Një protestë e fuqishme përfshin mijëra tifozë të futbollit
'We want Joe back!' Penn State students riot as university fire Coach
Paterno AND force president to quit amid sex scandal
A riot involving thousands of Penn State football fans erupted last night
at the announcement their long-term head coach Joe Paterno would be sacked
with 'immediate effect' for his role in the sex scandal which has rocked
the university.
The college's Board of Trustees also forced the resignation of president
Graham Spanier after allegations that for years the school's former
football defence coordinator Jerry Sandusky sexually abused young boys.
Mr Paterno, 84, had said he would retire at the end of the 2011 season but
the trustees stepped in to tell the legendary coach he will never take
charge of another game following the allegations of a cover up.
Assistant coach Tom Bradley has been named interim football coach while
Penn State provost, Rodney Erickson will become interim president.
Waving to the crowd: Joe Paterno and his, wife, Susan, stand on their
porch to thank supporters gathered outside their home after the football coach
was sacked
Wreckage: The students clambered on top of the news van after flipping it
over and pelting rocks at a fire truck which attempted to clean up the
resulting oil spill
Unrest: Penn State University students take to the streets and chanted Mr
Paterno's name after hearing the famed coach had been sacked
Police control: Riot officers try to calm the crowds down
Arrests: Around 400 riot police tried to disperse the crowd with reports
of tear gas being used
The announcement came as it emerged that federal officials will
investigate whether Penn State officials violated federal law by failing to report
alleged sexual abuse by the school's former football defense coordinator
Jerry Sandusky.
Speaking at his house to a large gathering of students, Mr Paterno said:
'Right now, I'm not the football coach, and that's something I have to get
used to.'
He then urged the students, who chanted 'We want Joe back!', to 'go study'
and 'pray a little bit for those victims'. His wife Sue picked up a
bouquet of flowers and addressed the crowd in tears, saying: 'Thank you all for
your support. We love you.'
Mr Paterno later issued a statement, which read: 'I am disappointed with
the Board of Trustees' decision, but I have to accept it.'
Beloved: Students also gathered around the statue of Mr Paterno outside
the 106,000 capacity Beaver Stadium to show their allegiance
Tempers: Angry students took to the streets to make their views heard
Outraged: Students filled the streets to show their backing for Mr Paterno
but the scenes soon turned violent
Thousands of students flocked to the university's Old Main building, in
University Park, State College, to voice their displeasure at the decision to
oust the man who has been head coach for nearly half a century.
Others gathered at Beaver Avenue, with student newspaper the Daily
Collegian tweeting: 'Can't see any road that isn't filled with students.'
They chanted 'We love JoePa' and were described by onlookers as
'emotional'. Lampposts and street signs were torn down and fireworks were set off. A
bottle was thrown and hit a police officer in the head, the Daily Collegian
reported.
A WTAJ news van was overturned on College Avenue to loud cheers. It led to
an oil spill which required firefighters to clean up but when the arrived
their truck was pelted with rocks.
Changes: People view a mural at State College where the image of Jerry
Sandusky was painted over and replaced with an empty chair
Making their point: an Occupy Wall Street protester holds up a sign
expressing her view (left) while signs lie discarded on the ground after the
disturbances on campus (right)
On the rampage: Football fans hoisted an effigy of Mr Paterno attacked
police and media representatives for their supposedly biased coverage of their
beloved coach
Karisa Maxwell, who took a picture of the scene, posted on Twitter:
'Students on top of flipped news fan....gas is leaking everywhere.'
Around 400 riot police attempted to clear the mob with tear gas used to
control the crowd, which continued to prowl the streets into the early hours.
One Twitter user wrote: 'Students have been hurdling glass bottles from
apartment complexes on Beaver Avenue (Beaver Canyon)'.
Another added: 'This is a very highly-charged atmosphere. State Troopers
appear to be very willing to use force; have already used mase.'
The trustees took the decision unanimously after a three-hour closed-doors
meeting, adding: 'It was in the trustees' view that this was in the best
long-term interest.'
