jail as a solution.
When polled about the Justice Department most people answer they want to be safe, we put more people in jail than any other country in the world. How we can justify bringing a case where not a dime was taken and the tickets used to indict were fraught with defects. What was learned, that the government conspired to indict and jail good people, using any devious mean at their disposal?
We need to stop ruining the lives, reputations and bankrupting fellow citizens. I don't want the DOJ and the media to think for me. There was no need for a wasteful trial, the money could go to so many other needed sectors. No one was a danger to society. Not one dime was taken or ever alleged by the feds, no one was defrauding the City and State as was alledged.
There has to be a better way to work out issues other than to have the feds send good people to jail.
If anyone wants to know about the history of traffic court, they should go read an old article from the Philadelphia magazine. Its called ticket ticket who has a ticket. It's a very interesting article from the 80s traffic court now uses it in there training manual... lol
ReplyDeleteWonderful blog! I found it while surfing around on Yahoo News. Do you have any suggestions on how to get listed in Yahoo News? I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there! Appreciate it.
ReplyDelete