Joe Surma, the Board of Trustees Vice Chair, said they had decided to act
'decisively and swiftly' but also be 'thorough and fair'.
Out! Penn State head coach Joe Paterno, right, and Penn State president
Graham Spanier, left, have been dismissed 'effective immediately' after the
sex abuse scandal
Former leaders: Jerry Sandusky (left) was the defensive line coach under
head coach Joe Paterno (right) before Sandusky retired in 1999
Back in the day: Joe Paterno and the Penn State Nittany Lions before a
game in 2004
Allegations: Penn State University President Graham Spanier (right) and
head coach Joe Paterno (left) have both been implicated in the cover-up
Mr Paterno, one of the biggest names in American sports, had said in a
statement today that the situation was a tragedy and 'one of the great sorrows
of my life'.
The case of Sandusky, a former defensive coordinator accused of years of
abuse of boys that allegedly was covered up by school officials, has shaken
the university and its football programme.
The education department confirmed it is launching a probe into whether
there were violations of a federal law called the Clery Act.
It requires colleges and universities to publish and distribute
information about criminal offences - including sex offences - that are reported to
school authorities.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in a statement: 'If it turns out that
some people at the school knew of the abuse and did nothing or covered it
up, that makes it even worse. Schools and school officials have a legal and
moral responsibility to protect children and young people from violence
and abuse.'
Mr Paterno said yesterday: 'I am absolutely devastated by the developments
in this case. I grieve for the children and their families, and I pray for
their comfort and relief.'
Conference: Steve Garban (left) and John Surma (right) announce that Penn
State president Graham Spanier and football head coach Joe Paterno have
been fired during the Penn State Board of Trustees meeting
Announcement: Steve Garban (left) and John Surma (right) revealed the
sackings
The coach, in his 46th year as head coach of the Nittany Lions and winner
of two national championships, has been criticised for not doing more to
intervene when incidents of Sandusky's abuse came to light in 2002.
'With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more,' he added.
Two former university officials - athletic director Tim Curley and finance
official Gary Schultz - were charged on Monday with failing to alert
police after they were told that Sandusky had been seen sodomising a young boy
in the football locker room shower in 2002.
Mass protest: Students gathered at Old Main, on the campus of Penn State
University, after it was announced that long-time football coach Joe Paterno
had been fired
They have also been charged with perjury in their statements to a grand
jury.
They have stepped down from their positions at the university following an
emergency meeting of the university's Board of Trustees.
Lawyers for all three men have said their clients deny the charges and
maintain their innocence.
Mr Paterno held a short meeting with coaching staff and players at the
team's football building today, which participants described to reporters as
tearful and highly emotional.
Many students have rallied around the coach, who with his thick,
black-rimmed glasses and blue windbreaker has been the face of Penn State football
for generations.
On Tuesday night, several thousand gathered in front of Mr Paterno's home
before racing through downtown streets, often chanting football slogans, to
the white-columned administration building to support their coach and
defend the university.
Mr Paterno's sacking comes as anticipation builds for Saturday, when Penn
State is due to take an 8-1 record into its final home game of the season
against the University of Nebraska.
It was always likely to be the final game in 106,000-seat Beaver Stadium
for Mr Paterno, who is in the last year of his contract and has become more
frail in recent years. But he has now been denied of that chance.
Under his leadership, Penn State has won 409 games, a record for a coach
in major college football. He set the record for wins when the Nittany Lions
beat Illinois on October 29, just days before Sandusky was charged on
November 5.
One of Mr Paterno's sons declined to comment as he left his father's house
on Wednesday afternoon.
'The statement speaks for itself. I am just trying to get to practice,'
said Jay Paterno, Penn State's quarterbacks coach.
The ugly sex abuse scandal has cast a pall over the sprawling campus of
about 44,000 students at the State College, in central Pennsylvania, which is
the flagship of about two-dozen Penn State campuses across the state.
Tom Corbett, governor of Pennsylvania, termed Mr Paterno's retirement part
of a string of bad days for Penn State.
Barred: Former Penn State football coach Gerald 'Jerry' Sandusky is taken
away in a police car after he is charged with sexually abusing eight young
boys
Perjury charge: Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley, left, and VP for
finance and business Gary Schultz
'It is unfortunate that his retirement is taking place under the cloud
that is going on. It is a sad day, It's been a sad day for a number of days,'
Mr Corbett told reporters at a press conference in the state capital of
Harrisburg.
Mr Corbett was the state's attorney general when authorities started their
investigation into Sandusky, and would not discuss the details of the
case, saying only that 'he who preys on a child is the worst person in the
world'.
Penn State's board of trustees voted on Tuesday night to appoint a special
committee to determine what failures occurred related to Sandusky's
alleged crimes and officials' response, saying it was 'outraged by the horrifying
details contained in the grand jury report'.
The trustees are expected to have a series of meetings over the next few
days.
Mr Paterno said: 'At this moment the board of trustees should not spend a
single minute discussing my status. They have far more important matters to
address.'
The grand jury report detailed alleged sexual assaults of eight boys by
Sandusky over 15 years - during his time as a Penn State coach and after his
retirement in 1999.
Since then a ninth potential victim, a man now in his 20s, has come
forward, and Pennsylvania police have set up a tip line for others to call. The
number of accusers in the case has more than doubled.
Sources told Fox 29 News that as many as 17 people have said they were
victimised by Sandusky, up from the eight victims listed in a grand jury
indictment Monday.
Sandusky, 67, allegedly recruited his underage victims from 'The Second
Mile,' a charity he founded to help underprivileged children, and subjected
them to a pattern of escalating abuse.
The charity moved quickly this week to disassociate itself from Sandusky,
who this week was also ordered not to spend time with his grandchildren
without supervision.
A preliminary hearing for Sandusky originally slated for today has been
postponed until December 7.
On ESPN yesterday, retired NFL linebacker Matt Millen broke down over the
scandal.
Mr Millen had played for both legendary coach Joe Paterno and ex-defensive
coordinator Jerry Sandusky when he attended Penn State between 1976 and
1979.
He said: ‘The simple answer is that he needs to go, and last I checked
this is the United States of America. We need to divorce ourselves from the
emotion of the moment.'
Idyllic: Authorities say Jerry Sandusky's nondescript home in State
College, Penn., was one of the places he sexually abused several boys
'I get mad,' Millen said as he broke down in tears. 'It's pretty
disturbing. It makes you sick to see that this could happen to this level.'
Describing Sandusky, Millen said: 'He's your next door neighbour. He’s the
guy you know your whole life. He's everything you want. I’ve known the guy
since 1976. I’ve been to meetings with him. He's been in my home.'
At a press conference on Monday, Pennsylvania's top cop had harsh words
for legendary coach Paterno on his handling of the situation.
Mr Paterno told university officials when a graduate assistant reported to
the 84-year-old coach seeing Sandusky in the shower, reportedly abusing a
boy as young as ten.
Paterno might have done what was legally required, 'but somebody has to
question about what I would consider the moral requirements for a human being
that knows of sexual things that are taking place with a child,' state
police Commissioner Frank Noonan said in a press conference.
He added: 'I think you have the moral responsibility, anyone. Not whether
you're a football coach or a university president or the guy sweeping the
building. I think you have a moral responsibility to call us.'
Mr Paterno has long had an image as a leader who does things by the book
and runs a program that has seen far fewer off-field troubles than other
major college football teams. Doubts about his judgment in handling the
Sandusky matter quickly began to emerge.
Facebook users, including those on a newly created group called 'Joe
Paterno should resign,' expressed outrage and disappointment in the coach. Many
said Paterno should have gone to police after the 2002 incident.
Sandusky, once considered Paterno's heir apparent, retired in 1999 but
continued to use the school's facilities for his work with The Second Mile, a
foundation he established to help at-risk kids.
'This case is about a sexual predator who used his position within the
university and community to repeatedly prey on young boys,' said Pennsylvania
Attorney General Linda Kelly.
Handcuffed: Eight young men have been identified as the targets of sexual
advances or assaults by Sandusky from 1994 to 2009, prosecutors said
Sandusky, whose defenses were usually anchored by tough-guy linebackers -
hence the moniker 'Linebacker U' - spent three decades at the school. The
charges against him cover the period from 1994 to 2009.
Sandusky, 67, was arrested on Saturday and released on $100,000 bail after
being arraigned on 40 criminal counts.
The allegations against Sandusky, who started The Second Mile in 1977,
range from sexual advances to touching to oral and anal sex.
The young men testified before a state grand jury that they were in their
early teens when some of the abuse occurred; there is evidence even younger
children may have been victimised.
Sandusky's attorney Joe Amendola said his client has been aware of the
accusations for about three years and has maintained his innocence.
'He's shaky, as you can expect,' Mr Amendola told WJAC-TV after Sandusky
was arraigned. 'Being 67 years old, never having faced criminal charges in
his life and having the distinguished career that he's had, these are very
serious allegations.
'He's very, very depressed. He's very upset. He's very distraught about
the charges, the allegations.'
Heyday: Jerry Sandusky (centre) is a star in football circles as he is
closely identified with the school's reputation as a defensive powerhouse
Sandusky is charged with multiple counts of involuntary deviate sexual
intercourse, corruption of minors, endangering the welfare of a child,
indecent assault and unlawful contact with a minor, as well as single counts of
aggravated indecent assault and attempted indecent assault.
Penn State announced over the weekend that they would be paying the legal
costs of Schultz and Curley.
University spokeswoman Lisa Powers said the allegations against the two
men concern how they fulfilled their responsibilities as employees, so Penn
State is paying for their counsel.
Though the nature of the charges is shocking no matter what, the surprise
is more loaded by the fact it comes from within the corridors of Penn
State, a school where the football program is known for its consistency as much
as its success.
'It is also a case about high-ranking university officials who allegedly
failed to report the sexual assault of a young boy after the information was
brought to their attention, and later made false statements to a grand
jury,' Ms Kelly said.
Prosecutors said all of the young men first encountered Sandusky through
Second Mile and not through the university.
A grand jury report, which recommended charges, said the first to come to
light was a boy who met Sandusky when he was 11 or 12. The boy received
expensive gifts and trips to sports events from Sandusky, and physical contact
began during his overnight stays at Sandusky's home, jurors said.
Sandusky was banned from the child's school district in Clinton County in
2009, after his mother reported alleged sexual assault to his high school.
That triggered the state investigation that culminated in charges Saturday.
Ms Kelly said that seven years before that, in 2002, a graduate assistant
saw Sandusky sexually assault a naked boy, estimated to be about ten years
old, in the locker room of the Lasch Football Building on campus.
The grad student and his father reported what he saw to Mr Paterno, who
immediately told Curley, prosecutors said.
Curley and Schultz met with the graduate assistant about a week and a half
later, Ms Kelly said.
'Despite a powerful eyewitness statement about the sexual assault of a
child, this incident was not reported to any law enforcement or child
protective agency, as required by Pennsylvania law,' Ms Kelly said.
'Additionally, there is no indication that anyone from the university ever
attempted to learn the identity of the child … or made any follow-up
effort to obtain more information from the person who witnessed the attack.'
The jury said Curley lied when he testified repeatedly that he was never
told Sandusky had engaged in sexual misconduct with a child, Ms Kelly said,
adding that portions of Schultz's testimony also were not deemed credible
by the jury.
Penn State president Graham Spanier called the allegations against
Sandusky 'troubling' but said Curley and Schultz had his unconditional support and
he predicted they will be exonerated.
'I have known and worked daily with Tim [Curley] and Gary [Schultz] for
more than 16 years,' he said. 'I have complete confidence in how they handled
the allegations about a former university employee.'
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